Anatomy! Nursing School...do I stand a chance?

orrnlori, RN · Apr 19, 2004

Rarely are we given 3rd chances in anything in life. Make hay while the sun shines and devote yourself to this if you truly want to get your license. Good luck!

SirJohnny · Apr 19, 2004

Lanitra:

- I'd like to add some advice here.

- First, you need to do some self-assessing, and determine why you are not doing

better in A&P. Perhaps even speak with a counselor at the community college

or something.

If you cannot are unwilling to devote 2 or 3 hours/day (everyday) into studying

A&P, then stop now. Yes, it takes that kind of dedication to studying if you want

to grab an A in the course.

- I am taking Microbiology, and out of 135 students, only 50 are left, and only 3 of

us will get an A in the class - finals in 2 weeks. This is at the University of

Southern Indiana. I will be one of those folks grabbing an A.

In this class, I put in about 4 hours/day every single day hitting the books. I even

start studying for the next exam 10 min after I finish the current exam.

- The weekend before the exam, I will put in a 10 to 12 hour cram session, on Sat and again on Sunday. So do the

other 2 folks getting "A"s in the class.

- I also hold down a full-time job (software engineer).

---------

- Why do I mention this?

- Something is wrong with either your dedication to study time, or your study

habits. This is where the counselor can come into play.

- How do I study?

- I write or replay the same word/sentence/concept in my mind for 5 to 10 min. I

have timers on my computer - you can use an alarm clock if you have to. Then, I

take a blank sheet of paper or use MS-Notepad on my laptop and do a memory

dump. I continue the process for 2 or 3 or 4 hours.

- How do I stay focused/motivated. I ride an exercise bike sometimes, or I lock

myself in car while watching trains. I also study at Denny's, Barnes & Nobles, and

Waffle Hut. Also study in conference room at work (after hours).

As far as motivation. After putting in 100+ hours for the first exam and grabbing

a 95%, I am not going to slow down and procrastinate. "Riding the wave" as some

people put it.

---------

- Regarding taking the class multiple times.

- At this point - your study skills need to be re-evaluated. It's not the material - it's you. And again, it would benefit you to talk to an advisor, classmates, etc.

- Regarding admissions to nursing school. Switch community colleges and start over once your study skills are up to par. No one has to know that you took classes at the other community college.

---------

- With regards to study-time & committment. It only gets worse. So gotta get good skills and dedication now.

Hope this helps & good luck.

John Coxey

Evansville (where the cows don't play), Indiana

sabine_rn · Apr 19, 2004

I'm counting before I say something to the previous comment.... :smokin:

Yes, it takes a lot of determination to do well in A&P, but some of us have kids etc., so 3-4 hrs./day just for A&P??? But maybe as a software engineer you are @ your PC most of the day, so you have the time to take a class and work. Do you take any other classes? If you do, it must be nice to be so smart, carry a job, floss your teeth daily, AND be...well perfect. :uhoh3:

I study about 3 hours a week and got an A--I'm in the top 3 in the class.

I just don't feel that "maybe it's you..." is helpful advice, and sounds a little, well, conceited. :nono: It's about the quality of the study, not the quantity--a study group is a good idea--and take it easy, one step @ a time, Lanitra.

YOU CAN DO THIS...just because someone popps out A's doesn't give them ppl. skills---anyone can have the personality of a piece of wood. :rotfl:

luckyladyore · Apr 19, 2004

Lanitra:
- I'd like to add some advice here.
- First, you need to do some self-assessing, and determine why you are not doing
better in A&P. Perhaps even speak with a counselor at the community college
or something.
If you cannot are unwilling to devote 2 or 3 hours/day (everyday) into studying
A&P, then stop now. Yes, it takes that kind of dedication to studying if you want
to grab an A in the course.
- I am taking Microbiology, and out of 135 students, only 50 are left, and only 3 of
us will get an A in the class - finals in 2 weeks. This is at the University of
Southern Indiana. I will be one of those folks grabbing an A.
In this class, I put in about 4 hours/day every single day hitting the books. I even
start studying for the next exam 10 min after I finish the current exam.
- The weekend before the exam, I will put in a 10 to 12 hour cram session, on Sat and again on Sunday. So do the
other 2 folks getting "A"s in the class.
- I also hold down a full-time job (software engineer).
---------
- Why do I mention this?
- Something is wrong with either your dedication to study time, or your study
habits. This is where the counselor can come into play.
- How do I study?
- I write or replay the same word/sentence/concept in my mind for 5 to 10 min. I
have timers on my computer - you can use an alarm clock if you have to. Then, I
take a blank sheet of paper or use MS-Notepad on my laptop and do a memory
dump. I continue the process for 2 or 3 or 4 hours.
- How do I stay focused/motivated. I ride an exercise bike sometimes, or I lock
myself in car while watching trains. I also study at Denny's, Barnes & Nobles, and
Waffle Hut. Also study in conference room at work (after hours).
As far as motivation. After putting in 100+ hours for the first exam and grabbing
a 95%, I am not going to slow down and procrastinate. "Riding the wave" as some
people put it.
---------
- Regarding taking the class multiple times.
- At this point - your study skills need to be re-evaluated. It's not the material - it's you. And again, it would benefit you to talk to an advisor, classmates, etc.
- Regarding admissions to nursing school. Switch community colleges and start over once your study skills are up to par. No one has to know that you took classes at the other community college.
---------
- With regards to study-time & committment. It only gets worse. So gotta get good skills and dedication now.
Hope this helps & good luck.
John Coxey
Evansville (where the cows don't play), Indiana

That is so cool I admire the dedication I dont study the 10 hrs but I can say the 3 to 4 youre right I only get a C maybe I need to study Longer.... GOODLUCK inyour courses you will do fine.......

