Expelled from RN program, looking for options

Trauma Columnist · Apr 30, 2019

At 26 you are NOT a failure - many nurses are far older then you when they start their career.

How bad is your anxiety? Only you can answer this question? Are you getting professional help? Getting a handle on this issue is probably your first step so you can then look at your options with a clear mind.

Best wishes.

Tacocat, ASN, RN · May 1, 2019

Is the 97 on the final a realistic goal? Like do you actually foresee yourself obtaining that grade? If it's a longshot, maybe that's not the best choice.

Golden_RN, MSN · May 1, 2019

I would definitely finish the semester. Even if you don't pass, you will experience the entire semester and know what to expect when you repeat. Is it possible to get some treatment over the summer and re-enroll for the fall?

It might not feel like it, but you are still young and have a long career ahead of you. You could have your RN before age 30 and that is fantastic!

Getting a CNA cert/job is always a plus. If RN is your goal, I do not recommend doing an LVN program.

Snatchedwig, BSN, CNA, LPN, RN · May 2, 2019

1. LPN school is not any easier. Different level of suckage, but both suck. Mind you Im 20 days from being done with my professional nursing program.

2. Do you think you can make that on the final?

3. CNA would be awesome. You can get to interact with nurses and pick their brain and see if you would like to be a nurse still. If you do, they can be a source of advice for when you do continue.

cjprenurse · May 3, 2019

Honestly no....I don't think I can make it.

Last day to drop with a W is may 5.

Apple-Core, ASN, BSN, RN · May 3, 2019

If you truly don't think you'll pass, a W is better than a fail on your transcript. I am a huge advocate for mental health, and if your anxiety is so bad you freeze during clinicals, then I would suggest that you focus on health rather than worry about school. Have you spoken with a provider about your anxiety? Do you take meds? Relaxation techniques etc? There is so much that can be done nowadays, please don't feel a failure. Geesh, I'm, almost 50 and in school. By your account that makes me a failure, but I don't consider myself that....and neither should you.

Step away, reassess, get help, and reapply once you're feeling better.

Good luck!
AC

stockmanjr, BSN · May 3, 2019

Just to be clear here as the title is misleading you haven't been expelled yet correct? I would take the W and get things sorted. This isn't going to get any better and the sooner you face it the sooner you can move forward with becoming an RN.

CrunchRN, ADN, RN · May 3, 2019

Get the help with the anxiety and then return. It will pay off big time in all aspects of your life. I didn't even start nursing school until I was 27 by the way.

ruby_jane, BSN, RN · May 3, 2019

On 4/30/2019 at 4:36 PM, traumaRUs said:
At 26 you are NOT a failure - many nurses are far older then you when they start their career.
How bad is your anxiety? Only you can answer this question? Are you getting professional help? Getting a handle on this issue is probably your first step so you can then look at your options with a clear mind.
Best wishes.

Trauma is one of the wisest of us all.

You haven't said what you're doing to manage your anxiety but as that date is looming it may be best to take the W, find a therapist and get treatment, and move on later. If you had diabetes or asthma and needed to take time off because your condition was worsening, nobody would judge you for that.

OB is also a fairly high-stress rotation. Please be aware that what you have to do in nursing school is not what you will do in real life.

studentnurseASN · May 3, 2019

Ideally if you get a 97% you would move onto the next level. But you would have to watch yourself more. You may even have to really learn your critical thinking skills well before they are taught in class. I would suggest investing into an experienced nursing tutor after the exam if this happened.

If you take the exam, there is a chance you will score below 97%. You would have to report failure to nursing schools. This can decrease your chances of reapplying into another program because you would have to report failure in another program.

If you take the year off and reapply for another program, you would have your nursing academic record examined. You may be considered for admission. It would increase your chances of becoming accepted into another program because you never failed a program.

If you want more experience working as a nurse before entering into another RN program, then LPN would be a good choice. You would have more years of work and exposure to nursing care in mostly nursing homes. Some places do hire LPNs for hospitals and private practice. Always check.

Plus there are accelerated LPN-RN bridges for nurses who maintain active work status.

I still keep in touch with plenty of friends who ran into your situation. They completed another RN program after failing or discontinuing with good standing. My friends who discontinued the RN program on good standing reapplied in a few months, and completed the program in 2 to 3 years. They are nurses. My other friends who failed RN programs still applied but either retook GEs for private RN programs, or they transferred into an unaccredited RN program.

Either route you choose for nursing, I would suggest online study aids if you want to plan ahead for readmission. At 26 years old, you still have a lot of life left. There are people who are 30s and 40s entering into nursing programs. One of the oldest nursing students graduated at 65 years old.

Good luck on whatever you decide. I am familiar with this situation. PM if you need help.

car48 · May 3, 2019

I got straight A's in my pre-req's before nursing school. Took my first nursing test that I studied like crazy for and got 58. Everyone does bad on the first test I was told, but failure (esp. of that magnitude) was not something I was going to tolerate so I crept into my office and became the nursing student troll who did nothing but study (between classes and clinical). I spent the entire semester killing myself to get my grade higher, and I did. But again not to the level I was accustomed to. I was getting mid 80's and at the time of the final I was still failing despite making a comeback. Struggling to get a 'C' is not something I ever thought was going to happen to me in any class I ever took. At the time of the 100 question final I had to score an 80 to pass my first semester. I got a 87.

The point of the story is this. I used to go into a test with a can of 'Monster' energy drink in one hand, and a bottle of clonidine in my pocket (I have hypertension - guess why lol). I didn't know if I was going to faint from lack of sleep, or stroke out because of the stress. I won't lie and say all excessive amount of time I put into studying isn't what got me through - it is. But the stress was not necessary. I studied like crazy for my final that first semester, but when I walked in I just told myself "either I am smart enough to do this, or I am not". What I do after the test regardless of the outcome is what mattered. None of my following semesters were as bad as that first one, but all entailed the same level of stress and constant study.

I now know that the real problem wasn't with my ability to know the material. It was with the stress because after I graduated I put a month aside to study for NCLEX, and honestly didn't care too terribly much if I failed it the first time. It was not an emergency that I work ASAP and the test is more or less pass/fail. And after nursing school - hell I wouldn't even mind having another 6 weeks to relax to take it again. I still studied a ton, but I also got some sleep and *gasp* did things other than study. When NCLEX came around I came in w/o my usual Monster and BP meds and took the test. Passed it in 75.

I could not STAND people telling me "All you have to do is relax". Do you tell an alcoholic "Ok, I know what your problem is. All you have to do is stop drinking". So I won't be so ignorant as to say that to you, esp. when I am not capable of that myself. But what I will say is that if you COULD relax it would probably help you enormously.