Failed a Nursing Class, Need Advice

AliNajaCat · Jan 3, 2017

I took a year off from college after my freshman year (back when this was considered a very radical thing to do) and then took one summer school course before resuming my BSN program as a sophomore.

I don't think you are mystified about what you need to do -- commit yourself to doing it. Spend more time with your faculty solidifying your learning, read widely, learn concepts and systems, not just data points. Really learn your craft, don't just drift through without really caring. Be an adult if what you want is an adult life as a professional.

William2 · Jan 3, 2017

Samm06 said:
Good evening,
I am curious about how many years it took you to complete nursing school. Please include the type of education (diploma, certificate, ADN, LPN, BSN, DNP, MSN, etc..) and the number of years to complete.
I am currently in my 6th year of college for my BSN. I enrolled into college Fall 2011 straight out of high school. The first three years I had to complete my pre-req classes and even repeated AP 2, Chemistry, and Microbiology. In Spring 2014 I did not make it into the nursing program of my first college so I had to transfer to a private 4 year college in Fall 2014. Fall 2016 I failed my first nursing class (Med-Surg 2) and I cannot retake the class until Fall 2017 because at my private college certain classes are only available during certain semesters. Instead of graduating in Spring 2018, I am now a year behind and will be graduating Spring 2019. At my new college you can only fail 2 classes, if you fail the same class twice that is the same as failing two classes and you are removed from the program.
Have any of you been through something like this and still had the motivation during your time off from a clinical class to study? What kind of study tools and techniques did you use?
I currently bought three Demystified series books (pharmacology, med-surg, and assessment). Has anyone used these books and were able to better understand the material and pass a class the second time around?
Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this post and respond.

"6th year of college" My god when you finish if you finish you are going to have some debt...

Private college? Seems like a good way to go deeper in to said above.

I finished in 3. Took a semester off before applying to an ADN program. I regret it now. I did so for personal and family issues. I wish I wouldn't have. Completed my BSN in 2. That took longer than it should but I like vacations and working a lot in between.

Everyone gets knocked down, but the strong get back up and continue. However, even then comes a point when you must do some thinking to see if this is truly for you. Do you know why you failed this class? What parts did you struggle with? Dedication of time and sitting down with that book is critical. No way around it.

There were those of us in my class that spent hours reading and doing practice questions and those that followed power points and did last minute activities. The latter either failed or barely passed. Only to fail their NCLEX.

beccap · Jan 4, 2017

got my bsn in 15 months online

#wontgiveup · Jan 4, 2017

beccap said:
got my BSN in 15 months online

Which school did you go to to get your BSN in 15 mths online?

beccap · Jan 4, 2017

#wontgiveup said:
Which school did you go to to get your BSN in 15 mths online?

University of Texas at Arlington

cvzsRN · Jan 4, 2017

I graduated at 27 and started my first nursing position 4 months before turning 28. Of course I was in school on and off, tried the teacher thing thinking it wouldn't be as stressful as nursing school but my heart wasn't in it. So buckled down, started working to save money for that foreshadowed time where people tell you that most schools suggest you only study and not work. I was still able to work part time and be successful once I really made the commitment (not without an amazing support team at home though). Anyways start to finish 3 1/2 years for a BSN once I truly commited. It could have been faster but some of my sciences had expired just the semester before I transferred to a local community college where I was living at the time. Although in 2012 I was looking at the 2015 finish date (at the time just for ADN & knowing I would need and desire a BSN) I felt like I would never reach my goal, but I seriously could not imagine what I would be doing in the meantime. I ended up obtaining all nursing pre-requ's from that community college and got lucky enough to transfer to a private university (yes with a lot of debt now) and immediately start my BSN preparation. I also had to take extra humanities and courses in conjunction at my local community college for and AS that would fulfill requirements for the university! It was so much & very discouraging at times & I struggled in the nursing student world but was so determined that even when I thought I might have to repeat a class, I accepted it and told myself I would survive.

Honestly, you can't change your school policy but you can change the way you approach the situation. I truly hope it works out for you, but study-study & ask for help. Ask your instructors for any tips and evaluate what is working for you and what is not! Is it an option to go part time at all? It will take longer but you may be more successful!

