Struggling in nursing school..

smalltownhero · Nov 14, 2013

nvm this post

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Nov 14, 2013

nvm this post

What is "NVM"? I don't speak txtspk.

kjkkm · Nov 14, 2013

What is "NVM"? I don't speak txtspk.

Lol GrnTea

It means nevermind.

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Nov 15, 2013

OP, you MUST get help from classmates and the professor who is "stingy", etc.

You MUST figure out a way to lay aside fear and overwhelm.

You MUST get rid of all other things that consume your time. I know there are a few things you can't get rid of, but rid your life of anything extraneous and spend time with classmates studying together.

losilva95 · Nov 15, 2013

Get organized first off all. I was a struggling student also and let me tell you how I figured it out. Now I know time is an issue for you but here's my suggestion. Read and understand the patho behind it before you even go into lecture. Use all your senses. Hear it. Read it. Write it. Draw pictures to help you remember. As I read I make up little things to help me remember things like definitions. Go over your lectures before class and after class. Review them everyday. If you read over your notes everyday you'll be surprised at what that can do. Always ask yourself WHY. A why to every symptom and point. If you can do that, you can walk yourself through any question. You will probably not sleep very much during this time but it won't be like this forever! If you're not a caffeine drinker take caffeine pills (I'm not a coffee or pop drinker). Sleep is important but you have to make some sacrifices. Hope this helped. You CAN do this :)

TC3200 · Nov 15, 2013

I empathize with you, OP. Can you hire a tutor from some outside source, if none is available through the school? I had the same problem and same experience in my year of diploma RN school. I never found a solution, so I am out of nursing altogether.

I beg to differ on the "learn it; don't memorize it." I think there is a whale of a lot of memorization required for RN school. After all, you can't carry the books with you and look up principles or definitions in the book during the exam, can you?

I think for the fortunate students, or the ones who have prior healthcare exposure or experience, or live and breather healthcare, a lot of the material is just so easily committed to memory that it's almost transparent to them and it comes easy. Those people who are saying "Understand it; don't memorize" are probably some of those. I came from sci and tech, and I am very well-trained in systematic problem solving, but to me, nursing course material was so radically different that I was constantly being inundated with new things I knew nothing about, except dosage calcs, which I could do in my sleep without ever cracking the book, and I could also convert from one measurement system to another, and could read the problems and pick relevant info and discard the rest. And the ONLY time I could not do that with a dosage calc was on a reconstitution question where you also had to know what the maximum amount was that could be injected in that site, iirc.

The rest of the time, the subject material was all new to me and I struggled with it like I have never struggled with ANYTHING before. I, too, never had enough time to cram it all in, in the time they allotted, and was literally doing nothing else but going to class and then going home to my lonely boarding-house room and grinding away at it all night, and every weekend, to the point where I just decided to go back to things that come easier to me.

So, none of that helps the OP, but maybe someone can read my take on this and understand better what some of the struggling students are going through. It was not a question of not making an effort, in my case, because I was knocking myself out to try to do it all, and the whole experience just because increasingly joyless and and annoying and totally unfulfilling for me, because there was no win for all of my efforts.

missmollie, ADN, BSN, RN · Nov 16, 2013

I do memorize every single powerpoint, but in a way that makes it seem not overwhelming, I'll get to that in a second. If I know the material, then any question you throw my way I can figure out. Recognize that learning is different for everyone, but you still must know the material. This is what works for me, and I've taught this to a few people who have seen their grade turn around. This is only good if you understand how to critically think.

1. Take 2 sheets of loose leaf paper and staple them together. Your first page is questions. Your second page is answers.

2. Look at powerpoint slide #1. A picture to get the lecture started. Move to powerpoint #2.

3. Create questions, some hard, some easy, to help you memorize. handwrite these out!!!!

4. When one page if full (Only write on the front, not the back) ask outloud these questions. Answer them. 2x. Then start a new sheet.

5. Read the book. Do the same thing.

6. Arrange these stapled question and answer sheets in front of the powerpoint. Review every day

7. If you have time, listen to the taped lecture as you go through the powerpoints afterwords. If they allow you to record lecture.

Yes, it's a lot of work. It'll get to the point where just writing it down helps you remember it, and you don't have to review any of the sheets until you've finished the powerpoints. I've seen D students go to a B, but it's not a promise that it will work for you. It's what works for me.

