Failed my OB class. What to do?!

commonsense · Dec 8, 2012

I am in my peds/OB rotation right now and I've been having trouble with my OB tests since the very beginning. When I study, I highlight and I talk out loud in ways that help me understand. Atleast i thought I understood. I can explain it, but when it comes to a test, I freeze up and forget everything! Each exam was getting worse!
I do have ADHD and I take adderall for it. I can definitely tell the difference when I take it.
Anyways, after each test, I would go see my teacher, who is also my clinical instructor, and we would try to find out what the problem is. It's obvious to both her and me that I learn by doing. Well, I can't have all the patients with every disease!(if I did, garuntee I would pass each test with As!!) when I am in class, I take my med(not XR) and even though it works for about five hours, I start to get distracted again after about two hours! My lecture is about 3-4 hours long!
Back to the subject at hand: today was my final and I studied my butt off for this test because I really needed to make a good grade. Well, this test ended up being the hardest test I have EVER taken! I failed the class so now I'm back in OB next semester. I walked out of the class not knowing what the hell I just took. I feel like a failure!
Any tips on how tactile learners can pass OB?

No tips specifically for tactile learners, all I can tell you is to keep your head up. If your study methods aren't working, try something new.

SuchanSuch · Dec 9, 2012

OB is hard for a lot of people. I learn visually, so I'm afraid I don't have any good tips for you. Perhaps see if you could set up with the hospital or your instructor to shadow with some OB nurses? Or maybe you can role play with some study pals? Best of luck! Hopefully you are able to rock OB the second time around! :)

Feistn · Dec 9, 2012

I personally would try many learning styles. Try drawing pictures. Try listening to the lectures. Do you fall asleep with a certain TV show or movie playing? And then you know that movie or show by heart practically? How much effort on your part did that take? Yup, that's right! NONE! Play games with the questions. Do movements while learning them (I knew someone who learned the Krebs cycle by making a walkable map on her floor). Keep your study sessions short (15-30 minutes) and do something different between the study sessions (clean, go for a short walk, surf the net). Honestly, if you're diagnosed with ADHD and taking a medication, you should also be seeing a therapist who can help you problem solve these situations. That is what therapy is meant to do. And having repeated classes myownself for no better reason than I was lazy/stupid the first time I took it, I can tell you that the second time around really does make stuff stick. My brother in law had to take each semester of calculus for a computer science degree twice except the last one. Know why he didn't have to take that twice? Because you needed a certain grade to go on, not to pass. D means degree (well, not in nursing school, but in computer science it does!). Guess what? He's working for the Mayo system in IT. My point is.. it happens. It is not the end of the world. When you graduate and pass your NCLEX, no one is going to ask what your grade was in some semester.

Annachu512, BSN, RN · Dec 10, 2012

Is there someone else at the school you can speak to? At our school, we have a learning facilitator who can make some recommendations or put some special accommodations into place. Maybe you can do better on test if you had more time or took you test in a different room? They may seem simple but I know a few students where these little things have made a world of difference.

Good luck!

grpman · Dec 10, 2012

I would consider a good review book. Sometimes the problem can be in how to prioritize material that you need to learn. Most review books do this for you and emphasize what is really important (which is the bulk of every test). Trying to memorize everything sometimes result in not having a good grasp of the material. Just my 2 cents.

itsnowornever, BSN, RN · Dec 10, 2012

If you learn by doing, how about make believe? Have a family member hold the book and get a stuffed animal...pretend that stuffed animal has a problem and you have to do something to fix it? That's how my group practiced ACLS...scooby doo died A LOT that day.

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Dec 10, 2012

Don't want to puncture anyone's bubble, but there is no basis at all to the "types of learners" hoo-haa (tactile, visual, etc). Based on cognitive research, there are only two types of learners; ones with prior knowledge of the subject and those without prior knowledge. Sorry, sad but true. So, your brain my prefer some techniques over others, but these are not actually a limiting factor.

I find it odd that the OP's ADHD issues are only surfacing with OB. And is not consistently taking prescribed Adderall? I believe that there are newer drugs on the market that don't have such a short therapeutic cycle. These may be worth a try.