Harder Than I Thought

[missjennmb]

Its been a rougher than rough 8 days. I thought that it was "just school work" and I would enjoy the difficulty (because I generally LOVE school and the tougher the better) but HOLY COW!!! I took my first quiz last Thursday (quizzes are on things you have not gone over yet in class but were expected to study for homework) and then my first exam this morning. I spent 5 days studying, almost every waking moment, to the point that I felt I had "overstudied" almost, and then went and took the exam and almost NONE of what I studied was on the exam. I was so heartbroken. I am exhausted and very....humbled by my first week in nursing school.

I had heard that half the class would fail this first 9 weeks (we do 9 wk blocks for our nursing classes) and had no idea why until I took the test.

I'm making adjustments in hopes of bringing up my grades next quiz (got a 92 on the quiz and an 84 on the exam) but... ugh. Basically we read the text with our teacher in class, but the exam was all implementation (which was not the focus of the text or our lectures, which as I mentioned were basically us reading out of the book together), mostly with multiple "right" answers, and only one "best" answer (of which I could not figure out why...and just guessed) Kind of like NCLEX but more confusing.

I am not complaining though. If it was easy, everyone would do it, and if I can somehow manage to get an A, then it will be that much more well deserved. I just thought I'd share my experience.

I am also taking A&P1 and that is quite a load of information as well, but what we need to know is very black and white, so I'm way more comfortable with it, in comparison.

I could not do this forever without going insane...but for one year... I will somehow make it through. I can only hope and pray that my LPN to RN transition program is a bit more straightfoward. I am still kicking myself for the time I wasted this weekend, studying things that I did not need. Sleeping would have been a better use of my time. :)

[rnmomtobe2010]

Not hard...There is just a lot of information that has to be retained and especially if you are in an accalerated program like me...Lord have mercy... Time mamagement is the key....

[mollybrown]

It's good to know I'm not the only one feeling like this. I am normally a strait "A" student and study my butt off. I got a 90 on my first exam, which is a "B" in Nsg school, and a "80" on the second exam, which is a "C" in the Nsg world. The last time I earned a "C" was in high school. It really woke my butt up, and I'm almost ashamed to say that it did bring me to tears.

I knew nursing would be hard, and I thought I had prepared well. I just had no idea what it would truly be like. I'm just hanging onto the the hope that it will get better because at this point that's all I have!

Hi cbgirl....

Wow. 90 is a B in the nursing world? What the heck is an A? 95+?

Anyway thank you all for giving me a good wake-up shake with this thread. We get our books and such at orientation in two weeks and I'm definitely going to start reading Day 1.

[cowboysgirl2007]

Hi cbgirl....

Wow. 90 is a B in the nursing world? What the heck is an A? 95+?

Anyway thank you all for giving me a good wake-up shake with this thread. We get our books and such at orientation in two weeks and I'm definitely going to start reading Day 1.

The grading scale is soooo much harder. There's a thread somewhere on here that talks about it, and a lot of nursing schools are the same way. Ours go as follows:

91-100% A

83-90% B :wink2:

76-82% C :)

67-75% D

0-66% F

However, our sessions run in 8 wk groups, and if you don't get a 76% or better, you don't move on. Very hard. We also have to pass our math proficiency tests with a 95%, we have 3 trys to do it. If we do not do pass on our third time, we don't move on the program.

It's good you are making the choice to start reading. I learned the more I expose myself to the material, the more I understand it. And UNDERSTANDING it is the key, not MEMORIZATION. Good luck with your studies! Keep us posted, it's so good to have people that can relate to what you are going through, and this place is a wonderful support system, I have learned sooooo much on this website. I can honestly say I love it! :redbeathe:redbeathe:redbeathe:heartbeat:heartbeat:redpinkhe:redpinkhe:redbeathe:redbeathe:redbeathe

[SPNbabe08]

i totally agree with cowboygirl. you have to understand the concept, not memorize facts.

and maybe, taking pre req's for RN now might be a bit too much.

remember its one day at a time and one concept at a time.

[missjennmb]

The grading scale is soooo much harder. There's a thread somewhere on here that talks about it, and a lot of nursing schools are the same way. Ours go as follows:

91-100% A

83-90% B :wink2:

76-82% C :)

67-75% D

0-66% F

However, our sessions run in 8 wk groups, and if you don't get a 76% or better, you don't move on. Very hard. We also have to pass our math proficiency tests with a 95%, we have 3 trys to do it. If we do not do pass on our third time, we don't move on the program.

It's good you are making the choice to start reading. I learned the more I expose myself to the material, the more I understand it. And UNDERSTANDING it is the key, not MEMORIZATION. Good luck with your studies! Keep us posted, it's so good to have people that can relate to what you are going through, and this place is a wonderful support system, I have learned sooooo much on this website. I can honestly say I love it! :redbeathe:redbeathe:redbeathe:heartbeat:heartbeat:redpinkhe:redpinkhe:redbeathe:redbeathe:redbeathe

wow I am SO jealous!! My sessions run in 8 wk sets as well but our grading scale is a LOT tougher.

A - 93-100. B - 85-92. C - 80-84. D - 75-79 (although a D does not count as you fail the whole semester if you get less than an 80).

We do not have a math proficiency persay but we did have to take a test to get into the program that was math/english/science and VERY tough (like 2-3 in 20 pass it every time they give it). I'm great in math and I ran out of time on the math section (though somehow still did really great over all on that atleast).

