What is the hardest semester in nursing school

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PacoUSA, BSN, RN

3,445 Posts

Specializes in ICU / PCU / Telemetry / Oncology.

In an accelerated BSN, I have heard the first is the killer, then it's downhill from there (but it is a rocky downhill, mind you).

moncj66

285 Posts

3rd semester which consisted of OB, peds, and management was the hardest! Hands down, I currently failed out of OB..I have to retake it

kcochrane

1,465 Posts

I've heard that our last semester, Med/Surg II is the hardest. I just got off my psych rotation and a lot of students felt that the classroom portion of that was very difficult. We have 5 not pass. I think it really depends on your intestests too.

RadfordSN

69 Posts

I'm almost about done with 2nd semester, and it's pretty tough. We have an OB and Med-Surg clinical back to back (12 hours and then 8). We also have pharmacology, which I personally find to be the easiest of all the classes we have this semester, but trying to find time to study for the tests can be a challenge.

Next semester we have Critical Care, Pediatrics, and Gerontology. So we'll have 3 clinicals each week. Some say 3rd semester is harder and some feel that 2nd semester is harder. I guess it depends on what you can deal with.

missjennmb

932 Posts

I'm in an LPN program atm, so this may be different for you, but in our program, the saying is, "if you make it through pharm, you're golden". We have had students fail out of Fundamentals, MS1, and MS2, but at this point, when compared to Pharmacology, our med surg classes are a breeze (I have a 90 average in the midst of studying concurrently for Pharmacology, having some personal life stuff to deal with, and even some of our A students have failed a pharm test).

I can't begin to explain how or why pharmacology is so difficult. There are just so many things. It really puts everything else into perspective. For us, its a 2 hr a week class (not enough time), our teacher for pharm REALLY sucks, and because of the quantity of material and the shortness of the class, we go over a month between tests (aka we cannot remember what we learned the first days by the time the test is here). Our next test is 12 chapters. Nobody knows how to pronounce most of the drugs (including the teacher) which makes memorization tougher. The way our book is written its very tough to see what side effects stand out as different from one drug to the next.

I just could talk for hours about my issue with how Pharmacology is taught (in my school). I wish I could teach it and can't wait until I become a teacher. (btw I said that so much that apparently they were listening because we are teaching the next class on both Pharm and Med Surg when we get back from break, lol)

jackson145

598 Posts

I'm in my last semester. I'd have to say 1st semester was the hardest anxiety-wise. They were trying to weed people out, so I always felt like they were just waiting for the smallest screw-up.

My GPA really took a hit 1st semester, also. I was used to straight A's. Now my transcript is sprinkled with B's. Oh well, I'll take 'em!

As far as material covered, OB has been my least favorite, but I still pulled an A (as compared to 1st semester).

My whole class has felt like it was all down-hill after 1st semester.

KAYBDT6, BSN, RN

1,602 Posts

Specializes in L & D, Med-Surge, Dialysis.

For me i will say second semester, for PEDIATRIC. I almost fail the class with 5 point but thank God i join a study group who helped me to past the final and end up having B at the end of the semester:D.

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