EXAMPLE:

Powerpoint slide: gastric function of HCL can total 2.4 liters a day, small intestine has villi.

Questions:

1. Gastric function makes how much HCL a day? ~OR~ What is made that totals 2.4 liters a day?

Answer: 2.4 liters a day (2400ml) ~or~ HCL

2. Why does the small intestine have villi? (Good question, wasn't covered, let's look it up in the book!)

Answer: to increase surface area. Important because the more surface area, the more chances to reabsorb water and nutrients back into the body.

With that last one, then you can think further: if someone were to lose a portion of their intestine, what would happen? There would be less surface area, therefore less chance to absorb nutrients and water, and there could be an electrolyte problem. Also, find supplemental books with questions in them, and aim to do a certain number a day.

Hope that might be helpful. For the record, I've never had a job in the healthcare industry.

antania31 · Nov 18, 2013

First thing.... Memorizing, Major No No! This is what makes nursing courses different, more diificult than any other course you have ever taken. In nursing you have to learn how to read and apply the info you read. Nursing is all about critcal thinking and application. Once you learn this life will be soo much easier. Trust me, I had to learn the hard way. As for study groups, its a must... even if it just with one other students. You don't realize how that other person view helps you. It help you see the work in another way, make you think differently on your approach to that area you'll studying. Like some of the others stated you have to schedule study time and every point of your day. Its very difficult but achievable.

antania31 · Nov 18, 2013

First thing.... Memorizing, Major No No! This is what makes nursing courses different, more diificult than any other course you have ever taken. In nursing you have to learn how to read and apply the info you read. Nursing is all about critcal thinking and application. Once you learn this life will be soo much easier. Trust me, I had to learn the hard way. As for study groups, its a must... even if it just with one other students. You don't realize how that other person view helps you. It help you see the work in another way, make you think differently on your approach to that area you'll studying. Like some of the others stated you have to schedule study time and every point of your day. You can memorize the entire book but if you don't know how to apply it to the qustion/scernario... it's USELESS!!!!

*Its very difficult but achievable.... Good Luck

motay68 · Nov 18, 2013

OP, nursing school is so overwhelming. I hear you there. Memorizing the powerpoints hasn't helped me because the questions they ask on the tests are about applying what you learn. It's hard and requires you to start thinking in a brand new way. To get through it you have to really REALLY want it. I work just under full time, am a single mother, spend two hours in my car driving to school 5 days a week, and am helping care for my sick family member. I study every single day. If I have to take my books out for a cigarette break with me or practice physical assessments on my children or just ignore the phone turn on the radio and tune everyone out for a little while that's what I do. It's exhausting but rewarding.

Find some one in your class to study with. Sometimes people have a silly way of remembering something that sticks in your head. And don't be afraid to ask questions during class. Chances are somebody else is wondering about the same thing.

Take a deep breath. You can do this!!!!

i♥words · Nov 19, 2013

I know how you feel. Unfortunately you have to set aside what you are used to and embrace what each instructor has to offer. Not one of my instructors has given a test review, told me what would be on the test, or created good, organized power points. Not one. Nursing school instructors don't baby or hold hands; they share information and expect you to learn it. Memorization doesn't work in nursing school. Pharmacology may be an exception, but overall I have not spent any time memorizing. Read the material, listen in class, rewrite your notes. Understand what you are learning. You aren't just learning information for a test; you are learning information that hopefully you are applying to clinicals and will continue to apply throughout your nursing career.

At the end of the day you have to prioritize. Figure out how you are spending your time, and cut out what is unnecessary. Examine how you study and work on making new study habits. Talk to your professors, because I guarantee they don't want you to fail, and even if they are "stingy" they may have some suggestions or be able to help you see where you are lacking. Talk to them and ask them for advice. If they are unhelpful then at least you tried. Consider studying with other students in your classes. There is time, even if it is just 30 minutes after class every week.

tcvnurse, BSN, RN · Nov 20, 2013

When I was in school my friends used to ask how I got such good grades. I'd ask them if they were going out with their boyfriends and hanging out with their friends. They inevitably answered 'Yes.' There's your problem, I'd say!

Make sure you understand the material. Record your lectures and listen to them while you rewrite your notes. Yes. REWRITE them. It helps stick the info in your head. Do the chapter questions at the end of each chapter. Study, study study.