First year nursing student & already feeling hopeless

purplescrubs15 · Sep 24, 2015

I'm kind of in the same boat, too... first semester (prerequisites) and it's not going real well. I am just trying to take it one homework assignment at a time, and to remember the reason why I want to be a nurse in the first place. That helps keep me going sometimes when everything seems so overwhelming.

Hope things get better for you!

cracklingkraken, ASN, RN · Sep 24, 2015

You don't have to have study groups with just your classmates. I would study with my friends who had different majors (Soc, CS, engineering) because it motivated us to do real work. We didn't interact except when we took breaks together.

The 1st semester tends to be the hardest. Nursing is a different mindset than most are used to and requires you to know the "why" rather than the "what". Is it the material that you're struggling with, choosing the best answer on exams, or what?

gybe · Sep 24, 2015

It's more so how to take the test and not sure what exactly to study for. Again, the instructor is not that helpful. There isn't really a "teaching style." We'll be assigned readings and powerpoints and worksheets and it's kind of a hit or miss type of exam. She will lecture off powerpoints, but only few questions on the test were from powerpoints. Etc, etc. Not sure if I should confront them or figure it out for myself?

203bravo, MSN, APRN · Sep 24, 2015

It's more so how to take the test and not sure what exactly to study for. Again, the instructor is not that helpful. There isn't really a "teaching style." We'll be assigned readings and powerpoints and worksheets and it's kind of a hit or miss type of exam. She will lecture off powerpoints, but only few questions on the test were from powerpoints. Etc, etc. Not sure if I should confront them or figure it out for myself?

This is the beast of nursing exams and the biggest learning curve faced by new students. Questions are not simply based on the exact items that have been lectured on like most other majors, you need to understand the material so that you can then recognize it in other possible formats and chose the best option with the given information. That being said, I would be willing to bet that you just don't recognize that the material was being taught.. even though you don't think that your instructor is very helpful, make an appointment with her and during the meeting tell her you are not understanding the testing style and ask that she review the missed questions with you with the and explain why the correct answer was the correct answer.

Then start practicing NCLEX style questions on the material that you are learning.. most texts have a website where you can register the book that will offer review questions chapter by chapter..

Best of luck.

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · Sep 24, 2015

Welcome to nursing school. This is very unlike your prereqs where you just had to memorize stuff like bones and muscles. You know have to learn to see the big picture and apply your knowledge. It's the world of picking the "most right" answer. All answers may be right on your exam, but you need to see the big picture and pick the "most right" answer. It's how the NCLEX is.

Have you met with your instructor yet to go over your tests and maybe figure out what you are doing wrong? If we come close to failing or actually fail, we have to do what is called a test audit. It's where we set up a time to meet with our instructor and go over our tests. We then fill out a form about why we missed each question. It's very beneficial. I did poorly on a test last Monday. I went and met with my instructor Friday afternoon and we discussed my test and why I was getting mine wrong. It is very beneficial.

A word of advice, do not "confront" your instructors in your program to complain about them. Trust me, not a good idea.

AceOfHearts<3 · Sep 25, 2015

Don't beat yourself up too hard about this- that will only make things worse. Figure out what went wrong, talk with your instructor, and adjust your study habits accordingly. I just barely failed the first quiz in my adult 1 class (we had 2 quizzes, midterm, final, and subject HESI and that was it for grades). I started reading the textbook because the instructors lecture style didn't mesh with me and my grades only went up and by the end of the course I had done well enough to make an A. I tell that story to others to encourage them and show that one bad grade isn't the end of the world. Also, you are going to have to learn how to work with instructors you don't care for. I didn't like all my instructors and I thought some could really improve their lecturing/teaching, but you can't focus on that. You have to learn to get past it or else it will just hold you back.

