I hate nursing exams

[RNbethy]

Before going into nursing, I did a bachelor of science and I can really tell the difference between the exams in nursing and in science .... in a BAD way. I always did really well on my science exams (even though they were hard and you had to study ten times harder). The concepts built on one another, and the test was cohesive. Tests were mostly written responses, in which you had to recall information on your own!

When I write a nursing exam, it feels like there's all these bits of information scattered everywhere, nothing feels cohesive about it. Exam questions are almost exclusively multiple choice and either OVERLY simple (i.e. anyone could get the correct answer even without studying) or OVERLY weird (not hard, WEIRD.... as in you don't know what the question is asking.... or the correct answer is missing.... or there are 3 equally correct answers!) I am so sick of not earning the marks I deserve in this course! The exams should be validated by an external reviewer, and then maybe change would occur!

There are several major problems with this. For me, I end up studying overboard for every exam (30 hours plus), which doesn't help anyway!!! (My average on a nursing exam is 80% but I can get an A+ on advanced organic chem? HUHHHHH?????) Others end up with the attitude that "you cannot study for a nursing exam." What's up with that? I think it would be better to give an exam that is well validated and structured with correctly worded questions and answers that truly test our knowledge. In the end, students will end up with the grades they worked for rather than settling for something less than they deserve because of horribly written questions!!

[RNbethy]

joe007, I couldn't agree more.

Although I like the nursing profession, it seems like we learn a lot less in nursing school than perhaps we SHOULD. It does feel demoralizing at times to rush through so many random facts and tid-bits. I find that to really learn something, you can't just look at the surface.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

you don't think that physicians spring fully-formed from medical school, ready to be experts in their fields, do you? of course not-- it takes several years for a physician to begin to develop a personal style and intuitive knowledge base that we would be right to expect in a physician. guess what? it's the same with nurses. you wouldn't expect the same confidence, competence, and comfort-in-own-skin in the first few years out of school as in 5-10-15-20 years out.

just because the first several years out of med school are called "residency" and operate under the aegis of a teaching program doesn't make that much difference. we all have to get socialized into our adult roles and make the beginning moves from novice to expert. you think nursing students have a monopoly on panic as they step into their first jobs because they feel inadequately prepared? think again.

[RNbethy]

you don't think that physicians spring fully-formed from medical school, ready to be experts in their fields, do you? of course not-- it takes several years for a physician to begin to develop a personal style and intuitive knowledge base that we would be right to expect in a physician. guess what? it's the same with nurses. you wouldn't expect the same confidence, competence, and comfort-in-own-skin in the first few years out of school as in 5-10-15-20 years out.

just because the first several years out of med school are called "residency" and operate under the aegis of a teaching program doesn't make that much difference. we all have to get socialized into our adult roles and make the beginning moves from novice to expert. you think nursing students have a monopoly on panic as they step into their first jobs because they feel inadequately prepared? think again.

what you say is all true... but just because we need to gain experience before feeling comfortable in the job does not mean that our education does not matter! this argument has been played over and over again, but it seems to be a distraction rather than a real objection.