What would YOU do..in my situation?

Nursing Students General Students

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I was to graduate this May 2009 but technically wouldn't be done until the end of july because we still had to do OB/ped's. I had my cap and gown ready to go, sent out invites for my graduation...everything. I took my final in med-surg2 around the end of April and the final dropped me 6 points. Since it dropped me 6 points, I failed the course. I cried for about a week straight, was depressed, felt so down, felt stupid, etc etc etc. I had to tell my family/relatives, friends that I am no longer graduating.....---> believe me, that was hard. I just wish the school wouldn't have done all that, making me feel like i was FOR SURE to graduate. ugh. BUT anyways, I thought about this long and hard about my future. I wouldn't be able to retake Med-surg2 until NEXT MARCH. . . long time. I was thinking of changing my whole major..I was also thinking about just not going back to school..or else I was thinking of just waiting and waiting and waiting until next march comes around to retake it AGAIN. I've been really thinking, and I finally decided that I'm going to wait it out and retake the course next march of 2010. It seems so long away but I figured I was only 2-3 months away from being an LPN. Why quit altogether when I spent so much work and time into studying and going to class?? Should I do this even though I practically have to wait a year?? or should I just switch my major and do something else? I am young still, only 21 years old. Sometimes though I feel like I'm too dumb to even do this.

--->heads up people (I had failed Med-Surg1 too but could retake it right away and I passed. Now it's just the Med-Surg2 part that I have to retake again.) Although, Med-Surg is a hard class. . . but maybe since I failed med surg 1 before and now I failed med-surg 2...maybe that's a sign that I can't be a Nurse. I NEED ADVICE. ANY HELP WOULD BE GREAT. THANK YOU ALL.:redbeathe

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some people are better test takers, it doesnt mean youre going to be a bad nurse. There are plenty of A students who are book smart, but just _____. Fill in the blank :)

I would wait and complete it, I dont know if youre allowed to sit for the LPN boards but go ahead and get your feet wet in the field while youre waiting. Or maybe pick up a job as a PCA or CNA or TECH whatever theyre calling it these days. Best of luck to you, work extra hard so you dont have to go through that hell again. Thats my main motivation.

If 6 points was all you needed to pass, then maybe you could work a little harder to provide a better safety net. Maybe working will make school easier for you, as weird as that sounds i know it helped me tremendously.

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Please, do not give up. You are this close and you are so young. What is really one more year? I know..easier for me to say 'cuz I'm not in your shoes. I know. But really, I think your heart is in it and I believe that nursing is for you. Believe in yourself. Take this time to rest and relax. Work and maybe save some money up for when school begins again in March. I'm guessing you will probably have the same instructor. If that is the case, GREAT!!! You know her testing ways and you can work on this during that time. Read over your notes and book. Then let everyone watch the dust fly as you burn them in your tracks. So you failed the med-surg courses. Yes, they are important (very important) but look at the other classes you have taken. You didn't fail them, did you? You have to make this decision...it is your life but by the sound of your post, I think you would make a great nurse and would welcome you at my bedside or my children's bedside anytime. My best wishes for you.

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Specializes in L&D/Maternity nursing.

If it were me, I'd wait and retake it. Why go through the trouble of switching majors and starting over from scratch? Unless there is something else that you think the shoe may better fit, another field that has your interest...then I think you should stick with the original plan and study your butt off in the mean time so that you can kick some booty next spring!

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

I recommend two things: Find a tutor and retake the course.

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Specializes in Nursing Student - LAST YEAR!.

don't give up, believe in yourself everyday and know that it was only 6 points... read the text throughout the year along with your notes. I know sometimes its hard to absorb all of that material in one semester. See it from the bright side, now you have months of prep time and I personally recommend voice recording notes/chapter summaries (i record them myself and then listen to them while I jog) and when spring comes.. record your class lectures just in case there was something you missed or maybe heard differently. I wish you all the best and from one student to another, keep your head up and always believe you CAN do it.

one more thing, i leave post-it notes around the house with key points on them so when I'm putting on my make-up i glance at the note on the mirror or when i open the fridge or the front door I read that one too.

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one more thing, i leave post-it notes around the house with key points on them so when I'm putting on my make-up i glance at the note on the mirror or when i open the fridge or the front door I read that one too.

I love this! :up:

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Specializes in LTC.

Don't give up ! I just finished med surg 2 for my LPN program and its HARD. If you have to wait a year then so be it, lots of others have had to do the exact same thing. What ever you decide keep going, and don't give up.

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Thank you all!! I am for sure going to wait it out and retake it now. I already have a lot of plans that I am going to do in the meanwhile. I am applying for CNA job at the hospital to help me gain some new skills in nursing and just to help me with self-confidence. I took clinicals with a classmate that worked at the hospital and she knew SOOOO much more than I did, because she has that experience. Although, I am already finished with med-surg clinical, I still think that it will help me gain skills and that's what I want to do. I already work at a nursing home and have been since 2005 so I feel like I need a change plus you really don't learn much there. Of course i love the residents but i also feel like this is my time to LEARN. Also, I have an NCLEX book that I'm going to go over A LOT until next march hits. I want to know that NCLEX book from the first to last page. Believe me, I will be determined this time around and even though I have to wait until next March to retake it, I will still be in the nursing books! Maybe this is actually a good thing for me... to really focus on things. I just reallllllly want to prove EVERYONE wrong. I want to prove to my family that I can do this. Yeah, I realize some people get their LPN done right on time. . . and some people might be a little behind on schedule. And being an LPN would be MORE than fine with me. I think we know whether we would be good nurses and i do believe i can be... so i want to prove e v e r y o n e wrong. THANK YOU GUYS!! i love this website.

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Specializes in ER, ICU, Education.

It seems you have made the right choice for you. I hope you will continue to reflect on the situation, not in a negative light, but in order to gain insight. Sometimes this isn't possible for years.

There is a really good Einstein quote "The important thing is not to stop questioning." I've found as a nursing instructor that the deepest knowledge comes when students stop trying to just learn the facts and begin trying to understand why things happen (ex- pathophysiology) and to give context to all the information learned as a student. This takes time. In a few years, the things that seem so challenging now will start to make sense as you see it in real life. Never stop learning and never give up.

More than proving this to family and friends, prove it to yourself. If you want this badly enough, you are quite capable. You have made it this far. Never give up.

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

Good for you! Stick to it. Just be sure to keep up with nursing subjects during your down time so it doesn't all disappear on you.

Did I understand you don't have to redo clinical along with the lecture for med surg? That seems odd to me, if I were you I would double check that, as our school links the two together. Fail one, fail both.

The CNA route seems a good idea to me too, also lets you get a foot in the door for when you graduate (and you will!) next year.

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I'm glad you have decided to wait and finish in March, I am with you here! I just got my letter last week after waiting since last Aug 30th to get back into school for my Senior year of an RN program. It has been a long year to wait, and I'm still waiting to start since we only have classes end of Aug to May, but this year I have been studying notes my friends gave me and this Summer I will be studying Med/Surg 2 and math...math is the reason I got dropped from the program last Fall. I failed the semester med math test by 2 lousy points, I was very angry, but now I am determined to succeed! The time will pass for you, it will seem slow at first, but especially with a job you will soon be there and ready to finish up strong! Good Luck to us both!:heartbeat:D

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