Failing. Help!!!

nurse.j., ASN, BSN, MSN · Sep 5, 2014

Are there other external stresses in your life going on besides school? When I was in nursing school, I worked, raised my little guy and went through a divorce so I know all about external stress all while juggling school. Nursing school is tough, but if you want it, you'll do whatever it takes to make it through. Study a little bit each day instead of cramming for hours just before the test. Make flash cards...the ones you get right immediately, set those aside and focus on the ones you missed. Look online for all kinds of helpful study guides, YouTube's, etc. There's lots of help on allnurses in the nursing student forum too. And make sure to take time for yourself, go for a run, drinks/dinner with friends, whatever you do to decompress. Good luck!

Cricket183, BSN, RN · Sep 5, 2014

One of the key factors in retaining what you study is to identify your learning style. There are many theories of learning styles. Most people use a combination of learning styles but usually have a dominant style. If you go online and search under "learning styles" you will find many inventories you can take to identify your dominant style. Or your school's counseling service may have them available. The theory I found most helpful identifies 7 learning styles. They are:

1. Visual (spatial)

2. Aural (auditory/musical)

3. Verbal (linguistic)

4. Physical (kinesthetic)

5. Logical (mathematical)

6. Social (interpersonal)

7. Solitary (intrapersonal)

(source: Overview of learning styles)

I am a verbal/logical/solitary learner. I have to be by myself when I study. If I try to study with a buddy or in a group, I quickly become confused and frustrated. I can listen to a lecture 100 times and never remember a word that was said. When I study I read the text, power point, and/or my lecture notes (usually one section or topic at a time) and then write down a summary in my own words. When I am take a test, I can actually picture in my mind what I wrote down.

As far as test taking, a very important factor is to actually determine what the question is asking. In nursing school (and on the NCLEX) there may be more than one correct answer and you have to be able to determine what is the best answer. Read the question carefully. Then before you ever look at the answers, read it again. Underline key words or phrases. Then read each answer carefully. Eliminate the answers you know that are incorrect. Then choose the answer that is the most correct. If you are unsure of the answer (and you can) mark the question, skip it and come back to it later. Easy enough to do on a paper test, not so much on a computer-based test.

Make sure you get plenty of sleep the night before your test. Eat a good breakfast with a mix of carbs and protein. If you find yourself getting anxious try stopping briefly and take some slow, deep breaths. Think positive. Tell yourself you can do this. Anxiety and negative self-talk will only bring you down.

Good luck. You got this!

x19amanda · Sep 6, 2014

Hey, it's okay! bad grades come with the territory. take it from someone who failed a semester of nursing due to not really giving a ****, to beginning to truly put all my blood sweat and tears into it and continue to fail. the third semester is the toughest in the program I grduated from and I cried everyday wondering how all my effort continued to bring me failing scores on my exams. I then found the answer. I stopped putting myself down and I became optimistic (even though I failed the first 4 out of 7 total exams at this point) . I changed my studying; I began to record every lecture and relisten while writing every single thing the lecture instructor said on the tape. I then rewrote every single one of my notes and read the book. I finally began to pass, and by the last semester I had a 4.0 with two exams being 100's (2/7exams). just believe in yourself

Carpediem1012, BSN, RN · Sep 6, 2014

It sounds like you are passively studying. Reading ppts and books are necessary- for prep. Now you need to practice it! That may mean doing an assessment 10 times on a teddy bear.(You'll get really good at role playing and talking to yourself) It may mean writing out the info on a concept map if you are a visual learner. Start to live and breathe your learning. Almost to the point of obsession lol. Think how the person in the grocery store has signs and symptoms of ..... How would you communicate therapeutically with your friend who is annoying you. Then your "learning" becomes a part of you. It's not something you have to reach back into the recesses of your mind to retrieve. It becomes how you intuitively think and act. Nursing is not just a skill. It's a way of being. If your brain hurts, you're probably doing it right :)

Palliative Care, DNP · Sep 6, 2014

Buy an NCLEX review book. Whatever subject you are studying read and answer that topic's questions in the book. You never know you may see familiar material on your test.

Vwpenn · Sep 6, 2014

I am very fortunate. I'm a visual and auditory learner. You show me something once and I got it. And in nursing school I would listen, never cracked a book. All my instructors told me that if I actually studied I would be dangerous. :mask: Next mission, to rule the world!!!!

Mr. Murse · Sep 6, 2014

Problem #1 that I see: not having anyone to talk to about it. There are those select few people that really don't want anyone else to talk to or study with, but they are the minority. Most of us benefit from having a nursing school buddy to help bear the burden. So start talking to people in class. Even if they're people you would otherwise have nothing in common with, you now have most of your world in common with them because nursing school will be most of your world until you're through with it. I didn't start really meeting and talking to my classmates until 2nd semester, then by 3rd I had formed a few friendships and small study groups. You will quickly be able to tell who you click with in a study group and who you don't, and you will quickly realize how big a group is too big.

Don't make excuses about why you can't talk to people or why people won't talk to you. A huge part of nursing is being able to communicate with people and your classmates are a great place to start. Consider it an ancillary lesson you get free of charge in nursing school. Once you and your class start realizing you're all in this together, it all starts to go smoother.

Otherwise, try a couple of different study styles and see what works. Styles will often have to vary depending on your teacher too. Some teachers will give you their exam answers straight off their power points or almost word for word in their lectures. Others will make you dig. Figure it out. Figuring out where you stand in a situation and how to best handle it is another ancillary lesson you will learn in nursing school.