Failing psych nursing course

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Specializes in Emergency Room.

Hello all,

I am in my second level takong psych nursing. I am in need of major help with my psych nursing exams. I got a 78 on the first exam and a 69 on the last one. I am failing with a 73 and need a 76 to pass. These tests are so difficult! I've looked through NCLEX questions and tried studying what the questions are asking and I'm still doing terrible. Any advice? My class is not doing that well either and my teach is great, but the tests we've had we've gotten points back because the questions are not so great.

Regardless I need to do better on these exams with only 2 left I'm feeling nervous. Any advice would be helpful or study tips! Thank you!

????,

Jenna

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Aside from knowing your meds I have little advice for you. I struggled with psych, it was almost entirely therapeutic communication based when it came to exam questions, I always found myself looking at the choices thinking I would not say/do any of those things (and my answer was usually sedate them, clearly I was not cut out for psych nursing lol). I did manage to pass, and have done a bunch more nclex style questions since, I think I'm starting to figure out what the right answer is even if I don't agree!

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I had my psych rotation right after 101. I learned real quick that answers to psych nursing tests are very different from other nursing tests! I used the Success book and studied every rationale -- right and wrong -- to gain a better understanding of how to answer test questions. I finished the course with a high A. Sometimes knowing why an answer is wrong is more beneficial than knowing which one is right. Have you asked your teacher for guidance? She/he may be able to guide you on how/what to study. Good luck!

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Specializes in Acute Rehab, Neuro/Trauma, Dialysis.

Psych questions are a whole other breed of nursing questions. Don't beat yourself up over it, most of us struggle with them. Our teacher required that we purchase the Mental Health Davis Success book. It does help to understand the squirreliness of those types of question.

Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Success: A Q&A Review Applying Critical Thinking to Test Taking (Psychiatric Mental Health Success): Cathy Melfi Curtis MSN RN-BC, Audra Baker RN PMHNP APRN ANCC, Carol Norton Tuzo MSN RN-BC: 9780803629813: Amazon.co

Also get to know your drugs and drug classes, very important in mental health.

Good Luck as you complete your class. :)

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Specializes in ER.

I barely passed my psych rotation. We all almost failed it. We did a little better after I pointed out that questions were coming from the DB posts where we posted our own questions so we all had at least 12 out of 50-60 right then.

I think reading several books such as comprehensive review guides helped a little bit too. The ATI saved my butt because I was 77.8 and I needed a 77 to pass. I had the highest level (I think a three or one, I mix those up) so I had an additional 95% that was weighted at 10% of my grade.

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Psych questions are tricky. I practiced a lot of questions, which I hardly did for any other NSG class. Still, psych questions are words and I agree with the above poster, they are a lot about therapeutic communication. And not just your everyday NSG therapeutic communication... it get's even trickier with different psych conditions (i.e. BPD, Bipolar, schizophrenia, anxiety (mild,moderate, severe/crisis),ect.) If you haven't done so already, and u find answering these questions are where you are losing points... my recommendation is to go sit down with your professor and practice actually talking. Maybe arrange a study session with other classmates and your professor. On day one of psych nsg (for clinical; b4 we even started the lecture) we had class meetings and our professors interviewed each other in front of us. One would play the role of a psych pt and the other would be the nurse caring for them... In this scenario they were very good at taking on the role. It also allowed us to safely ask them " well why wouldn't you say that?" Other rules of thumb regarding "therapeutic communication:"

Therapeutic Communication

DON'T EVER choose these types of answers:

1- "It's going to be OK!" [don't worry]

2- "Don't worry; your doctors will do everything necessary for your care." [don't worry]

3- "Let's talk about why you didn't take your medication." [let's explore]

4- "Tell me why you really injured yourself." [let's explore]

5- "What makes you think that?" [why questions]

6- "Why do you feel this way?" [why questions]

7- Don't insist that the client follow unit rules. [authoritarian answers]

8- Don't insist that the client do what you command immediately. [authoritarian answers]

9- "That happened to me once." [nurse focused]

10- "I know from experience this is hard for you." [nurse focused]

11- "Are you feeling guilty about what happened? [close ended]

12- "How many children do you have?" [close ended]

Do choose these types of answers:

1- "You are experiencing alcohol withdrawal; you may see and feel things that aren't real."

2- "There are many reasons for memory loss; tell me more about what you have noticed."

3- "I can see that you are frightened about being here."

4- "You seem very upset. Tell me how you are feeling."

