FAILED Hesi----Bummed out

Nursing Students General Students

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We had our HESI exam for Med-Surg/Critical Care yesterday and I failed something terrible! Far below a 900 and I just feel awful about it. I have the Evolve HESI comprehensive review book but still didn't feel prepared. In our program, Med-Surg I class is second semester and Critical Care is 4th semester and about 90% of the exam was second semester material. The HESI book didn't contain alot of the info on the actual Hesi! Guess I didn't retain as much as I should have. It's all so crazy, but I feel so terrible right now. Failing sucks! Just wanted to come and vent and if anyone else wanted to share an experience feel free.

I'm sorry that you had that experience! I am a first year RN student, and we have HESI exams every term at midterm and final. Last midterm I got an 86, every other score previous to this term I got between a 72 and a 77. I am generally an A student, and this was especially upsetting because at my school, you can have a 99.99% in everything else, but if you don't get at least a 70 (or 72?) average between the midterm and final HESI you are out of the program. Our program has lost a few people this year just like that.

SO. This term, after seeing more people disappear due to the HESI, I went to a review class held by a 2nd year student, and used my Saunders review book pretty intensely, but only for about 8 hrs prior to the HESI and I scored a 98.5%! I almost cried, I was so relieved.

The main, important points of the HESI review class were this:

1.Is it appropriate? - often you can eliminate an answer or two based on their ridiculousness/inappropriateness.

2.Safety of the patient - safety is the first priority!

3.Airway - comes first!

4.Breathing - comes second!

5.Circulation - comes third!

6.Nursing Process - after you have worked your way through the above, the use the nursing process to whittle down your answer. Sometimes the question says "what assessment...?" Make sure you categorize the answers - which ones ARE assessments? Which are interventions? Eliminate the wrong ones.

1.Assess

2.Analyze

3.Plan

4.Implement

1.Patient centered - think about what answers are pt-centered.

2.Maslow - if you get this far, make sure that physiological needs are considered before psychosocial.

1.Physiological

2.Psychosocial

5.Evaluate

I hope this helps!! Best of luck!!

~nickos

Specializes in Emergency/Trauma/LDRP/Ortho ASC.

I know how you feel! We take HESIs after every class and after 6 classes (Assessment, Fundamentals, Pharm, OB, Psych & M/S 1) I have passed every single HESI with over 900, some more than 1000. I have made 5 B's and one A in lectures and all 100's on clinicals and care plans. I took the Midcurricular HESI twice in the last week...and failed both times! My scores were 794 and 751. I have studied my brains out with the HESI nlcex book and Saunders. So, despite the fact that I have great grades and always do well in clinicals, I'm not allowed to continue to my next block of classes this summer. Instead, I'll spend the summer taking a remedial class that I have to pay for where a professor will teach me how to take the HESI midcurricular, which at my school does not even count for a grade. Also, my graduation date is pushed back 1 semester and if I don't pass the midcurricular at the end of summer...it's documented as a program failure and I'm released. GEEZ! :banghead:

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