If it's really what you want the length of time it takes you is just a part of the journey!

chunkalunk, ADN, RN · Jan 6, 2017

Hi! I'm 25 and in my last semester of nursing school. I will be completing at ADN program this May. (Yay!) By that time I will be 26. I started college straight out of high school in 2009. By the time I graduate I would have been in college for 7 years!

My first two years were spent at the local public university. I did not take those two years seriously, and I had a 1.89 GPA. Great right? Then I realized, "Everyone is surpassing me. I have to figure something out." I ended up deciding to pursue nursing and moved since nursing school where I lived was really competitive. I knew my 1.89 would not do. In 2012, I started at a community college in which I was able to transfer my classes and (thankfully) my cumulative GPA did not carry over. Thank God! I was able to start fresh with my GPA and the program I was applying for only took into account my pre-req GPA. By fall 2013, I got accepted into the nursing program.

Hmm..if I got into to the program then why am I not a nurse yet? Well, silly me, as excited as I was I don't think I was ready for what nursing school required of me. I ended up failing my first semester. I was devastated. My family told me to move back home and I wanted to give up. I refused and reapplied. Unfortunately, each time I reapplied I was waitlisted because some (silly) requirements changed and I was unaware of it. I could not reapply for the Spring 2014 but I reapplied for Fall 2014 and Spring 2015. I was very frustrated by the second time I reapplied, especially because it had already been a year since I failed. In the end of 2014, I decided to become a CNA and right after that I finally got accepted in Fall 2015, which brings me here now.

It's been a long a road. I took the time of re-evaluating myself and what I want. Becoming a CNA has made me more confident in regards to patient interaction. I didn't study during my time off (unless you count the whole CNA thing). This time around I have study buddy and I am way better with NCLEX-style questions. I use the nursing success books to study and it's helped me a great deal. I take more time out of my week to study.

I wish you the best of luck! Don't be too concerned about how long it takes you! You will get there! Evaluate what you could have done differently. Find resources to help you study whether it be other books, a study group, or the teacher.

LessValuableNinja · Jan 9, 2017

My actual BSN program was 11 months of pain. However, it was an ABSN program (prior BS or higher degree(s) required for entry), and it was very accelerated.

Beldar_the_Cenobite, CNA · Apr 1, 2017

Don't give up!!

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Apr 1, 2017

I started Nursing School in Fall 2011 and graduated Spring 2014, from a 2 year program. Yes, that is correct! I did a 2 year program in 3 years. Why? I failed a class and because the school moved content around between semesters starting with the class immediately behind mine, I couldn't just sit back and repeat the semester. I had to follow the content and that meant that I "fell back" a full year from my original cohort when I was offered a seat to return to the program. It turned out to be a good move as the repeat basically resulted in me tutoring some of my classmates (great for really learning the material!) while allowing me time to really watch out for any pitfalls that could knock me out of school for good.

End result, I graduated with honors, passed the NCLEX-RN in 75 questions (horrifically difficult exam!) and now I'm beginning my 3rd year working as an ED nurse.

Failing a single course isn't a problem... failing to pick yourself up and learning from your mistake(s) is.

SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP · Apr 1, 2017

I have not personally failed a course. However, I have had classmates who did. The most important thing you can do is to determine what your weak areas are and create a plan to correct them. Did you fail because you don't understand the course content? Or did you fail because you didn't study or turn in your assignments? Did you understand the material but bomb the tests?

If it's course content, then the "demystified" series may be helpful. I would also recommend taking advantage of any supplemental instruction, tutoring or peer mentoring that is available in your program. If it's studying/completing assignments, then getting a planner and budgeting your time in manageable chunks may help. If you are grasping the material but struggling to pass tests, then you might want to get books on critical thinking and how to eliminate answers when "all are correct, but select the most correct".

I started pursuing my ADN in 2012. I had 4 semesters of pre-reqs (Summer 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013 & Summer 2013). I started the ADN program Fall 2013 and finished May 2015. Completed Kaplan review and sat for NCLEX on July 9th 2015. Passed NCLEX and started my first RN job July 27, 2015. Took a few months off from school and then started an RN-to-BSN program January 2016 and finished December 2016.