A+P II Rant! and advice?

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Apr 8, 2010

It doesn't sound like he is being unreasonable. Please don't take this the wrong way, but this is nothing compared to whats to come. In nursing school at least programs I know about, you have tons of tests, in my Peds/OB class right now we have 2 exams a week. Often an exam after 1-2 lectures and in this class most of our Peds exams are only 20 questions worth 20 points. You miss 2 you have a B. So no room for error. Last week we had a bigger exam that was 30 questions. The lecture though covered 26 diseases and abuse and pain. The stuff ending up on the test was stuff barely stressed on in lecture and that was briefly covered. I think their was only a handful that passed.

My first Semester we had one week that we had 3 exams, a test out for catheters, and 3 papers due. We all called it hell week.

But this is very common in nursing school. Then when you start clinicals your lectures get longer to make room for those but the test levels stay the same so you have less time to fit everything in.

The best thing you can do it learn your time management now because you will need it letter, this is totally doable if you dedicate yourself. Study a little each day.

I DO NOT think you guys should go to the Dean, it will make you look whiny. Our nursing directors told our teachers for our Pre Reqs to NOT give any extra credit because their is no extra credit in nursing school. I honestly think if you go to the nursing director they will laugh. Because again, 5 exams in 3 weeks is not unreasonable in nursing school.

Again, not trying to offend you just trying to be realistic.

tap87 · Apr 8, 2010

Thanks for the input, no offense taken. I know nursing school is going to be a challenge but I look forward to it, especially with the clinicals to get the hands on experience.

I guess my main complaint right now is just zipping through the last chapters of the most important material needed for nursing school. I'm sure I can make it through with a B average. The teacher should have better time management so he's not dragging his feet the whole semester and then smashing everything together the last three weeks. I just wish he was truly teaching the material well and I was truly learning it well, instead of memorizing just to make it through the class.

It would be nice too if the class didn't consist of 90% of the class grade/lab counting as tests. I wouldn't mind homework or writing papers too!!

As always, I'll just suck it up and deal with it! But I will honestly review him and let the dean know how I feel on the survey the school gives for each professor at the end of the semester. :rolleyes:

kenpochic · Apr 8, 2010

ya i wouldnt go to the dean. i dont think it would accomplish anything. even though it sucks he makes the rules.

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Apr 8, 2010

Thanks for the input, no offense taken. I know nursing school is going to be a challenge but I look forward to it, especially with the clinicals to get the hands on experience.
I guess my main complaint right now is just zipping through the last chapters of the most important material needed for nursing school. I'm sure I can make it through with a B average. The teacher should have better time management so he's not dragging his feet the whole semester and then smashing everything together the last three weeks. I just wish he was truly teaching the material well and I was truly learning it well, instead of memorizing just to make it through the class.
It would be nice too if the class didn't consist of 90% of the class grade/lab counting as tests. I wouldn't mind homework or writing papers too!!
As always, I'll just suck it up and deal with it! But I will honestly review him and let the dean know how I feel on the survey the school gives for each professor at the end of the semester.

Well then if you are looking forward to how nursing school will be, this will be good practice. What you are describing IS nursing school. Except our grade is all tests at my school. Once in a while we will have a project that can count as very small part of our grade, but we have to get the 77% passing grade on all our tests to even be eligible for it. So if you don't get the 77% on your exams your still out. A lot of our stuff is also self teaching. We have a lot of papers in our clinicals but my clinicals are pass fail, nothing is graded. So the exams are all the actual grades.

mangopeach · Apr 8, 2010

I agree with others. I don't think you should go to the dean. I don't even think you have a legit reason to. I know a couple of my profs put on their syllabus that its at their discretion to change things.

If you get to do one of those evaluation cards for professors at the end of the semester, then voice your concerns there. Good luck!

JUPITER19 · Apr 8, 2010

I also agree. I've come to look at school this way. I go into class expecting 100% of the work to be done by myself and 0% of the learning to come from the professors. Anything I do get from the professors I consider a shift in the percentage. I look at it as anything they do to facilitate my learning experience, not anything they do that helps me get a better grade. I've had prof's that explain stuff clearly, give great notes and go out of their way to help their students to get the most out the class (Me 35%/Professors 65%). For my A&P II class I was one of the few that got an a and had a sense of humor about the difficulty of the material and of the professor. He did not give out a single note, at most he would put up a single transparency up per class. He did not speak quickly thru class, he SPEED thru the material, faster than a human could even attempt to write. I gave up writing down his verbal lectures after the first few classes, it was easier to assimilate what I could when he said it rather then worrying about remember the last few words of his last sentence while trying to keep up with his next concept. The whole class complained the whole semester, more then half dropped the class. I understood that A&P 2 had much more material that A&P 1, that there was no time for him really to explain the chapter, he had to rush thru to even finish the chapters that the school required for him to teach. He felt it wasn't his place to try and make things easier for us (which is always nice, but not required), and that we were grown ups. I would always kid with him, when other students would ask for certain things to be made easier for them (like test content, dates, reviews before tests) I knew that was never going to happen so I would ask him to please just not things harder for us So yeah, that was a 100% me class. Maybe it sounds negative, but I am kind of a expect nothing in life and you will be happy with what you get rather then expect alot and be often disapointed. Ok, I rambled on. I would not complain or ask for special favors. Take all this energy that you use up in being angry or frustrated and put it into the last few exams you have. Best of luck to you :)

Me :nurse:

P.S.- I have not spell checked or checked this for grammatical errors :)

Anne36, LPN · Apr 9, 2010

:yeah: I LOVE A&P RANTS~

At my school, complaining to the Dean is compelte waste of time. I have seen many people do it with 0 results.

I like what Jupitor had to say. That sounds like a typical class, you just have to tough it out.

Your Proff sounds like he IS trying to make it hard to get an A. And I totally know where you are coming from , our whole entire grade is exams. We have had the opportunity for 20 points extra credit so far, but our Proff has said many times that giving too much extra credit is a problem. From different things he has said since Day 1 of class, I believe that he has also been asked or advised against giving out extra credit in this class. I have worked my butt off for an A in this class, and I even get ticked when people pull out high B without half the understanding I have.

CoffeemateCNA · Apr 9, 2010

If you are worried about not knowing the material in the depth necessary for nursing school, you can always review it in greater detail during the summer, after the course is finished.

I'm with the others, I think that going to the dean will accomplish nothing. A&P is supposed to be a difficult course. Many people in my class complained about the workload, and they just got laughed at and lectured by the instructors. When I was doing my pre-requisites, I would have times where I had 5 tests in ONE week. You will get used to frequent exams. :)

tap87 · Apr 9, 2010

I've come to look at school this way. I go into class expecting 100% of the work to be done by myself and 0% of the learning to come from the professors.

I could never look at things this way only because you spend thousands of dollars on tuition each year, you deserve to learn the material from the professor. You shouldn't have to teach it to yourself. But that's just my opinion. :)

I just can't wait to get through this semester. Good luck to everyone else in the same boat!

Anne36, LPN · Apr 9, 2010

tap87, I see a lot of people who get medicore grades with that kind of mentality. You shouldnt have to teach it to yourself, but that is the ONLY way I have been able to get thru the science classes with an A. The lecture in my class does not give us an idea of what the critical thinking questions will be. You just have to go home and read, read, read.

jennylouwho · Apr 9, 2010

Honestly, the end of the semester is just tough, there's no getting around that. I am in A&P II and fortunately, my school ends lab before lecture, otherwise we'd be crammed with the same thing in about three weeks time.