hi, i am in my second month of nursing school and i am becoming increasingly discouraged. the first test i got a 92 on, and had no problem. i went over all the material as it was laid out on the syllabus, and felt like the test was very relevant to the material.
this test (#2) was a different story... for this test i went over all the assigned material and took note of all the items that teachers said "will be on the test". i incessantly reviewed things like heart sounds (s1 & s2) and where they are auscultated best, and where the valves are located (ex aortic at 2nd ics @ rsb) i also used the resources available from my books and the ati testing site so i had an all around basic knowledge in different formats. i studied extremely hard (as i usually do) and i was completely discouraged after submitting the test to find that i got an 82. i know that sounds like a decent mark, but i am a wicked over-achiever and that is actually the lowest grade i have gotten in years (not trying to brag at all..just saying that it is not normal for me)
the information that they said "will be on the test" was not. there were no ?s about heart sounds, locations of valves, types of infectious diseases...etc there were loads of trick questions where the answers were all right, but depended upon what way you interpreted the question. for example, one question regarding sterile technique wanted to know which of the following procedures is a characteristic or part of using sterile technique. it gave 1 answer that involved an aspect of sterile technique, 2 answers that pertained to "clean" technique, and 1 answer that consisted of an actual procedure you would perform on a patient that requires the use of sterile technique. i chose the answer that included something you would do to ensure sterile technique...and i got it wrong. the correct answer was inserting an indwelling catheter. i can understand how the indwelling catheter involves the use of sterile technique, but the question i felt was very ambiguous as to what they were actually asking.
i can give you many other examples of the questions i got incorrect that i was absolutely sure about.
i know i will not score perfect, but i think it is at best ridiculous that they are telling us to make sure we know info and then it isn't even mentioned on the test.
i cant help but feel very discouraged and that this class is going to ruin my gpa. does anyone have any advice?? some days i come home and i feel like i love school...i am very interested in it, and about providing competent care. i am highly interested in infectious diseases, and all of the factual information regarding procedures and the function of the body. then other days i get so discouraged and i just come home and cry. i think to myself, what am i doing??
:uhoh3: does anyone have any advice on how to cope with the extreme stresses of nursing school?
hi, i am in my second month of nursing school and i am becoming increasingly discouraged. the first test i got a 92 on, and had no problem. i went over all the material as it was laid out on the syllabus, and felt like the test was very relevant to the material.
this test (#2) was a different story... for this test i went over all the assigned material and took note of all the items that teachers said "will be on the test". i incessantly reviewed things like heart sounds (s1 & s2) and where they are auscultated best, and where the valves are located (ex aortic at 2nd ics @ rsb) i also used the resources available from my books and the ati testing site so i had an all around basic knowledge in different formats. i studied extremely hard (as i usually do) and i was completely discouraged after submitting the test to find that i got an 82. i know that sounds like a decent mark, but i am a wicked over-achiever and that is actually the lowest grade i have gotten in years (not trying to brag at all..just saying that it is not normal for me)
good grades has always been important for me, too, but at least you are dealing with an a and a b. my grades have all been right around 75, which is the lowest we can get and still pass. i've followed the tips our instructors gave us and the tips other students gave me. i've worked harder and my grades are slipping, not improving. at least you don't have to worry about your grades in terms of whether or not you'll pass. i do, and everything i'm trying isn't working.
the information that they said "will be on the test" was not. there were no ?s about heart sounds, locations of valves, types of infectious diseases...etc there were loads of trick questions where the answers were all right, but depended upon what way you interpreted the question. for example, one question regarding sterile technique wanted to know which of the following procedures is a characteristic or part of using sterile technique. it gave 1 answer that involved an aspect of sterile technique, 2 answers that pertained to "clean" technique, and 1 answer that consisted of an actual procedure you would perform on a patient that requires the use of sterile technique. i chose the answer that included something you would do to ensure sterile technique...and i got it wrong. the correct answer was inserting an indwelling catheter. i can understand how the indwelling catheter involves the use of sterile technique, but the question i felt was very ambiguous as to what they were actually asking.
i can give you many other examples of the questions i got incorrect that i was absolutely sure about.
i know i will not score perfect, but i think it is at best ridiculous that they are telling us to make sure we know info and then it isn't even mentioned on the test.
