Failing 4th semester....feeling like a failure

[Leesha]

so i have been going to school for the last 6 years working towards my rn. yesterday i failed 4th semester by 3 questions which is 6 points. i did step out and got my lpn in march of this year but that was not my goal. i feel like i have completely wasted the last 6 years of my life and made sacrifices for nothing. i am embarrassed and humiliated and all i want is for people to leave me alone. i have had to keep my cell phone turned off and i had to delete my facebook as well so that i could be left alone and have time to deal with what has happened. being in the nursing program is the worst thing i have ever been through and i would never recommend it to anyone. i am not saying this because i failed. i have been saying it to everyone that would listen since i started going to school. i have watched people cheat through the entire program and they are the ones that get to go on while i sit here. it is not about how hard you work, how much you study or how honest you are. i feel that the questions that you are asked on the tests are designed to trick you and make you fail. the questions are based more on test taking strategies than they are on your knowledge of the material.

i guess i just don't know where to go from here. i can't go to school anymore....i just can't put myself through it.

thanks for listening.

leesha

[Striving2BG8, BSN, RN]

to dope a mine:

i am in no way blaming nursing school for everything. i am simply stating my experience as i perceive it. everyone will have a different experience and i am simply sharing what mine has been. and based on what i have seen and gone through i absolutely would not recommend going through this program to anyone.

though i appreciate your opinion i would never tell someone that they shouldn't feel a certain way. no one has gone through this experience with me as far as the instructors that i've had and the favoritism that i have seen. therefore no one can judge whether or not i am being reasonable about it.

leesha

i agree with the above poster. what did expect when you put your problem on a public forum?

people are going to judge. take it or leave it. i think for the most part everyone is trying to help.

[watersamy]

Actually when you think about it, any other profession or major at any college will let you repeat classes as many times as you have to, why not nursing? why should it be two strikes and you're out??

[BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN]

Actually when you think about it, any other profession or major at any college will let you repeat classes as many times as you have to, why not nursing? why should it be two strikes and you're out??

Maybe because we're dealing with people's lives???

[Leesha]

i agree with the above poster. what did expect when you put your problem on a public forum?

people are going to judge. take it or leave it. i think for the most part everyone is trying to help.

it's one thing for someone to judge but it's quite another when people are accusatory and rude. i was just giving my opinion on my program and experience with it. opinions are what this forum is about but when i gave mine i was told that i was blaming it for everything which is not the case.i appreciate getting opinions from everyone but telling me to "take it or leave it" is just rude.

leesha

[Leesha]

i can see that you are hurt and really devastated. if nursing is truly your goal i would not give up. maybe you can start fresh at another school. take time for yourself and then get back in the game. i hope things get better for you. :hug:

thank you so much for your support. i am thankful for having my lpn license and right now i just need to find a job in that capacity. maybe later i will see what is involved in re-entry of the program.

leesha

[loveoutloud]

I understand what you mean by the tests, mine are like that too. If it is really your dream, go for it; don't let anyhting stand in your way.

"When life gets you down, you know whatcha got do? Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming swimming swimming."

[Striving2BG8, BSN, RN]

it's one thing for someone to judge but it's quite another when people are accusatory and rude. i was just giving my opinion on my program and experience with it. opinions are what this forum is about but when i gave mine i was told that i was blaming it for everything which is not the case.i appreciate getting opinions from everyone but telling me to "take it or leave it" is just rude.

leesha

take it or leave it is your choice. you can either let something effect you by making your self angry, upset, happy or whatever.

just like your comment, i chose to leave it and not let effect me there are other things that would upset me more than that :)

[Streamline2010]

Sure. Don't let it demoralize you. At least you are not me, lol! If you are still wanting to be a RN, just zig and zag around the obstacle, and get back on your way. :) There is no shame in working as LPN, especially if you enjoy the work and you enjoy the patients. I looked at and applied to LPN at the same time I applied to the RN schools, because I was unsure of what I wanted to do and how much time I wanted to put into being an unemployed student. In the end, I went with RN because I already had college degrees, had the the GPA, and had the smarts for it. And people advised me "do RN, because it's better." Personally, except for the paycheck, I really don't see what's "better" about RN. At least not so far as the entry-level jobs are concerned.

re. "take it or leave it": You'll hear that a lot. It's one of the nursing-culture attributes that really rubs me the wrong way, too. I don't have that attitude toward people. My ex-school flunked a lot of people out in nursing I, and especially in Nursing II. I think if I'd have not made it through N2, I would have felt crushed. Most of the students who failed out of N2 really took it hard, and were crushed. Seeing how they were treated, in fact, made me start looking for the door and doubting whether I wanted to do another year there. By the end of my first year, I was feeling disgusted and also tremendously bored by their tedious and fragmented curriculum, so when I got tossed, it was no dent to my self-esteem.

