Held back a semester

muirite · Jan 9, 2015

I have no clue i am in a similar situation i would love to hear answers.

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Jan 9, 2015

I failed a semester and would only have had to repeat that semester but at the time, they also moved content from that semester to a previous semester, therefore I had to repeat 2 semester to ensure that I got proper credit for all the material. Effectively I repeated an entire year of nursing school because I failed a single semester.

This is why I refer to my first and second cohorts... because I had the group I was supposed to graduate with and the second group that I did...

I was there for my first cohort's graduation and I was in many of the pictures they chose for their "about us" slide show. They're an awesome group. My second cohort was very accepting of me and they were told right off that I had to follow content from my third semester into their second semester, all due to a change in the program setup. Had I gotten the cold shoulder from them, I think I would have done just as well anyway, but they were a great group of people.

What made a big difference is that since I'd had all the info for two semester, I could focus on really learning the stuff and also teaching my classmates. For them it was great having an in-class tutor and for me it was great because teaching really does solidify your own knowledge. I went from an OK student that was occasionally having issues to someone that was completely sorted out and never had to be checked up on. I rarely saw my clinical instructors. The hardest part of the whole deal was that I had to remember to restrain myself to a certain scope of practice which was a "downgrade" from where I was in the previous semester. Things I'd done basically unsupervised I now had to have some supervision again... but I got through that easily and pretty much rocked my final semester.

Yes, I graduated a year "late" from what I was initially projected to, but instead of getting grumpy about it, I knew where I'd had trouble, fixed it, and remained positive the entire time. I was just being "me" but believe me, I was completely surprised when the professors had unanimously voted to create an award specifically for me. My classmates were whispering "dude, it's you" while the award description was being read.

Anyway, the point of all this is simple... you choose your attitude and your attitude can determine how easily you go through the repeated semester. You'll probably have all the same basic information... but don't slack on your studies because relying on year-old learning is a recipe for disaster!

Good luck!

MedicalPartisan · Jan 9, 2015

Think of the silver lining. If you passed by a hair, you'd have continued on and likely struggled throughout the rest of the program. Now, all the information you learned will be reinforced and you will likely finish the program with a lot more ease. Not to mention your chances of passing the NCLEX the first time will be increasing. Also, if you'd have barely passed and then graduated, you may have had to go through two or three tries on the NCLEX which would have still put you 'behind' (your earliest possible graduation date) anyway. What is seven months on what, 50 years of career ahead of you? It's hard to be positive and thankful in times like this but once you move on you will have wished you didn't let it affect you so much. Chin up. I almost failed Adults I (2nd out of 5 semesters) but I made a promise to myself to work my ASS off for the remainder of the program. I'm not just doing this to pass exams and the NCLEX; I'm doing this for my patients. I want to be an awesome nurse. You will succeed, but only with hard work and dedication. If it was easy then everyone would be a nurse. You can do this. :)

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · Jan 9, 2015

I was held back an entire year.

I survived and ended up graduating just seven months after my original cohort, and many did not even get nursing jobs until the month I graduated from school.

It was hard. But think about it this way: will being held back seven months matter in ten years? Nope.

Larry3373 · Jan 9, 2015

I failed a semester after quiting my full time job and staking all my hopes on passing all my courses the first time around. To make matters worse my wife criticized and condemned me instead of being supportive. I was accused of being lazy and not studying enough, even though I failed clinical, not theory. I had a new baby and because I failed, I lost a large part of my financial support (still had the pell grant and student loans, just lost an additional grant). I was understandably discouraged and even considered switching careers to ultrasound tech. To make matters worse i had to pick up an overnight job to make up for my decrease in financial support. I then had to wait an entire summer to repeat the 2nd semester. I felt that I had done my best in clinicals, and could not think of how I could avoid any new mistakes with certainty. I took my summer and meditated on how I could avoid repeating this failure. I went on to repeat the 2nd semester and never made any errors in clinical again. I then went on to take the NCLEX and passed on my first attempt. I've been working for 2.5 years as a nurse and have been able to find nursing jobs easily. I now work PCU and ICU and will likely be working ER soon. I have experienced no difficulty finding a job since graduation, despite my failure and it has never come up in an interview. So it certainly can be done. In fact, approximately 50 percent of my 2nd semester classmates had to repeat because of their test grades (theory). 95 percent or more went on to pass.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Jan 9, 2015

you really have more time to assimilate into a nurse identity and that will be to your advantage when you go to work. This will go by faster than you think! Good luck

_firefly, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Jan 9, 2015

I have been delayed on graduation in other programs and it hurts and it's frustrating. As others have said though, there are positives to it as well. You meet new people that you wouldn't have otherwise met, for example. Plus, you can slow down a little and focus on courses and content that you otherwise would have missed. Try to enjoy the variety of experiences you get in school. You won't get that when you're working. Just stay focused on your goals and remember that it will be over before you know it. You are just passing through on your way to bigger and better things. You may have to slow for a dog on the tracks, but nothing is stopping this train.

caliotter3 · Jan 9, 2015

Staying back has no effect whatsoever if one is a commuter student who does not have a lot of emotion invested in relationships with other students. True friends will not turn up their noses, the others weren't good friends to begin with.

QuietRiot83, BSN, RN · Jan 10, 2015

DO NOT listen to the negative self-talk! I have been there before and know how you are feeling. I had to sit out a total of 4 (non-consecutive) semesters off and on since I started nursing school due to having a baby and money issues. I experienced the negative self-talk wondered off and on if I was going to go back at all after sitting out. It does hurt, it is frustrating and annoying.

But to be honest, and this may sound stupid, experiencing that frustration just made me more determined to finish. I am now about to start my final semester, and will graduate in May. It's not my original graduation date but life happens, you just gotta roll with it sometimes no matter how mad it gets you.

Good luck and chin up.

lilnursey'15 · Jan 10, 2015

Thank you ALL for the replies! They were just what I needed to hear :)

You are all so right that this experience will be better for me in the future. I could have went on in the semester and graduated in May then fail my NCLEX, that would have been horrible. I am currently a PCT at a major hospital in my city, and my manager says she will definitely hire me after graduating if I choose to work there. Next semester I will also be able to work during the week instead of the weekends and get even closer to my manager and the other nurses on the floor. I will use this extra time to focus on myself, the class, and nursing skills.

Y'all have really made me look on the bright side of things,If y'all made it through I believe it is also possible for me.Again I really really appreciate the replies!

Wave Watcher · Jan 10, 2015

Yep. My 2nd semester I failed drug calculations. I was passing my other 2 classes with a B but if you fail 3 out of 5 drug calculations test you are held back. So...I watched my fellow classmates (most of them and some of them I saw again in one of my classes due to them failing a semester also) go on to graduate "on time". Well, it was not meant to be for me....my "on time" was exactly when I graduated....a semester extra. The following semester when I returned I passed all 5 calculations test with 100%. Very proud of myself. That was 6 years ago. I have kept in touch through Facebook with many classmates.....it doesn't matter when you graduate, it matters that you graduated. Hang in there....time will pass by so quickly! Promise!