Classmates complaining about program, I think it is fine

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A lot of my classmates are complaining about our program, saying that it is too hard and that the teachers don't cover what's going to be on the test.

I chime in and say that the program is just fine, our school has an impressive NCLEX pass rate, and you cannot expect them to cover everything in class you've got to do the readings. And then the consensus was that they ask too detailed questions on the test and that you can't expect people to remember specific details like that if they don't mention them in class.

I think I'm in class with a lot of babies and instead of taking responsibility for their grades they're blaming the program. If they made the program so easy and spoon fed you questions that were going to be on the tests then they'd graduate people that weren't ready for the NCLEX and our pass rates wouldn't be what they are.

Am I insensitive or disconnected from my classmates? A lot of them are repeating this mantra of "this is a smart group, there shouldn't be so many people failing or barely passing". And I'm just like :uhoh3:.

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You know that technique of pretending to listen to someone, nod your head and occasionally say, uhh, huhh, to make them think you are interested in what they are saying? Just do this, or go off to do something important so you can avoid the negativity. Don't let them occupy space in your head. If they don't know they are wasting their energy, don't insist on giving them a clue. Can you imagine them on the job? Who do you think will be spoonfeeding them all the answers then?

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Bruce, and thanks for the reply on my threas.....its just a whole different ball game, and truth be told.... I dont necessiarly agree that students are expecting to be spoon fed, but more the less, that from my experience so far, with my exams.... there are people who literarly do everything that is asked, they read, they listen to lectures, come to the skills lab and practice regularly, they go above and beyond, and study a lot, but still yet end up having trouble applying the information with the application questions which kill students, and still end up with C's and no better, and some people whether it is because they work in the field or because they are just that smart....just nail the exams..... thats just how nursing school is, so maybe your classmates are right....but Bruce, seriously you gotta tell them they all knew what they were getting themselves into......

And yeah you know what RN school is brutal, and students want things broken down to simplicity because thats what instructors are really paid to do: make things clear and teach, im not saying hand it to students on a silver platter at all, but they likely complain because its a ton of work and a very very unreasonable amount of reading, which is impossible, but you just gotta do what you can....and figure out how to survive

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People learn differently and some people are able to grasp certain concepts better than others. Also, stress plays a part and someone who has 3 kids and a spouse that works full time will have a different experience than someone who doesn't have any kids or on the other end of the spectrum, than someone who is a single parent. Prior schooling is also an important factor. We are seeing more people (like myself) who have prior degrees entering into nursing. I'm not in nursing yet but I've seen it in community college, where school experience does play a part.

And then there is the aspect that not everyone learns the same way. Your learning style may mesh more with the teaching style of the instructor. Others may have a different learning style and other teaching styles and techniques may be needed to get to those students. Again, this also goes back to experience in that the students need to seek out whatever resources are available and try to fix the gap between their learning style and the teaching style if the teaching style isn't modified.

I think a bit of compassion and understanding on your part may be helpful. You might have to ignore some of the more negative people but hopefully your fellow students will figure out how to adjust and get through school successfully.

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.but Bruce, seriously you gotta tell them they all knew what they were getting themselves into......

And yeah you know what RN school is brutal, and students want things broken down to simplicity because thats what instructors are really paid to do: make things clear and teach, im not saying hand it to students on a silver platter at all, but they likely complain because its a ton of work and a very very unreasonable amount of reading, which is impossible, but you just gotta do what you can....and figure out how to survive

Yep, I was told what I was getting myself into, but knowing what I know now, I would have either found a different program that had "lower" standards or I would not have entered nursing school.

I have a very difficult time with these 2 credit hour classes that, in my opinion, should be mostly informational, but the amount of reading and work required is equivalent, if not more, to our 3 or 4 credit hour classes. These classes remind me of history class, which I have ALWAYS hated and have NEVER done well in those types of classes.

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

Opinions are like *******s....

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Specializes in Med Surg - Renal.

Nursing school is stressful and can cause people to do weird things.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
A lot of my classmates are complaining about our program, saying that it is too hard and that the teachers don't cover what's going to be on the test.

I chime in and say that the program is just fine, our school has an impressive NCLEX pass rate, and you cannot expect them to cover everything in class you've got to do the readings. And then the consensus was that they ask too detailed questions on the test and that you can't expect people to remember specific details like that if they don't mention them in class.

I think I'm in class with a lot of babies and instead of taking responsibility for their grades they're blaming the program. If they made the program so easy and spoon fed you questions that were going to be on the tests then they'd graduate people that weren't ready for the NCLEX and our pass rates wouldn't be what they are.

Am I insensitive or disconnected from my classmates? A lot of them are repeating this mantra of "this is a smart group, there shouldn't be so many people failing or barely passing". And I'm just like :uhoh3:.

This was my same experience too. It was so draining. All everyone did was complain and be negative and say how unfair things were blah blah blah. I thought our program was very good and we were well prepared. I took NCLEX days after graduating without studying for it at all. (hadn't planned on taking it that soon I just saw an opportunity and jumped on it) I was done in 45 minutes and passed. So obviously I was prepared even if I didn't prep. I thought our school really tried to do everything to support students and the teachers cared. But you would think it was a terrible program from listening to all the complaints. I just stuck with my 2 best friends I made in school and we stayed away from the negativity.

They even found every little thing to complain about our graduation ceremony.

Some people just can't ever be happy in life.

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Specializes in Tele.

It happens a lot - I have a lot of whiners in my A&P class saying its too hard. I have a B if not a B+; its in how your attitude is and how you study. Can't wait to start the actual nursing classes with these people.

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.......Am I insensitive or disconnected from my classmates?......

No, it's called maturity and has nothing to do with age.

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Shoot I didn't know we were in the same class! I think part of it is maturity like srobb11 said and some students seriously underestimate how much work is required to do well in nursing school. There are numerous quality study guides available, most schools have tutors, anyone can start a study group there are any number of things a student can do to succeed. Unfortunately some would rather complain about how hard the tests are, how poor a teacher the instructor is blah blah blah. If they spent as much time working on their study skills as they do complaining they might see some improvement in their grades.

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The first semester of nursing school is brutal. It just is. But complaining about the teachers, the tests, etc is useless. The people who do the most complaining are the ones who aren't going to make it. That's just the way it is. The instructors do not have a choice about how much reading they have to assign and how much material they need to cover. There is a lot of content in nursing school and there aren't enough lecture hours to cover it all. A huge part of nursing school is learning how to think and how to think critically and problem solve. Being told exactly what and how to study doesn't help that. And those people who do a ton of complaining, if they do make it through the program, aren't going to have good relationships with their instructors, which they will need for recommendations to get their first RN job.

So that was a long way of saying, no you are not being insensitive. You are being practical. What I do is nod my head and say yes it is hard/stressful/frustrating but don't say a word about instructors being bad/tests being unfair etc.

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