Health Assessment has got me depressed.

Abigail612 · Aug 25, 2012

My advice would be to complete the class. If you drop now it will still be a fail, it is better to complete the class and get the grade that you earned than to drop and get an F. You can try to talk with the head of the nursing department or the dean but the may not be to helpful . I have seen professors do much worse and have a fail rate of over 75% and they didn't get so much as a slap on the wrist but maybe your situation will be different. Good luck!

uhohbube · Aug 25, 2012

Yeah sadly if you have below a 76% test average at my school you automatically get an F. Doesn't matter what your grade is. So whether I drop or not I will get an F. Only good thing is if I have to retake the class and I get a B they will replace the F with a B. And honestly..I dont care about the teacher or her getting in trouble etc. I just wanna be able to prove to the dean I know the information so I can move onto the second part of the session. That's all I want honestly. But I feel so hopeless, I wasted my parents money and my time because of something so silly like this.

allnurses Guide · Aug 25, 2012

Policy varies between schools, but sadly most of them don't negotiate when it comes to the grade cutoff: even of you are fractions of a point away.

What you can do is try and talk to your professor, let them know you are doing well in other classes but struggling with HA, that you feel prepared but it is not reflected in your grades, and....most importantly...ask if they have any tips on how you might perform better in the future.

It's hard to eat humble pie and accept responsibility for failing, but it shows maturity and will help you out in the long run if you are staying at that school.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Aug 25, 2012

I am so sorry you're going through this:hug:......But

Nursing is assessment. Assessment is nursing. It has other components....but it is all about the assessment. Have you gone to the instructor you are having "trouble with" and asked her to go question by question explaining the rationale to her answered so you may gain better insight? Nursing....more that any other career, makes it imperative to know the basics. Someone's life depends on it. In nursing the difference can mean someones life. Almost getting it right isn't ok when dealing with patients and getting a good test score still won't replace the clinical skill/critical assessment skills necessary to care for patients.

I mean this in the nicest way.........These are the reasons nursing is so tough and patients lives are one of them. Not getting the dosage or assessment for a patient is a sentinel event reported to The Joint Commission and the government watch dogs, as a near miss in the nursing world. Almost doing it doesn't count in nursing at the bedside.

Talk to you instructor see what you aren't getting. It may be just a communication issue but you need to talk to the instructor doing the tests. Battling your school? I say choose your battles wisely.

I wish you the best.

uhohbube · Aug 25, 2012

I have two professors. One who does all the grading, study groups and emailing etc and another who lectures and makes the tests. The one who I am "having problems" with, I refuse to meet with. I have met with the other so many times though and went through each question I got wrong on the test. It kind of makes it hard to approach a teacher when she embarrasses you and calls you out for being "shy" the third week of class. On top of that she gives me attitude when I ask her a question during a exam but she talks to everyone else. I was kind of hoping I would be done with her and her ridiculous class. I know how to assess a patient, how to listen to breath and heart sounds etc. I'm not dumb and I know the information. It makes me sad no one else can see this besides me. I spend half the day at school and the other half studying and doing homework and all my hard work doesn't seem to show. I'm sorry I'm not good at guessing what the right answer is like a lot of other people, my brain doesn't work that way. I learn what I am taught. I am good at critical thinking which is why I am doing fine in my other classes. It's also kind of hard to pass an exam when each question is worth 5-6 points. So pretty much you miss a couple and then you're done. I guess at the point there is no one else to blame but myself. I learned my lesson and worst case I have to take the class again and it will just be a refresher for me and maybe I'll even learn some new things. It just kind of sucks when I see others who are just as knowledgeable as me moving on and I'm stuck here...

allnurses Guide · Aug 25, 2012

Better now then on the NCLEX. Hang in there and use this as a life experience.

runforfun · Aug 26, 2012

I hate to point this out, but someone has to. You need to talk to the professor you are having trouble with. The one who is writing the exams. You don't have to like him/her you just have to respect them. It sounds like your personal issue with them might be what is hindering you. It makes far more sense to talk to the person who is writing the questions, as they will have a lot more insight into exactly what they were thinking when it was written. Approach the professor with respect, but be assertive in explaining that you feel as if you DO know the information.

Use this as a learning experience. You might not be able to change your grade in the class, but you CAN show what you know on your hesi exam. You can talk to the profesor so you know better what to do when you have to re-take this class next term.

Luckyyou, BSN, RN · Aug 26, 2012

You say, " I'm sorry I'm not good at guessing what the right answer is like a lot of other people, my brain doesn't work that way"... but you need to address this now before you take the NCLEX where a large portion of the exam is finding the best answer even on topics you know nothing about, or drugs you've never heard of. It is to your advantage to retake the class and master this skill. Just my $0.02

SparklesMedic, LPN · Aug 26, 2012

Please don't take this wrong, but if so many "strangers" are telling you basically the same thing, it may be time to step back and reassess your stand on the situation. Talking to the prof you're having difficulty with will not only help clear your own questions and concerns but it will also show that prof that you aren't shy and are willing to do what it takes to succeed even if it's distasteful. Now isn't the time to be prideful, especially when your dreams are on the line. I agree with the above poster that it would be advantageous to retake the course, pt assessment and critical thinking are key components and we need all of our keys! It will be worth clearing up what may be miscommunication.

musicpirate · Aug 26, 2012

If you go to Chamberlain....no chance.

uhohbube · Aug 26, 2012

You guys are probably all right. I'm going to finish the class strong, take the hesi and then schedule an appointment to meet with my teacher so I can talk to her. And then I'll suck it up and re take the class and do better this time around because I know what to expect and I have no excuses this time. I guess what I was trying to say is I don't think the teachers tests were fair. I have taken practice nclex and hesi questions and they are nothing compared to this teachers tests. I don't have a problem with taking those tests, I have a problem with this teachers test..and I just really think it's unfair when I know material but I have to waste money and time and go through it again because someone makes it almost impossible to pass a class. I'm not too many points away from being able to pass so who is to say the person who has 15 more points than me knows the material better than me? I hope someone out there gets what I am saying :/ I'll take the class again but it just sucks because I honestly know I'm ready to move on :/