[Leesha]

I agree with Nurselovejoy88. Would you be able to return to your school to pick up where you left off--after a breather? I think many schools allow a second chance.

I'm not sure what the policy is yet for re-entry. I have heard some people say that I would just have to retake the class that I failed while others have said that the entire semester has to be repeated. I can't see repeating the semester since I was successful in the other classes. I am waiting to hear from the school and I will make my decision then. Hopefully it will work out in my favor.

Leesha

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

"failing out of nursing school is not a rare thing, anymore. i predict that it's actually going to become a more frequent occurrence, because the schools stubbornly refuse to accept that the curriculum must change to fit the changing demographic of the current and future pool of students."

i spend a good deal of time trying my best to help nursing students understand things they'll need as nurses because they're not getting it from their faculty somehow. however, i would not accept the premise that the curriculum must change to fit the changing demographic of the current and future pool of students if, as i see so often here and, as my friends in college education constantly bemoan, that demographic is increasingly characterized by illiteracy, innumeracy, and an overblown sense of entitlement. maybe it's a consequence of everyone in the junior soccer league getting the huge trophy for just showing up, even if the team never won a game; maybe it's decades of too much self-esteem workshops for parents. but dumbing-down nursing school because it's too hard for some people is a bad idea on so many levels it's hard to know where to start.

the fact is that nursing is much more academically challenging now than it was a generation (or even half a generation) ago. patients are sicker, too. no longer will there be only one or two ivs on a med-surg floor, or someone who needs vs more often than twice a shift go to the icu. nurses need stronger critical thinking skills and organizational skills. they need better math skills, better assessment skills, and a better science education. that takes harder work than some students are prepared for or, in some cases, willing to do.

students have to learn science, technology and pharmacology, of course, but even more, they need to truly understand the science, pharmacology or technology, the rationales for its use, and its limitations. else we will continue to be treated to sights i see almost every time i set foot in a hospital or review a record for a legal case: nurses relying on dynamaps without understanding why their wrong placement of the cuffs makes their readings worthless; a patient continuing to get heparin and enoxaparin for days ("what's the big deal? we give heparin and coumadin at the same time all the time!"); a cardiac patient with angina and a hgb of 6 is just fine "because his spo2 is 90, and that's good, right?" to mention a few. (if any of these make you wonder what my problem with them is, please let me explain...)

i am truly sorry that someone who puts three semesters into nursing school finds that s/he is failing at the end of his/her fourth semester; it's hard to want something so bad and not be able to achieve it. i also hear the snarky behind "oh, it's that classic instructor-speak-- if the student is failing, it's not our fault." fact is, though, most of the class is not failing. sometimes you meet your limits, and it sounds as if this student, regretfully, has met them. there's a reason nursing school is hard. "if caring were enough, anyone could be a nurse" isn't just a slogan.

[NCRNMDM, ASN, RN]

"failing out of nursing school is not a rare thing, anymore. i predict that it's actually going to become a more frequent occurrence, because the schools stubbornly refuse to accept that the curriculum must change to fit the changing demographic of the current and future pool of students."

i spend a good deal of time trying my best to help nursing students understand things they'll need as nurses because they're not getting it from their faculty somehow. however, i would not accept the premise that the curriculum must change to fit the changing demographic of the current and future pool of students if, as i see so often here and, as my friends in college education constantly bemoan, that demographic is increasingly characterized by illiteracy, innumeracy, and an overblown sense of entitlement. maybe it's a consequence of everyone in the junior soccer league getting the huge trophy for just showing up, even if the team never won a game; maybe it's decades of too much self-esteem workshops for parents. but dumbing-down nursing school because it's too hard for some people is a bad idea on so many levels it's hard to know where to start.

the fact is that nursing is much more academically challenging now than it was a generation (or even half a generation) ago. patients are sicker, too. no longer will there be only one or two ivs on a med-surg floor, or someone who needs vs more often than twice a shift go to the icu. nurses need stronger critical thinking skills and organizational skills. they need better math skills, better assessment skills, and a better science education. that takes harder work than some students are prepared for or, in some cases, willing to do.

students have to learn science, technology and pharmacology, of course, but even more, they need to truly understand the science, pharmacology or technology, the rationales for its use, and its limitations. else we will continue to be treated to sights i see almost every time i set foot in a hospital or review a record for a legal case: nurses relying on dynamaps without understanding why their wrong placement of the cuffs makes their readings worthless; a patient continuing to get heparin and enoxaparin for days ("what's the big deal? we give heparin and coumadin at the same time all the time!"); a cardiac patient with angina and a hgb of 6 is just fine "because his spo2 is 90, and that's good, right?" to mention a few. (if any of these make you wonder what my problem with them is, please let me explain...)

