Excelsior vs the classroom

If you hate peds and are failing it now, you might want to reconsider EC. Their Nursing Concepts courses all have peds components alongside the adult material. Also, since you are taking all 7 nursing courses, that means EC isn't accepting any of the nursing credits you have already taken- why waste those 2 semesters you have already spent taking classes?

Taking the EC route is actually harder than going to actual classes where you have an instructor in front of you to answer your questions, and you have the benefit of accumulating a grade for the course. With EC, only 1 exam determines whether you pass/fail, and there is a lot of material to study for each exam. It takes a lot more discipline to do it this way.

Most guys don't do as well in peds and ob as girls because it just comes natural to them. What I suggest is stick close to one of the females that is doing really well and ask for pointers. Peds is just Pt care for kids nothing really that different than any Pt care you just have to be a little more simplistic in your explanations and usually you can just try to make friends with them and let them tell you what they need. OB you need to wrap yourself in the mechanics of everything get down and dirty and learn all of the technical stuff to a T ask your instructor to see if she set up a Pt for you to try Leopolds maneuver and try to get the actual fetal picture of lie. The complications are all pretty straightforward just have a study partner help you quiz them.

I did what it sounds like you are doing after being an LPN for eight years I went to a distance learning program and started in the 3rd semester of RN my OB instructor was a very strict woman that OB was her life, so I just used that to help me get her to explain everything and try to get the hands on experience which for me is always easier to learn from than reading material. Check this little story about a complete abruption.

When asked if partial or complete abruption is worse and why?

I would say from the fetal point of view complete

abruption is probably the most immediate threat.

Imagine if you can...

You're chillin in your personal little hot tub

perfect(mom)temp. Sippin on a little life supplement

through the ole umbillical and BAM all systems fail,

life support systems gone, blood circulation cut off

thereby cutting of oxygenation as well. You start

freaking out but you can't do anything. You no longer

have the strength to even kick. Somebody better do

something....

Meanwhile on the outside Mom has burst like a balloon

and is bleeding profusely Dad is rushing her to the

hospital and they are both terrified about what is wrong

and if Jr. is OK.

Enter ER our Hero Dr Goodman. The bleeding is profuse

there are very faint irratic fetal heart tones and Mom

and Dad swear they got here in under five minutes.

Emergency surgery C- section....

Six minutes later surgery suite two.

UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

waaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

wahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh It's Jr. he

has gotten his first breath of precious life giving air

he was thoroughly suctioned as soon as his head was

born he is crying strongly and he is now taken by Nurse

Goodbody to the warmer where she rubs him vigorously and

continues to make him cry even when he tries to stop he

is beginning to pink up quite nicely and has a one

minute apgar of 7 Mom is still a little freaked out and

trying to get a glimpse of Jr. but Dad is hovering right

behind Nurse Goodbody and he can see Jr. is alright he

turns to Mom and smiles with a smile that lets Mom know

everything will be fine.

Jr. Chillin in the warmer, "man I am sure glad Pops

drives like Jeff Gordon!"

I originally tried to add this as a file but it didn't work.

Stay in school.

The reason I say this is I graduated as an LVN in 1994 and went with Regents (at the time) Its now 3003 and I am finally taking the CPNE! Why so much time past? to do self study you have to be a type "A" personallity. I found that it was too easy not to keep moving forward with my studies. Life can get in the way when you have no test date ahead for whatever it is you should be studying for, I would have been done years ago if I just toughed it out and stayed in school.

Jack - age 41