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Specializes in Emergency Room.
Psych questions are tricky. I practiced a lot of questions, which I hardly did for any other NSG class. Still, psych questions are words and I agree with the above poster, they are a lot about therapeutic communication. And not just your everyday NSG therapeutic communication... it get's even trickier with different psych conditions (i.e. BPD, Bipolar, schizophrenia, anxiety (mild,moderate, severe/crisis),ect.) If you haven't done so already, and u find answering these questions are where you are losing points... my recommendation is to go sit down with your professor and practice actually talking. Maybe arrange a study session with other classmates and your professor. On day one of psych nsg (for clinical; b4 we even started the lecture) we had class meetings and our professors interviewed each other in front of us. One would play the role of a psych pt and the other would be the nurse caring for them... In this scenario they were very good at taking on the role. It also allowed us to safely ask them " well why wouldn't you say that?" Other rules of thumb regarding "therapeutic communication:"

Therapeutic Communication

DON’T EVER choose these types of answers:

1- “It’s going to be OK!” [don’t worry]

2- “Don’t worry; your doctors will do everything necessary for your care.” [don’t worry]

3- “Let’s talk about why you didn’t take your medication.” [let’s explore]

4- “Tell me why you really injured yourself.” [let’s explore]

5- “What makes you think that?” [why questions]

6- “Why do you feel this way?” [why questions]

7- Don’t insist that the client follow unit rules. [authoritarian answers]

8- Don’t insist that the client do what you command immediately. [authoritarian answers]

9- “That happened to me once.” [nurse focused]

10- “I know from experience this is hard for you.” [nurse focused]

11- “Are you feeling guilty about what happened? [close ended]

12- “How many children do you have?” [close ended]

Do choose these types of answers:

1- “You are experiencing alcohol withdrawal; you may see and feel things that aren’t real.”

2- “There are many reasons for memory loss; tell me more about what you have noticed.”

3- “I can see that you are frightened about being here.”

4- “You seem very upset. Tell me how you are feeling.”

Thank you for this! It helps clear up a lot of answers that I've gone wrong in!

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Specializes in Emergency Room.
I barely passed my psych rotation. We all almost failed it. We did a little better after I pointed out that questions were coming from the DB posts where we posted our own questions so we all had at least 12 out of 50-60 right then.

I think reading several books such as comprehensive review guides helped a little bit too. The ATI saved my butt because I was 77.8 and I needed a 77 to pass. I had the highest level (I think a three or one, I mix those up) so I had an additional 95% that was weighted at 10% of my grade.

At least you passed! I'm hoping that I pass :/

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency Room.
Psych questions are a whole other breed of nursing questions. Don't beat yourself up over it, most of us struggle with them. Our teacher required that we purchase the Mental Health Davis Success book. It does help to understand the squirreliness of those types of question.

Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Success: A Q&A Review Applying Critical Thinking to Test Taking (Psychiatric Mental Health Success): Cathy Melfi Curtis MSN RN-BC, Audra Baker RN PMHNP APRN ANCC, Carol Norton Tuzo MSN RN-BC: 9780803629813: Amazon.co

Also get to know your drugs and drug classes, very important in mental health.

Good Luck as you complete your class. :)

I have the book and read the questions and rationales and I thought it helped a lot but then I took my exam and failed it worse than my first exam. :( idk why.

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Specializes in Emergency Room.
I had my psych rotation right after 101. I learned real quick that answers to psych nursing tests are very different from other nursing tests! I used the Success book and studied every rationale -- right and wrong -- to gain a better understanding of how to answer test questions. I finished the course with a high A. Sometimes knowing why an answer is wrong is more beneficial than knowing which one is right. Have you asked your teacher for guidance? She/he may be able to guide you on how/what to study. Good luck!

Thank you for the advice! I'm trying to use NCLEX question as much as possible

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Specializes in Emergency Room.
Aside from knowing your meds I have little advice for you. I struggled with psych it was almost entirely therapeutic communication based when it came to exam questions, I always found myself looking at the choices thinking I would not say/do any of those things (and my answer was usually sedate them, clearly I was not cut out for psych nursing lol). I did manage to pass, and have done a bunch more nclex style questions since, I think I'm starting to figure out what the right answer is even if I don't agree![/quote']

Yeah these tests are extremely hard with the therapeutic communication :/ I've been using other books with NCLEX psych questions and it still isn't helping me on the actual exams.

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