Dangling on the edge!!!

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Nov 13, 2008

Lerical,

So - this is your first nursing class after acing all your pre-req's?

This is not altogether unusual. Pre-req classes are all fairly straightforward. There is always one right answer - no context to consider. Nursing - as you have discovered - is just the opposite.

Nursing is high-context and lots of "it all depends". Full of quizzes asking you for the 'best answer' when any one of them could be right -- am I getting warm? It can be pretty infuriating. But there is a reason for it.

Nursing education is designed to prepare critical thinkers - who have to rely on principles along with a dead-on understanding of physiology to make decisions. Human beings are unique, so pretty much each decision we make is a 'once in a lifetime' event that will never be repeated. Unfortunately, some instructors take the whole 'ambiguity' thing a bit far and this has a terrible effect on their students.

Lastly - don't blame God. She has much bigger fish to fry, what with wars, famine and knuckleheads with their fingers on nukes. Consider this your first opportunity to solve a problem with the same analytic and action-oriented skills you will have to use as a nurse. Have you met with your instructor to talk to her about it? If your school does not have tutoring services, can you 'work a deal' with a senior nursing student?

NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN · Nov 13, 2008

I'm a nursing student and I'm telling you to HANG N THERE ! IT WILL BE OKAY. I also love clinicals and do extremly well. I learn more working with the pts. and nursing. So far I haven't scored below an 80/ however I know that I'm close. What works for me is answering a ton of nclex-style questions before I actually take an exam. It actually trains my mind to eliminate the wrong answers fast, and go for the best one. Lastly: NEVER CHANGE YOUR ANSWER ! I used to never change an answer and scored A's, I've gone back to doing that and have made a big mistake as doing so. So good luck, I'm right here with you girl friend !

asdfghjkl123 · Nov 14, 2008

i seriously do feel your pain. i have never experienced the feeling of panic until nursing school. but as someone counting the months until graduation (may 2009), please do hang in there, and it really will be ok. during the first semester of my bsn program, i spent a lot of time wondering if i'd gotten in over my head... teetering on the verge of a nervous breakdown. an older, much wiser nurse told me that for her, nursing school had been extremely stressful, that it likely wouldn't get any easier, and to just buckle down and survive it. so i did, and i'm still here! are your exams all hesi? all of ours are, and what i've found to be most helpful are the prentice hall hesi study guides. there is one that corresponds with each subject and they are absolutely worth the :twocents: ! another thing i do is use ear plugs for the tests, they eliminate all the sighs and talking and distracting noises of others! you definately need a friend or two or three that you can count on, to study with, to get encouragement from, and to go through this experience with. i've made three of the greatest friends i've ever had in nursing school. while nursing school is hands down the most stressful time i've ever been through, it has also been the most rewarding. between clinicals and exams, take some time to go get a pedicure, and tell yourself you're doing a good job. just stick with it and things always have a way of working out in the end. good luck!!!! :up:

Lericalpoet · Nov 15, 2008

yes I've met with my instructor and she was very incouraging. But at the end of the day, if you fall below the standard grade, your toast. But thanks for the incouragement.