Help!

[MeiDei]

This is my first semester in my BSN program and I am SO stressed out.

My story:

It took about a week or two to find my groove and I was off. I was studying great and making excellent grades in all of my courses...except one: Pathophysiology. Our very first test, 3 people passed out of 24 students (I was one of the unlucky). That was at the beginning of September. I made the commitment then to study and work to UNDERSTAND the material and not just memorize it. Our next test was last week on Monday. The exam covered 6 chapters: Fluids and Electrolytes, Stress, Nutrition, Hematology, disorders of WBC, and disorders of RBC. I actually understood the workings of every disorder we were told to study, their disease process, manifestations, etc. I went into that exam feeling so confident I was going to pass. Cue 1hr 34min later, I failed with a 62 on a 50 question exam. I walked out feeling so defeated. To my surprise, there was an angry crowd of students outside. After inquiring what happened, I found out the entire class failed. Every single one of us. I have had multiple meetings with my instructor on how to improve, how to study, how to retrain my thought process, etc. and nothing could have prepared me for that exam. There were questions on material that we hadn't even covered yet! I have been so stressed out since my first exam and it has caused my hair to LITERALLY be falling out by the handful and I can't stop it. I'm afraid I'll be bald! I had to put a catcher in my tub drain because I had to drain-o it last night for the second time in less than a month. Please, I need advice. I am so disheartened and I don't know what to do. Our midterm grades were due on Friday and I have already gotten them. I have 4 A's, 2 B's (91 and 90), and a D (Patho). I discovered that 10 points had been added to my last exam and apparently everyone else's because we all had an F by our schools grading rubric going into the midterm grading. Note: I bought a color atlas, made incredibly easy regular and visual, mnemonic decks, pathophlash, a physiology coloring book, and did concept maps.

Any advice, experiences, tips and tricks help.

#lostanddiscouraged

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

It is time to have a discussion with your academic advisor. If there is another way to take this class, another teacher for this class, then you need to explore your options. All your options, even if it is withdrawing and doing this class again online over the summer, if available to do so.

Sounds to me as if you have done everything to organize yourself, your work, your studying. And those are all good things, as ideally they will help you to have a base of knowledge that will assist you going forward.

Sometimes teachers just are not good fits. And the "burden" if you will is on them to produce students with a knowledge base. It doesn't reflect well on them to have their class flunking every exam. Has the class had discussion with the teacher on this? OR even the dean of your nursing program?

If there is a tutor available, take it (although with all of your hard work YOU could be the tutor!!) I am not sure what kind of questions are on the exams--is a a "2 right answer but one is more right" thing? Case studies? Essays? If, after tutoring, there is still a disconnect, then you really need to see someone who is higher up to talk about the lack of success in this class--and put the ball in their court to do something about it.

I will say that sometimes (especially in for profit universities) there's a class or 2 like this....which necessitates a student to retake the entire class--at more tuition monies. Hard to say if this is the case in this situation.

You need to be able to stop stressing your hair out of your head. Explore all of your options for re-taking. Have conversation with your parents and keep them in the loop. If you still are not feeling well, keep your family MD in the loop as well.

Wishing you nothing but the best, and keep US in the loop!!