fundamentals: should I drop?

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First semester nursing student. First test I made a 69. Second test I made a 69 and the third test I made a 79. It's midterm and we have 4 more tests and a final exam. 75 is the required grade to pass and I currently have a 72. I was advised by my instructor to drop the class and retake next semester. In your opinion, should I stick with it and try my best to pass the next 4 exams or drop and have a fresh start next semester? What would you do?

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I think only you can answer that. Are you putting 100% in and still failing or could you step it up some and do better?

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I agree, only you can answer that question. We need a 76% quiz/test avg before they even consider assignments..so even if you have an "A" in everything else, but your quiz/test avg is less than 76%...you are not going to pass. If you believe that you can do really well for the remaining time, go for it. Get as much help as you can, get with a study group (not social group), etc. Good luck!

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Specializes in Hospitalist Medicine.

Do you have a cut-off drop date? Will you have another exam before that date? If so, you might want to see how you do on the next exam.

The danger is that you miss the drop date and you end up with an academic failure in your record. That could potentially prevent you from readmission to the program. So, think long & hard about this. It might make more sense to start over fresh and withdraw from the class. You'd hate to get down to the very last test and end up missing a passing grade by a few tenths of a point. We have some classmates who ended up failing out on the very last exam.

Weigh your options & determine what course of action works best for you.

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You know yourself better than anyone. I think you have to weigh all your opitions, and figure out if theres any possible way you can still pass. You may need to get a tutor or ask some of the other students that are passing what they are doing. I'm not a quitter by nature, so if it were me, I would have to tough it out and work as hard as I could to make it through. I will be praying for you!

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Specializes in Emergency.

Uhm, ouch. You're failing your fundamentals class. I would honestly reevaluate your idea of being in nursing school if this is causing you grief! This is the easiest (and can be tough, because you ARE learning new stuff...) semester you'll have, especially compared to medsurg and peds.

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Thanks to everyone for the positive feedback. It's actually not the theory that's giving me terrible, it's the math! Lol but I dropped and plan to take it in the summer.

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You know yourself better than anyone. I think you have to weigh all your opitions and figure out if theres any possible way you can still pass. You may need to get a tutor or ask some of the other students that are passing what they are doing. I'm not a quitter by nature, so if it were me, I would have to tough it out and work as hard as I could to make it through. I will be praying for you![/quote']

Thank you for your prayers..

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Do you have a cut-off drop date? Will you have another exam before that date? If so, you might want to see how you do on the next exam.

The danger is that you miss the drop date and you end up with an academic failure in your record. That could potentially prevent you from readmission to the program. So, think long & hard about this. It might make more sense to start over fresh and withdraw from the class. You'd hate to get down to the very last test and end up missing a passing grade by a few tenths of a point. We have some classmates who ended up failing out on the very last exam.

Weigh your options & determine what course of action works best for you.

The determined test was the last one which improved my grade but not enough to pass.

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Hello there I see you've made yr decision to drop the class. I was in yr shoes I ha a 72% after two tests. We need a 76% before all other assignments are added. We only had one more exam and then the final. I chose to stick it out due to my faith!! I ended up with a 78 for my exams and with a 84 out if the class. You can do it this journey is a true test of perseverance and faith. As long as you don't give up you're good! You have a leg up for the summer class. I would read ahead and prepare before hand! Good luck to you!! You can do it!!!

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses.com

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Uhm, ouch. You're failing your fundamentals class. I would honestly reevaluate your idea of being in nursing school if this is causing you grief! This is the easiest (and can be tough, because you ARE learning new stuff...) semester you'll have, especially compared to medsurg and peds.

I think that's a bit premature to recommend quitting at this point. Many other people have failed classes and gone on to pass the NCLEX. According to OP they are just having trouble with the math. Some people are only taught one way to do drug calculations. I tutored several classmates on medmath, when they had been bombing the exams. All but one are now graduating, I have faith OP can do it.

OP for resources we used ATI tutorials that covered the three main methods:

Desired Over Have

Ratio and Proportion

and Dimensional Analysis

if you have not tried those I highly recommend them.

Here are some online resources

Dimensional analysis: Calculate dosages the easy way

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/0073373966/638300/SampleChapter.pdf

Medication Math for the Nursing Student

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

I've seen people pass by ONE question. However, after reading your post, it sounds as though you still have plenty more opportunities to pull up that grade.

In the end, it is your choice. I would encourage you to try different study techniques and get a tutor before throwing in the towel.

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