SirJohnny · Apr 19, 2004

sabine_rn:

- Sometimes in life, choices must be made.

- If you chose to have kids - that's fine. You made that decision. Don't blame me because you you had kids or whatever.

- On the other hand, I do not have kids - just three persian cats. I work full time (40-50 hrs/weeK), plus go to school, and study the 3 or 4 hours a day that Micro requires.

- I am finding Micro quite intense as compared to the A&P. A&P required about an hour less per day than the Micro class.

- For me, and the other two folks in the class getting the "A"s, we all put in this kind of time hitting the books. Perhaps others can do as well with less time - but not seeing it this semester.

=========

- Regarding getting an "A", not sure what your problem is? Perhaps a bad day?

. - I see school/classes as a challenge - and I am going to push myself as hard as I can to grab that "A".

- I hope to be able to push myself as hard (if needed) when taking care of a patient.

- Are you going to use the "I have kids excuse" when your patient needs help?

=========

- Regarding my previous posting about Lanitra having to do some "self-assessment". It's not meant as a personal attack, nor is it meant as gloating. It's meant to give some guidance.

- Even with kids and a full-time job - you can find the time to study. If I can find time to shampoo, bathe, blow dry, and brush out 3 persian kitties (one is a 15# big baby), every other week - you certainly can find time to study.

- Granted kids take a lot more care than cats - but if you have a dream, and really want to obtain it - then you will make the time.

- Will you be able to take a full-course load? I doubt it. I currently am taking Micro by itself. I taught 2 nights/week (in addition to full-time job), when taking the easier A&P courses. Made the decision to cut back when taking micro.

---------

- You mentioned the need to study smarter.

- I believe that Lanitra's problems may lie with both study skills and motivation, hence my recommendation to step back from the situation, and perhaps see a counselor or speak with other students regarding her situation.

---------

John Coxey

Evansville, Indiana

Energizer Bunny · Apr 19, 2004

yeah, with children, there is plenty of time to study if you don't sleep!

fssmith · Apr 19, 2004

Girl your talking about 1 little class... let me tell you about my drama- I screwed up a whole semester, and all of the classes were important(Dev.psych, AP I, and College Algebra) I took all of the classes over and got a B,B, and C respectivly, and got accepted into the nursing program. I know that this may sound bad but when I went for my advising sesion I told a sob story about being under a lot of stress, and transferring to a new school was hard on me, and well I guess the story was good. Take the class over and see what happens!!!:)

klone, MSN, RN · Apr 19, 2004

- Even with kids and a full-time job - you can find the time to study. If I can find time to shampoo, bathe, blow dry, and brush out 3 persian kitties (one is a 15# big baby), every other week - you certainly can find time to study.

I'm sorry, but :rotfl:

Spoken like a true childless person. No offense, John. But :rotfl:

Other than that, I agree with you. But I owned three cats at one point. And now I have 2 kids. The two cannot even begin to compare, in terms of time consumption.

mauser · Apr 20, 2004

I believe you are missing John's point.

If you want a good grade, you must put in the time. How much time? Only you will know what you need - what works. I am getting A's in A&P. At 46 I went back to school - never had chemistry. First test 79. I doubled my studying. Next test 79 again - except class average had dropped 20 points to 66. Prof felt he needed to "test his testing." Gee thanks. I redoubled my studying. I aced his final - ended up with A- for overall grade.

A&P is a lot easier for me. I have been doing medical transcription for 25+ years. A's without much work. We are at the nervous system. This will take a lot more studying for me.

Oh yeah, I work fulltime, have two daughters one husband, one dog, two horses, four cats, two steers, four chickens, and a LARGE yard to mow.

belladelicious · Apr 20, 2004

I made a D first time I took A&P. I made a D second time I took A&P. I made a B 3rd time around.

I transferred, made an A in the second portion of A&P.

Of course, I made the D b/c I didn't study at all, and wasn't really into the whole school thing yet.

I think your only hope is to make A's in everything else. Of course, you have to retake it, and you must get an A when you retake it. So the grades will average together for a C.

It's probably too late to drop, not sure if you've taken other science courses yet. If not, you really need A's, not B's, in thoses classes. Nutrition, A&P, MIcro, and Human Growth and Development....those are the classes you need to pay attention to, and do really well, to get into nursing school.

And by the way...I'm making A's in nursing school, so just b/c you haven't done well in A&P, doesn't mean a thing!

klone, MSN, RN · Apr 20, 2004

I believe you are missing John's point.
If you want a good grade, you must put in the time.

Nah, I got that point, and I totally agree with it. I won't list all the things in my life that suck up my time; suffice it to say it's a lot.

I was just laughing at what he said about the cats.

ayndim · Apr 20, 2004

When I was in labor (I have pretty painless ones) my nurse told me it took her 3 times to pass A&P. After hunting around for advice I have found that it would be much better to take a general biology class first if you have never taken one or it has been awhile, 10 years in my case. I dropped out of A&P the first time I took it in 1999 and it completely put me off nursing. I have developed better study habits since then. I will be taking A&P in the fall so we will see.

My blood boiled when I read about the comparision to bathing cats once a week to having kids. :angryfire I have 3, aged 5, 2 and 7 months and let me tell you it is not even close. Mine have to be bathed at least once a day sometimes more. I have to cook breakfast, lunch and dinner. Don't forget snacks. Oh yeah they have to be played with and read to. I do my classes online right now. I work from about 7 to 11 pm most nights. But I have to stop to nurse the baby too. I have gotten good at typing with him in my arms while nursing. I agree that you determine your own study habits but it is hard to do with kids, especially if it is your first semester and you are just getting into the thick of it. Eventually you get a rythm but it takes awhile.