i've had the opposite problem. our teachers have specifically told us not to study certain things because they won't be on the test, but then they are. i can understand being told to study certain things and still needing to know the rest of the information (unless told otherwise). i think being told not to study certain topics and later see them on the test is cheap, demeaning, and underhanded (i think it's past due that i change my user name...oh well). i think having nclex style questions is actually a good idea, but i feel like we have no direction in terms of what to learn and where to focus. one minute i think i just need a general understanding, then we are tested on specific details. or we are given application questions where we needed to memorize certain details, tests, or scales. when i narrow down a question to two answers, i have the uncanny ability at being unlucky enough to always choose the wrong answer (and looking at the tests afterwords, i'm pretty consistent with narrowing it down to one correct/one incorrect answer - so it's not an issue of not narrowing down correctly). and with the "choose the most correct answer" questions...that has to do with seeing a consistency in what is considered "most correct." i haven't figured that out in my class yet. my professors claim they pull questions straight from nclex prep books/tests, and maybe they do. there's so little consistency in other places, however, that i haven't been able to latch onto anything.
some days i come home and i feel like i love school...i am very interested in it, and about providing competent care. i am highly interested in infectious diseases, and all of the factual information regarding procedures and the function of the body.
i can commiserate with a lot of what you said (even though my grades are so much lower), and this sums it up for me. i want to be in the health care field, and the science behind the body/biological processes/etc is beyond amazing to me. but the information/details i value are just not in sync with what my professors value. maybe they aren't in sync with the values of the nursing profession...i have no idea. the program head recently told me i would probably enjoy pharmacology much more because it's science based, however. so i know something is off somewhere. *shrugs*
anyway, my point is basically you aren't alone. and like you said, others have it worse.
I'm going to agree with the others, this is just the way nursing school is. All information covered in lecture or texts is fair game. And the questions are often not "fair". Often answers are wrong because of one word. So read all questions carefully, underline key ideas and think through them very carefully. You have to learn a different way of thinking, to take the facts that you learn and apply them.
Try to be easier on yourself about your grades. Try not to compare your grades in NS to your grades prior. Also focus not on the exact grade itself but how you did in relation to the other students in your class. That can be a better indication of how you are doing.
In the first year, out of three terms, only one person received an A grade for the class and that was in the third term. Lots of Bs and Cs and a couple of fails for the first term. This isn't rocket science so don't get into the minutia. Read the questions carefully, looking for key words. I agree that you will see a question or two that are horribly written - I don't know how that happens but oh well. If this is all really disturbing to you, I don't have a solution. Most of us A students have learned to realign our goals and just deal with the Bs or we would have dropped out long ago.
Oh, xtxrn! What wise words. I wish I were your next door neighbor so that I could come over and chat with you.
I am ready to have a nervous breakdown. (Self-imposed) I'm struggling along and ready to give up. My teachers say I put too much pressure on myself. Personally, I'm starting to doubt myself.
I try to remember that I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought. But I like your saying better!
blueharlequin
93 Posts
good grades has always been important for me, too, but at least you are dealing with an a and a b. my grades have all been right around 75, which is the lowest we can get and still pass. i've followed the tips our instructors gave us and the tips other students gave me. i've worked harder and my grades are slipping, not improving. at least you don't have to worry about your grades in terms of whether or not you'll pass. i do, and everything i'm trying isn't working.
i've had the opposite problem. our teachers have specifically told us not to study certain things because they won't be on the test, but then they are. i can understand being told to study certain things and still needing to know the rest of the information (unless told otherwise). i think being told not to study certain topics and later see them on the test is cheap, demeaning, and underhanded (i think it's past due that i change my user name...oh well). i think having nclex style questions is actually a good idea, but i feel like we have no direction in terms of what to learn and where to focus. one minute i think i just need a general understanding, then we are tested on specific details. or we are given application questions where we needed to memorize certain details, tests, or scales. when i narrow down a question to two answers, i have the uncanny ability at being unlucky enough to always choose the wrong answer (and looking at the tests afterwords, i'm pretty consistent with narrowing it down to one correct/one incorrect answer - so it's not an issue of not narrowing down correctly). and with the "choose the most correct answer" questions...that has to do with seeing a consistency in what is considered "most correct." i haven't figured that out in my class yet. my professors claim they pull questions straight from nclex prep books/tests, and maybe they do. there's so little consistency in other places, however, that i haven't been able to latch onto anything.
i can commiserate with a lot of what you said (even though my grades are so much lower), and this sums it up for me. i want to be in the health care field, and the science behind the body/biological processes/etc is beyond amazing to me. but the information/details i value are just not in sync with what my professors value. maybe they aren't in sync with the values of the nursing profession...i have no idea. the program head recently told me i would probably enjoy pharmacology much more because it's science based, however. so i know something is off somewhere. *shrugs*
anyway, my point is basically you aren't alone. and like you said, others have it worse.