how to cope? advice please

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I have been heartbroken and discouraged for the past couple days. I needed a 78.5% to pass my nursing theory course and I ended the semester with a 78.2%. It is indescribable how I am feeling. The thought that ONE question would have made the difference in me passing is unbelievable. My instructors told me that there is nothing that can be done even though I was so close and that I will have to repeat. I am just so upset that I am delaying my graduation by one semester and that I have to spend more money that I do not have.

I know that I cannot dwell on the past and just move on and I accepted the fact that I have to repeat, but I still cannot help being sad and crying every night. I swear I have developed insomnia over this.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? How did you cope with this?

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Welcome to AN! :hug: The largest online nursing community!

I know it is disappointing.:hug: Many students have posted here about this same problem. In the upper corner of the page there is a search option, use it and browse the site. You are not alone.

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Thanks for showing me the search engine. :) I truly felt completely alone because it seemed like no one around me understood how frustrated and sad I am. I wish for no nursing student to feel the way I do right now, but it is reassuring that others have been in a similar situation and have made it.

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Hey there!! I just graduated but I think its ok I post here still ;)

I am an older student with many miles of life on me. Many times things happen in life that make us ask "Why"? It hurts and at the time we feel the weight of the world upon our shoulders.

Well, I believe that the universe is in control. I believe that perhaps while you are repeating the course you will meet someone that you are able to help, maybe somehow you will make a profound difference in their life.

Just keep an eye open and look for what the universe is trying to teach you or what opportunities you will have during this "setback".

Sometimes a step back = two steps forward. So cry. Acknowledge your pain. Meditate and ask the universe to guide you. Go into the retake with enthusiasm and positivity.

I encourage you to click on this link and listen to this song.

Andrea Bocelli & Laura Pausini - Dare To Live (Vivere) - YouTube

Carpe diem my friend. Carpe Diem!!!!!

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Thank you for your words of encouragement. :) and congrats on graduating!

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Specializes in Tele.

You're sooo not alone,. A few people in my nursing class were taking it for the second time, most failing by only 6 points or 1%. I failed my A&P II class by 1% and will have to take summer classes to make it up so I can move ahead withn nursing in the Fall.

It's frustrating but just think...if it were easy, every Tom, Dick, and Harry would do it! Just keep at it! :hug:

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As much as I know how this hurts you... you really are lucky. My program does not allow us to repeat a semester. If we fail a class we have to reapply to the program all over again and hope we get in. In six months when you graduate, this will be behind you and you will have accomplished your goal. Focus on that! Good luck!

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Specializes in ER, ICU, Education.

I am a nursing instructor and this is fairly common, especially in the first year. It really isn't just one question, it's a pattern of a whole semester that leads up to not passing. When I first started teaching, I was devastated each time a student didn't pass. It is different now. While I am still sad for them that they did not pass, I have come to realize that their knowledge level wasn't where it needed to be in order for them to safely practice in this area of nursing. The worst thing that could happen is NOT to fail a class, but to harm a patient due to a lack of knowledge. I care too much about my students to allow them to progress when they are not ready to do so safely.

There are many issues that can lead students to this point. Failure can be due to poor study habits, too many outside commitments (work or family), learning disabilities, family emergencies, the list is endless. The result is the same: at this point, the student is not ready to progress. The majority of my students who return end up doing very well in the class the second time. The ones who do not are those who just blame the professor and don't change the problems that led up to failure. I try to tell students that failure of a course does not have to mean "Not ever," but that it can instead mean "not now, but one day." I would ask your professor for advice on how to improve your performance in the future. If it is any consolation, I have know many students to fail a course, return, and graduate. I am still in touch with many of them and am proud to call them my colleagues. There are also the rare few who blame everyone else for their problems, refuse to change, and fail a second time. To be honest, the students that fall into this category are just not ready for the profession of nursing, although this may change in the future.

I hope, as another post mentioned, that you will take this time to refresh yourself and tackle the course again with enthusiasm. Ask those you trust for advice on how to improve. Test Success by Nugent and Vitale has helped many of my struggling students. There are also "Success" books for nearly every content area (ex- Med-Surg Success) that my students find useful.

As far as the grieving, this takes time. I had a student fail my course in the past. She went on to make a high A when she repeated the course, found a true love for the subject, and just graduated. She plans to work in the specialty I teach. At graduation this week, she told me that although she hated and blamed me when she didn't pass, she learned that she had to make a choice to succeed. She learned to study and take better notes, and really applied herself to learning. She asked me to pin her, and I wrote her letter of reference. It was a gift to watch her walk across that stage. Give yourself a limited time to wallow, then make a choice to excel this time. You can do it.

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Specializes in New Critical care NP, Critical care, Med-surg, LTC.

There are a few students in my class that repeated a semester. Each of them at some point made a statement to the effect that they were devastated at the time to have to repeat and be delayed in graduating, but each of them found great value in the semester that they repeated. What better way to walk into next semester than knowing that all material will be familiar to you, and you'll only be adding to what you had learned- hopefully to your great success. Don't give up, good luck.

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Well, I believe that the universe is in control. I believe that perhaps while you are repeating the course you will meet someone that you are able to help, maybe somehow you will make a profound difference in their life.

Just keep an eye open and look for what the universe is trying to teach you or what opportunities you will have during this "setback".

Sometimes a step back = two steps forward. So cry. Acknowledge your pain. Meditate and ask the universe to guide you. Go into the retake with enthusiasm and positivity.

I have a similar belief system. I've been dealt some hard hands that seem so unfair, but years later I realize just how important those mishaps were! Without them I would not be the same person I am today. I am so glad for some of those set backs because they made my future much more promising as I've matured and learned from them.

Its true you might meet someone who you will make a profound influence on (even if you don't realize it!). Just keep going, stay positive, and don't feel bad about falling a little behind. It's only one semester.

Good luck =)

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