failing nursing school

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hey, im in my third semester of nursing school, in the peds/psch rotation. i finished my first two semesters of nursing school with B's. i am now barely passing halfway through the third semester. i have met with my instructors and done everything they have asked and am still hanging on by a string. it is so hard not to just hang in the towel and give up before i actually do fail. Everyone says it just keeps getting harder from here on out and im barely making it now. My instructors say i have a hard time with application questions. is there anybody out there who had a hard time in nursing school and still made it? i need some hope that im gonna make it, even though im doing the best i can. thank you

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

I purchased a Kaplan book that greatly assisted me with answering the application tests. It had many wonderful techniques on how to approach and answer nursing school questions. It also helped me pass my state boards. :)

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Don't give up, Red! I know very few people who just breezed right through school. It all comes down to persistence.

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Dont give up!!! In my LPN class we had 4 different semesters. Every one had 1 semester that was the hardest for them. For some it was the first semester some the 2nd, others the 3rd, and yet for others it was the 4th. Point being that you may struggle through one semester then get the hang of things and the rest of school may feel like a breeze. Personally for me I felt like I would never make it through the 2nd semester but I struggled along next thing I new it was graduation and my lowest grade had been a 87%.

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Specializes in ICU/Cosmetic Sx/Lasers/Education/School/.

Don't give up! I had a friend you was in nursing school with me four years ago who let it get the best of her. I talked her into retaking the class and she did. She did not get to graduate with me, but she did the following year and passed the boards first go around. You just need to relax, take a deep breath and do the best you can do. And with the application questions, always always think of your ABC's. You can do it. Tell youself that everyday. Keep up the hard work and I am sure it will pay off in the end.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

Hang in there. Good luck!

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thanks everyone for the support, it does make me feel better to know others have struggled and went on to make it and i will look into the kaplan books. thanks again.

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red, hopefully you can get some other advice here in the nursing student discussion forum.

suebird :)

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Awww.....I'm sorry you're feeling discouraged. It's easy to feel that way if you feel your grades aren't up to par and classmates don't always help either! I hate it when people are like "that exam was sooo easy" and I'd be thinking "did we write the same test??" Or when people brag about their grades and openly compare marks.

Anyways, hope you hang in there. I'm not finding this journey easy at all!! Even when I do all the studying I have to do, I still feel behind. Best of luck to you. I hope we run into each other when we're both nurses and be like "haha, we made it!!" :nurse:

Love - C

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Hang in there!!!! Just study study study... I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.

When I got to my third semester (peds/OB) I found it to be my most difficult semester while other students who had struggled in fundamentals and med surg were breezing through. For me, it was a combination of disinterest (I HATED those specialties) and burn out from the previous two semesters. Throw some personal problems on top of that and it nearly failed me.

My best advice is to take a good critical look at what you are doing differently this semester than the previous semesters. Are you less fond of the instructors? less interested in the material? have you become too comfortable? have your study habits changed? have you taken on too many responsibilities that are affecting your performance? are you experiencing some nursing school burn out? are you letting your anxiety about the class being more difficult further compound the problem?

Once you figure out why this semester is more difficult to you, then you can move forward and start finding ways to overcome the issue. For me, I had to 'grin and bear it', study more frequently, and remind myself that just because I didn't like the specialties- I still needed to be proficient in my knowledge for boards. In the end, I worked very hard and was able to pass (but not by much).

Good luck!

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thanks again, guys, i appreciate the support. im feeling a little better today. i was in clinical yesterday though and couldnt help but think i might not even make it to next semester and im doing all this for nothing. i just needed to hear that it does get better. thanks again.

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