Failing nursing fundamentals

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I am currently failing fundamentals. I decided to stick it out and try harder for the third and final exam but I failed the third exam. My school requires a 75% and I'm so close. It's not that I don't know the material because I do but it's the way the questions are being asked and the interventions and priorities is what throws me off. It's too late for me to drop so I have to stay and just take the failing grade. I would like to try agin but I feel discouraged, how can I fail the first semester of nursing school. Maybe I'm not cut out of it? But i will have to wait a whole year to apply again. Any suggestions?

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Nursing school starts out relatively easy and gets harder as you go along. It's true that the tests are designed to make you think problems through, not just find the answer in a textbook. Students who have difficulty with what is called Critical Thinking don't do well on these kinds of questions and in this kind of program.

You could work with a tutor who is/has been a successful student in your program to see if your difficulties can be defeated, or if you just don't seem to be able to progress.

Since you have a full year before you can apply again it seems that you might want to talk with your school advisor about finding a tutor like that and seeing if you are likely to pass next time, or fail again. I'm sorry I can't be more helpful but that's just really how it is, you either are going to have it Click next time through or not, and no one can really know that who isn't working with you one on one. I wish you luck!

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I think you should try again. Those tests threw me through a loop first semester too. Eventually, you'll get better at taking these tests, which are really training you think like a nurse. Many others before you have failed a class and gone on to succeed. The key is figuring out what went wrong this semester, how to fix what went wrong, and implementing it for next time. This doesn't necessarily mean you'll never be a nurse. It means you've got some learning to do (and we all do).

Good luck!

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Thanks for the post! Do you have any advice? I study the concept over but when I comes to interventions and assessing I always pick the wrong answer

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Thanks for the post! Do you have any advice? I study the concept over but when I comes to interventions and assessing I always pick the wrong answer

Do you review all of your tests to see the rationale behind each question?

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Specializes in Psych/Mental Health.

How many practice questions do you do for each exam? Do you carefully read the rationales and re-do the ones you either were unsure about or got wrong?

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I just recently got a fundamental success book so about 50 questions on each chapter in total including the questions in the back of textbook. I do fine on them but I feel like they do not compare to the ones on the exam

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Yes. I do and it's so frustrating because the second time I read the question I normally get it right. But when I go and take the exam the next time I feel like I'm having the same problem

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Yes. I do and it's so frustrating because the second time I read the question I normally get it right. But when I go and take the exam the next time I feel like I'm having the same problem

So you're getting practice questions correct, but not exam questions? Do you have testing anxiety?

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For me whenever I take an exam and I get to a question I do not know I automatically feel like I failed. I kinda just give up on the exam. I think it's a little of both test anxiety and lacking nclex test taking skills.

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Specializes in BSN, RN-BC, NREMT, EMT-P, TCRN.
I am currently failing fundamentals. I decided to stick it out and try harder for the third and final exam but I failed the third exam. My school requires a 75% and I'm so close. It's not that I don't know the material because I do but it's the way the questions are being asked and the interventions and priorities is what throws me off. It's too late for me to drop so I have to stay and just take the failing grade. I would like to try agin but I feel discouraged, how can I fail the first semester of nursing school. Maybe I'm not cut out of it? But i will have to wait a whole year to apply again. Any suggestions?

1. You haven't failed yet. So don't assume you can't pass.

2. Are you doing and passing all of your other assignments? My cohort had some students come in from another cohort for failing (76% passing) because they didn't do their homework (ATI assignments, etc.) Always complete everything.

3. Are you going with your first choice of answers or are you going back and changing them?If you are, don't.

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Yes I do all the homework and cares plans. I don't normally change my answer buts I am always stuck between two answers so I guess I always pick the wrong one

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