Everyone studies differently, maybe you'd be better off with just one study buddy (especially if you can't find a good study group). Do you read the textbook? If you don't, that might help. Most people in my program didn't read because of time, but I found for certain classes reading really helped pull everything together for me. How do you take your notes- do you have a written component to studying? I had an instructor who really stressed that and it's something I really believe in too. Sometimes typing things out doesn't help, but writing things out (and using different colored pens/paper for visual reminders) can really help and make a big difference. Have you tried any reviews and rationales? The ones by Hogan are extremely popular. For questions I found the Success series by Davis to be excellent (I wish I found them sooner). Another great resource if the lecture material isn't sticking is the website Simple Nursing. You have to pay for a subscription, but for some it is really worth it. There are video lectures on almost any topic and the guy explains things a bit differently (and in not-so-delicate terms) than instructors, which can really help the material stick. There are some free videos on Youtube you can find by just searching simple nursing (they have acid base imbalance and fluid & electrolytes on youtube for free). Also see if your school offers any type of tutoring, a lot of places have academic support offices and have free tutoring available. One of the first things is making sure you are understanding the material- doing tons of questions won't help if you don't actually understand the content. If you understand the content maybe you are reading too much into the questions or making some other mistake like that.

Don't feel defeated- that will only make things worse. You have to keep a positive attitude! Everyone is afraid at some point, but the important thing is that you can't let fear stop you from trying. I completed a really intense accelerated program and that is something we told the new incoming students. You'll never know what you can do until you try. Good luck!!

Mavrick, BSN, RN · Sep 25, 2015

There is a lot more to nursing that just coughing up facts. You are learning how to think and how to learn. Learning how to take a nursing exam actually keeps several companies (i.e. Hurst, Kaplan) in a lucrative business.

All is not lost, this is just the beginning of a process unlike any other. You are already learning that it ain't what you expected so now you have to deal with reality. That is your advantage. Schedule a meeting with your instructor to get the best idea of what she expects of you. She might even suggest some study strategies though you will most likely figure out your own best method.

Things will get better as you progress and you'll make some friends that you can share your experiences with. Shared adversity has a way of bringing people together.

As Dori would say' "Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming....."

Mavrick, BSN, RN · Sep 25, 2015

A word of advice, do not "confront" your instructors in your program to complain about them. Trust me, not a good idea.

Big, hell yes.

Of course, you can and should ask questions in an attempt to understand what is being taught. Questioning their method of teaching is a hill you don't want to die on.

BeachsideRN, ASN · Sep 25, 2015

I recommend the Davis success series of study books

Valcorie34, BSN, MSN, RN · Sep 26, 2015

Meet with your instructor and ask if they can help evaluate or give you an idea of how to focus your studying better. Are they primarily testing off of objectives, power point lectures, the book? Practice with an NCLEX study guide if the style of questions are killing you.

Chances are it is the beginning of the year, and you will get better at figuring out tests. Just priorities your studying, don't worry about all the crazy details (there are too many) Get major concepts and how to apply them. Usually tests are how you use your knowledge. Make sure you have all the vocabulary down it will help when you see it on tests and help reason through things.

Good luck! Stick with it. It will get better!

Nature_walker, ASN, BSN, RN · Sep 26, 2015

Learning how to taking nursing school tests in and of itself is a skill. Learning the content and knowing how to apply it is really what they are looking for. I had a professor tell us "it's nice that you know all this stuff, but how are you going to apply it."

I also failed my first test first term. I was so frustrated as I was use to just learning the material straight up and regurgitating it for the tests. I went in and did a test audit to see where I went wrong. Reading over the rationals really will help. You'll be able to see the thinking behind the questions, and what they are really asking you. I wouldn't recommend confronting your professor. That could come back to bite you. A group of us did not care for our last term's professor, but we banded together to study and made the best of the situation. None of us wanted to say anything for fear of backlash or getting pegged as a difficult student to work it. Maybe when we graduate, we'll say something as a group, but until then, we just keeping going forward.

I also recommend the Davis Success books. They are really helpful! Does your program have any tutors available to you? I used our program's tutors to help me though my first two terms of school. I found the help to be wonderful! Good luck with you studies!! It does get better!