Failure in Nursing School and Options

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Hi, I am a new nursing school student. I have given up a lot to get to school. I am older with a BS degree in biology. I have spent my first week in nursing school so stressed about clinical and clinical grades. I heard that over half of the students last semester didn't make it. Most dropped and some of the students are repeating the first semester. I also heard that many student actually got failing grades for 14 credits. Now for my question.

If you actually, fail the first semester of nursing. What are your options? I know that if I actually failed I would never want to consider nursing school again. I would need to get a government job or go back to school for another field of study. Is it legal to omit this junior college from a 3.7 GPA overall transcript set when applying to law school, medical school, or graduate school? Will I be able to omit it from job applications? I really don't care about the 1 or 2 prerequistes on the junior college transcript so I wouldn't be interested in transfer credit. Can you flunk out of nursing school and still salvage an academic record? If nobody know the answer, whom do ya'll think would? A University dean?

Please, respond. If I know I have a back up, I won't quit school out of fear and I will be a great nurse in two years. I just don't want to let them get me down, because the philosopy of the first semester is too scare you into quitting.

My clincial instructor has already made friendship in school a requirement for passing clinical and she expects to read a log book about how we feel about our lives on a weekly bases and it must be personal and at least 3 pages long. Is this what nursing school is about? Why should she have the right to my inner thoughts about how I am doing?

WTF???

Hi BioRN,

I can sympathize with your anxiety. I, too, am a little anxious about starting the nursing program next year as well. But I think that you are moving too fast, don't worry about tomorrow, but take care of what you need to learn today. Having such a good GPA does show that you have the smarts to handle the schooling coming your way.

I assume that you just started your nursing program? If so, know that there are many that feel the same way as you do. When I first started back to school, I would always feel a little anxious the first couple of classes because the professors are trying to impose upon those less serious students that this is not a fluff class. It is surprising how much the climate of a class feels as you are mid-way through it...a lot more relaxed.

Regarding the classmate issue, don't stress it. I would suggest that you be proactive...even if it is just to say hi! I'm sure that there are many of your classmates that are feeling as intimidated as you do. As a ice-breaker, why don't you mention the allnurses BB. "hey, have you ever been on the allnurses BB? it's a great way for anyone interested in nursing to meet others interested" they may say yes, they may say no, but be interested in learning more...just a suggestion.

For myself, I am hoping to get into next fall's semester nursing program. I'm taking both a human development and an A&P class with a few others also applying. Hopefully we will succeed and we'll already know people in the program.

Good luck!

Kris

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
Originally posted by Flo1216

3rd shift guy...a 1.1? I think I had a 0.9 by the time I left!!!( I was obviously not mature enough to handle a large university at 18. )

LOL! I definately wasn't ready either. Not all of us are. At least I'm in good company.

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

During our final clinicals during preceptorship we had to keep journals to.

I wouldn't make it a journal of your innermost thoughts. Just as it relates to nursing. (i.e. "today I'm feeling tired, nervous and a bit overwhelmed, I don't feel good about that last test...etc.) The idea probably is provide you with an outlet for your stress perhaps. Journaling is a good way to get a handle on your feelings. But don't get all personal. That's probably not what they are after.

But you also got to "play their game" so to speak. Do it their way. Don't make it such a battle.

Specializes in Corrections, Psych, Med-Surg.

There is a student nursing forum on this BB where you might get feedback from people who are currently nursing students. What is working for them? etc.

Originally posted by memphispanda

Write her dumb journal thing. It doesn't have to be "real", it just has to be done. I wouldn't go into a bunch of detail about my relationships and stuff. Heck--make it up. "Monday--I am feeling very good about today. Class made sense to me and was very interesting. Talked to 2 classmates on the phone and we discussed getting together this weekend to study and socialize...etc." .... Jump through the hoops. It's the only way to make it.

Agree completely! I don't think if they are going to ask you to do this that they should read and grade it!!!! How can they grade you on your thoughts??? I once had a teacher who required us to journal our thoughts, but she didn't read them. We just had to show her the dates at the top of the page, the journal book never changed hands.

I also don't know how they can require friendship - teamwork, yes, but actual friendship??? That is a personal choice.

As was said in the quote above, just jump through the hoops.

I agree, dont get in a tizzy over the journal. Some of my best papers I wrote came right off the top of my head. The thing is, you have a certain number of assingments to complete for the year and this sounds like a super easy one. Trust Me, enjoy it.

Specializes in ICU, nutrition.

Ditto for what memphispanda said about making stuff up (psychosocial crap, I mean). I had a nursing instructor who insisted that every week we had to talk about our strengths and weaknesses. Strengths...not a problem. Weaknesses...some weeks I felt like I had some worth discussing, other weeks I had a really good couple of clinical days and a really easy assignment and I couldn't think of any. So I'd make one or two up. (I'm not convinced she actually read all the crap we wrote anyway).

As for failing, I know several people who failed a class, then came back and did better and passed and eventually graduated (including ME!) I also know several who failed 3 of the 4 classes we had to take our first semester and were booted out. Some took alternate routes to become a nurse, others chose to do something else. I can only think of one person who failed who seemed to really be trying and putting forth a lot of effort. The rest who failed didn't study very much, didn't go to class like they should, or just did not get the big picture when it came to figuring out WHAT to study.

From the way things sound, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Just go to class, pay attention, study and talk to your peers. Don't be afraid to ask questions, and ask for help and be willing to help others in clinicals. You'll do fine. But don't work yourself into a tizzy this early in the semester, especially if you haven't gotten any grades yet to BE worried about.

Good luck!

BioRN - Welcome to my hell. I'm sorry :-(

Agree with most of the above posts. You must be positive. There are all kinds of hurdles in life and I bet you've overcome many in your own life.

Some clinical instuctors are rediculous though. We thought one of students would fail clinical because she did not have a neat hairstlye. She showed us one of her evals from an instructor(who constantly critisized her tossled hair-do and it went something like: "Hair done in neat appropriate style, bangs out of eyes" (she had finally swept it back and tied it up and away from her face to meet the instructors requirements) Eval had nothing more on it.

As for socializing, Suzie and Joe, had gone the extral effort, both were always found "socializing" and we could have written a book about them. None of these students failed.

There will be "cliques" develop and I would try to remain as neutral as possible and keep thoughts about other students to self, but that said the assignment sounds stupid, but something you'll have to do for this particular instructor. Make it up.

Don't view clinical as threatening. I think for most of us it was the the best part of nursing school. I can still remember how exciting it was to give my first injection. Now I don't have time to "enjoy" them, just give and go.

Give it a chance. As said above, you could always withdraw, but if nursing is what you really want, then be one.

Specializes in MS Home Health.

Wow your on a bad ride right now. Take one step at a time, study hard and focus on making it not failing.

Hang in there,

renerian

We had a form of the journal thingie too, but not as stupid as what you describe. A classmate confided to me that she made up 100% of what was in hers, "I just wrote in there what I figured out she wanted to hear". I was too stupid to do that too. (My classmate friend also said that she figured out that she got special treatment by all the instructors because she was already an RN (BSN program). I noticed the favoritism also, but favoritism will be found everywhere in life. You just have to learn how to deal with it as you encounter it.

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