Beating yourself up after an exam.

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I just failed our first Drug Calc exam.

Because of a stupid, careless mistake I failed it. We were supposed to calculate the sum of all intake of a client. Let's say There was three 50 mL of meds, 5 tsp of broth, 2 TB of jelly, and 1 cup of ice chips.

Well I didn't see the "three" on the 50 mL there. She should've just written it out like (3) to make it more clear, and because of that I failed it.

It was not the hardest of the questions on there either; I got all the others right but I just couldn't escape with a pass.

Its frustrating being down with these silly mistakes. Now I have to retake it next week and take the theory test altogether. Im pretty down on myself right now.

Appreciate any help guys.

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hey, at least you know what you did wrong, just take the test over again and get a hundred.. triple check everything, the questions, your work, the answer you get.. it shouldn't be a problem =)

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:smackingf Silly mistakes happen to all of us nursing students. Just remember to read the question thourougly. I'm sure that you will do great this next time around!

Kim

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Oh, I feel you on this one - I always give myself the "I could have studied harder! I could have gotten that one right! I could have gotten an A! etc etc" routine.

I'm sorry this happened! But at least you know what you did wrong - you KNOW that you know the material, and that you can do it. To me, that's the important part - learning the material and knowing it, rather than any designated letter grade.

Hope this helped a little. :heartbeat

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Seriously...don't be too hard on yourself! The fact that you clearly know your mistake and really care shows that you're on your way to doing well! After my own 2 years of nursing school experience (and seeing the experiences of classmates) I can tell you that EVERYONE has those nasty tests/quizzes/exams that they just walk out of thinking they must be the dumbest nursing student ever. I, for one, am generally a strong student (not to brag AT ALL...you'll soon see my point), but have managed to thoroughly break sterile technique during an competency exam for foley catheter insertion and blank out on the origins/insertions of waaaaayyyy too many muscles during and A&P exam (and these are just a few of the "oopsies" I've had during nursing school:yeah:) I was so frustrated after those bombs, but I forced my self to move forward, think positively, and guess what? Everything really did work out!

Don't be discouraged!

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Specializes in LTC.

They do little things like that in nsg. school to see if you are "paying attention" to detail. Don't be suprised at anything you see. Good luck

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Specializes in Ortho, Neuro, Detox, Tele.

yep, I failed our last semester required med calc exam because I wrote everything out, but forgot to cancel a unit...so my answer read "units/ml", not "units"...so I failed, even though all my numbers were right....let's say I just concentrated harder on the next attempt and passed with flying colors....

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Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.

My silly mistake:

We were given a pediatric med order, and we had to determine the safe dosage (mg/kg). I did all the math (at which I'm less than good) correctly, and as a followup to the question, we were asked "Is this order a safe dose for your patient?".

I forgot that part of the question, and failed the test...even though I got all the math right. Talk about frustrating. A simple Yes/No failed me. :/

They do little things like that in nsg. school to see if you are "paying attention" to detail. Don't be suprised at anything you see. Good luck

Yep. One of the most common is to throw in "in a 4 ml vial". People often see that 4 and throw it right on into their calculation, even though it's irrelevant.

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since we're talking about silly mistakes;

.8+.5 DOES NOT equal .13 .. yeah.. :banghead:

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you have to get 100% to pass? Or did I read that wrong? (I'm not in nursing classes for another couple of months)

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
appreciate any help guys.
test taking is a skill.

never turn in any test without having gone through all the questions and taken a second look at them, especially if they involved any math. a careless addition mistake could have been found easily by doing that. don't rush to get out of the room. use all the time you have to take the test.

confusing a "3" for a "0" on a math problem is an issue of reading too fast and not paying attention. if the "3" wasn't clear enough, you put your paw in the air and ask for clarification. what your brain did was assume, and quite quickly too, that the "3" was a "0". that is a reason why you need to take a second slower look at your work before turning it in. that wasn't the instructors fault, it was yours. scientists, and nurses, never assume anything! sorry if that sounds blunt, but you were blaming the instructor who was not at fault. let me carry this idea a little farther. . .you can't make these kinds of assumptive errors when you are working with patients.

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Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.

In my program, we have a math exam every semester, and we have 3 chances to make 100% on it (over a couple weeks time). If you don't make 100 by the 3rd attempt, you're dropped from the program.

you have to get 100% to pass? Or did I read that wrong? (I'm not in nursing classes for another couple of months)
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