i am truly sorry that someone who puts three semesters into nursing school finds that s/he is failing at the end of his/her fourth semester; it's hard to want something so bad and not be able to achieve it. i also hear the snarky behind "oh, it's that classic instructor-speak-- if the student is failing, it's not our fault." fact is, though, most of the class is not failing. sometimes you meet your limits, and it sounds as if this student, regretfully, has met them. there's a reason nursing school is hard. "if caring were enough, anyone could be a nurse" isn't just a slogan.

thank you so much for this! you hit the nail right on the head in every aspect that you covered. i am only 19, but i feel blessed to have gotten into a nursing progarm. my program was incredibly competitive, and many people did not get acceptance letters. my first semester is about to come to a close, and i am anxiously awaiting second semester. i have heard that second semester and beyond is much more in depth as far as pathophysiology, pharmacology, and science goes, and i can't wait for that. i want to be a surgical icu nurse after i graduate, and i hope to work in an icu as a new grad. because of this, i am fascinated by the complex aspects of the human body, and i can't wait to begin learning. i know some things, but there is so much that i don't know. i want to be as prepared as possible when i do graduate because i want a job in icu so badly. i agree with you that many students feel entitled, and many feel that nursing should be made easier so that they will understand the material and pass. i also agree with you that the notion of these practices is completely ridiculous. i feel that nursing education should be challenging, and should prepare students for the real world as much as possible. students should be pushed, stressed, and stretched to the limit. my instructors don't make things easy, and they don't care if they hurt anyone's feelings either. they are great instructors, but they are tough and their expectations are high. some other groups don't have instrcutors with such high expectations, and, because of this, their classroom and clinical performance isn't nearly as good as my group's. some days i do get tired of being pushed so hard, but i remind myself that every day in a critical care unit will be a struggle, and that there will always be something to learn. i feel that when i graduate i will be ahead of many nursing students, and i feel that i will be able to better handle stress, adversity, and challenges because of the education i am receiving now. what you have written is the truth, and, as the saying goes, "the truth hurts." for those who feel entitled, for those who have failed out of a program, or for those who aren't in nursing school for the right reasons this statement is especially true.

[Leesha]

"failing out of nursing school is not a rare thing, anymore. i predict that it's actually going to become a more frequent occurrence, because the schools stubbornly refuse to accept that the curriculum must change to fit the changing demographic of the current and future pool of students."

i spend a good deal of time trying my best to help nursing students understand things they'll need as nurses because they're not getting it from their faculty somehow. however, i would not accept the premise that the curriculum must change to fit the changing demographic of the current and future pool of students if, as i see so often here and, as my friends in college education constantly bemoan, that demographic is increasingly characterized by illiteracy, innumeracy, and an overblown sense of entitlement. maybe it's a consequence of everyone in the junior soccer league getting the huge trophy for just showing up, even if the team never won a game; maybe it's decades of too much self-esteem workshops for parents. but dumbing-down nursing school because it's too hard for some people is a bad idea on so many levels it's hard to know where to start.

the fact is that nursing is much more academically challenging now than it was a generation (or even half a generation) ago. patients are sicker, too. no longer will there be only one or two ivs on a med-surg floor, or someone who needs vs more often than twice a shift go to the icu. nurses need stronger critical thinking skills and organizational skills. they need better math skills, better assessment skills, and a better science education. that takes harder work than some students are prepared for or, in some cases, willing to do.

students have to learn science, technology and pharmacology, of course, but even more, they need to truly understand the science, pharmacology or technology, the rationales for its use, and its limitations. else we will continue to be treated to sights i see almost every time i set foot in a hospital or review a record for a legal case: nurses relying on dynamaps without understanding why their wrong placement of the cuffs makes their readings worthless; a patient continuing to get heparin and enoxaparin for days ("what's the big deal? we give heparin and coumadin at the same time all the time!"); a cardiac patient with angina and a hgb of 6 is just fine "because his spo2 is 90, and that's good, right?" to mention a few. (if any of these make you wonder what my problem with them is, please let me explain...)

i am truly sorry that someone who puts three semesters into nursing school finds that s/he is failing at the end of his/her fourth semester; it's hard to want something so bad and not be able to achieve it. i also hear the snarky behind "oh, it's that classic instructor-speak-- if the student is failing, it's not our fault." fact is, though, most of the class is not failing. sometimes you meet your limits, and it sounds as if this student, regretfully, has met them. there's a reason nursing school is hard. "if caring were enough, anyone could be a nurse" isn't just a slogan.

the fact that i failed one test by 6 points at the end of my fourth semester does not mean that i have reached my limit. i refuse to accept the fact that one test could mean the end of my nursing career. i don't think it's fair to make that statement. the majority of students in my program have cheated their way through. at least i know that when i reach the end and graduate that i will not kill someone while i'm in practice.

leesha