HELP! Need to pass Health Assessment

[Le-Lee_FNP, MSN, RN, NP]

So i am nearly failing my health assessment class. I am passing the lab portion, but not doing so well in the course. The way mine is designed is that we get new material each week to read then we have a quiz at the end of the week. i failed the last two quizzes. We don't get a study guide or anything to focus on. Its basically like you have to master everything in the material to pass. Its a lot of information and impossible to master every detail in one week. I have an exam early next week that will cover all the material we have gone over so far. we can't review our quizzes so i have no idea what i missed on the last two i failed. I'm freaked out because i don't want to go into midterm failing. I need to get a good grade on this next exam.

Does anyone have any tips on how to study for health assessment and how to master a large amount of material in a short amount of time? I am also taking Patho and Health Policy this semester and am getting As in both of those classes so far.

Thanks for your help!

[aprn_2005]

Have you tried to talk to your instructor regarding your concerns? Based on your post it sounds as though you are being set up for failure. Are other students having the same issues? Maybe you can get in a study group with other students who are doing well in this course. Everyone's learning style is different, but for me what worked well was writting repetition-i.e. writting notes again, writting flash cards. Also what helps is trying to use the information on a real life patient, maybe a patient you had it the past, kind of something "real life" to compare to for it all to make sense. How have you been studying?

[Le-Lee_FNP, MSN, RN, NP]

yes i have talked to my instructor and she really didn't give me any advice. i'm not sure how others are doing in the class because my program is online. the way i've been studying is basically by reading the material and trying to go over the things i think are important such as the major diagnosises, signs and symptoms, etc. however having only a week to master the material doesn't allow for me to really master every single detail the way i would like to considering i have 3 other classes. its hard enough for me to get through all the reading itsself within that time frame, let alone go back and review.

It seems like every time i have a test I get asked the questions that I don't even remeber going over and I never get asked the stuff that I know. I just wish i could have a better way of figuring out what to focus on because there is just not enough time to focus on EVERTHING. That is not unless I stay up for 24 hours and day and do nothing but read and study. I mean i am already putting in a good 6-8 hours of studying per day. I don't know how much more i can do. I still need to eat, sleep, clean my house, and take care of my family. I was also working part-time but now i don't think I can do that. Which sucks because i think it helps to apply what you have learned with real patients.

[NPinWCH]

I did my course work online and if I was having trouble and the instructor wasn't responsive I would send an email to the entire class and ask the question. Not everyone answered, but some did and usually there was more than one of us with the same problem/question. Talking to the other students helped.

We used Blackboard and there is a chat room that a group can access. We used it for group projects, and sometimes studying. If you find there's interest from the other students you can set up a time and several of you can "meet" in the chat room. Then you can discuss how to study and even take turns quizzing each other.

It's worth a try.