I definitely agree on comprehension being more important than memorization. Memorization got me NOWHERE. Well it helped me pass, but only by 4 points.

[cowboysgirl2007]

wow I am SO jealous!! My sessions run in 8 wk sets as well but our grading scale is a LOT tougher.

A - 93-100. B - 85-92. C - 80-84. D - 75-79 (although a D does not count as you fail the whole semester if you get less than an 80).

We do not have a math proficiency persay but we did have to take a test to get into the program that was math/english/science and VERY tough (like 2-3 in 20 pass it every time they give it). I'm great in math and I ran out of time on the math section (though somehow still did really great over all on that atleast).

I definitely agree on comprehension being more important than memorization. Memorization got me NOWHERE. Well it helped me pass, but only by 4 points.

Your grading scale is what our grading scale was this summer, I thought it would stay the same for this semester but when I looked in our Handbook that's what it said. I guess I should question my instructors on Monday...I'm glad you gave your input b/c it made me think about the inconsistencies in our handbook...so thanks!

My good friend earned a 92.9 this summer, and there is no rounding up, so she got a "B", can you imagine the frustration?

[kathycook]

Relax, a new brighter day will arrive before you know it:heartbeat

[PennStudent]

Hi cbgirl....

Wow. 90 is a B in the nursing world? What the heck is an A? 95+?

Anyway thank you all for giving me a good wake-up shake with this thread. We get our books and such at orientation in two weeks and I'm definitely going to start reading Day 1.

A 90 is a low B on our grading scale. A 94 is an A but you have to get a 96 to get a "4.0" A+.

We just finished eight weeks. It does get a little easier once you start clinicals (it starts to make sense, at least!), but time management becomes more important. It took getting a D- on a test (which dropped me down to a B in that subject! Argh!) for me to learn that one.

[cowboysgirl2007]

We just had our first clinical day, and all I have to say is.....

WOW. :wtosts:

Actually, that's not all I have to say, but it sums up how I feel! I thought we had a heavy workload before today, but now it's even worse. I'm now trying to figure out how I'm going to do all this. I had already accepted the fact that while in nursing school, I would have no life, no social outings, no time for the hubby or kids, and no time for myself. Now, I'm trying to figure out what else there is I can give up, just to find time for the new load they gave us today!

[missjennmb]

I got a 91 on my second exam! :) Its still just a B and not the ever illusive A, but its a lot closer than an 84! :) Closer and closer... A classmate said the other day that I am a bit "OCD" about my grades, and she's probably right, but atleast it keeps me from chosing to veg on the couch for a day instead of cracking a book. :)

[vintagestudent]

We just had our first clinical day, and all I have to say is.....

WOW. :wtosts:

Actually, that's not all I have to say, but it sums up how I feel! I thought we had a heavy workload before today, but now it's even worse. I'm now trying to figure out how I'm going to do all this. I had already accepted the fact that while in nursing school, I would have no life, no social outings, no time for the hubby or kids, and no time for myself. Now, I'm trying to figure out what else there is I can give up, just to find time for the new load they gave us today!

I know what you mean. We began clinicals about 1 month ago and I still feel "panicky" most mornings. But that's better than the first couple of weeks when I felt "panicky" every morning of clinicals. Plus, I'm not used to waking up at 5 a.m., so that doesn't help. (Admittedly, I'm not an early riser by choice, but it's what I have to do while in nursing school).

Hang in there...it does improve. There are days that are, well...really tough, so don't be horrified if, occasionally, you think you've made a HUGE mistake in signing up for nursing school. It's part & parcel of the nurse-in-the-making journey I'm told.

You'd laugh, but I started out very competitively in class, wanting that high score, but soon after clinicals began, I've lowered my standard to "heck, I just want to pass the test!" :chuckle I'm not saying you should lower your standard, but it's lessened the stress I put on myself. I've also gone from ignore the children & hubby 24/7 to making time--if even a little--for them throughout the week. (No, I still can't sit down with them to watch a family movie.) Yes, I've changed my modus operandi (spelling?) lately. They're my family and a big reason I've been able to make it in nursing school thus far. I'm sure you'll find what works for you and your family eventually.

You'd be surprised--maybe not--at all the discouragement and headtrips I've experienced these past 2 months, but I know I'm not alone. Some classmates of mine have felt the same way. Very few of us, if any, come out of this experience unscathed. It does change you...hopefully for the better. I've "grown up" quite a bit lately even at 46 y.o. being in the hospital/school environment after being at home raising 4 children for over 20 years. Much has changed, but kindness, friendliness, helpfulness, integrity, compassion, and respect still matter & are appreciated by most.

Apparently, many of us on this forum know how you feel. Just take it one day at a time, and try to keep it all in perspective. Life is short. Nursing school isn't all there is to life, but it does require a good chunk of our time for now.

Keep moving forward, not looking back. It will be over before you know it.

Blessings to you and your family. :)

[robynnelpnstudent]

I am the only person in my class with an A right now, so I have most of my class coming to me to ask me how I am studying. I basically just make sure I go over all the material in the chapter review and then the nclex practice questions in our chapter review section (I have found our instructors like to add questions to our exams from that section). I hope everyone will hang in there, because I hate it everytime I hear of someone quitting or wanting to quit. We've come so far (and my class is only into the program by almost 5 weeks) and I don't think we should give up on ourselves now. We all need to keep supporting each other because we know what we're all going through. **HUGS FOR ALL FELLOW PN STUDENTS**