I used to care about a's and b's in ns, until........................................

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hello, I :bugeyes: used to care about getting A's and B's in NS, however, lately C's are excellent in my book. I am currrently in advanced MED/SURG, I understand the material but the test are difficult. C's are hard to come by these days and I am trying not to get discouraged. I only pray for a C which in my case is 80%. I am a high acheiver but somewhere in the last 3 weeks I just want a C. Anyone else feel like this:bowingpur NS breaks me down. Why do they make it soo hard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I currently am at 76%) yep, that's failling.:angryfire

I've been in your situation, too. I almost failed in my first semester but I didnt give up. I worked harder and put extra effort to bring my grades up and get a C's (78%) and i made it through.

Don't give up yet! Try your best as you can. My suggestion is to go over weaknesses and study harder on those part. Good luck!

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Specializes in ER.

Oh the joys of nursing school. Former straight A student until nursing school. It is especially frustrating when you know you study so hard and barely pass a test, then next time around you change the way you study in hopes of doing better. Then when you finally get to an acceptable passing grade because you've finally figured how the instructor tests, the semester's over and you have to start the whole process over again. Its enough to take sane people right over the edge. Our class has adopted a mathematical equation to add a bit of humor to a seemingly endless plight. Just remember that C=RN. Best of luck!!

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Specializes in Post Anesthesia.
...... It doesnt mean I dont know the material it just mean that my instructors test, in my opinion, SUCK.

In this I'm sure you are not far off the mark. It was one of my chief complaints in NS and remains one of my pet peeves that any indivigual instructor can spend 30 min making up a test and with no review or input from anyone else offer a confusing, ambiguous, and unpassable exam that will sink a strong student's GPA that they have spent years developing. Any other university class the test questions have been reviewed, evaluated and verified over and over until they all make sense. In nursing this was never the case. It's important to review the tests with the instructors who made them. Eventually you will get a feel for the way this or that instructor thinks. That said, you still have to find a way to aim for a 3.0. Down the road a lot of doors are closed (or at least obstructed) by an undergrad GPA of

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Specializes in E.R..

I am in the same boat you are in now. I am in my second to last semester of nursing school. I pulled a 4.0 the first 2 semesters. Last semester, was when the 4.0 came crashing down. So, I started to get comfortable with B's. I ended up pulling mostly B's and 1 A, last semester. I was very upset because I studied my butt off, and tried my hardest. Well, fast forward to this semester. Lord, if I get all C's I will be happy. I AM busting my butt studying yet again, and yet I can't seem to pull an A out for the life of me. I have come to a realization this semester, all I can do is give it my all. Whatever happens after giving it my all is up to the big guy in the sky. What I am trying to say is hang in there.:heartbeat I don't know when you graduate, but I am counting down the months to August. You can do this, A's don't mean everything. Just try your hardest:up:.

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I am so frustrated because you just can't study in a normal way for these nursing tests and expect to get a decent grade. I am sorry....I just don't think the material is all that hard....I mean how hard does a test on spirituality, humor, play and self-concept have to be? The questions are written in such a RIDICULOUS way-----and do NOT tell me, you nursing instructors, that application of the nursing process is the key to answering these questions...that I do not believe b/c if that were true, nurses could not actually practice nursing......nursing is above all practical......

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Specializes in None.

Out of curiosity, how many of your instructors were experienced nurses in nursing school?

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Out of curiosity, how many of your instructors were experienced nurses in nursing school?

the problem is not that they were or were not experienced nurses... the problem lies in the fact that they do not require ONE IOTA of educational background to become a nursing instructor. Its a totally different set of skills and they can be a great nurse and not worth squat as a teacher... They have the knowledge, but one of my teachers cannot even pronounce half the words and neither of them seems to do anything like any other teacher I have ever had does (quizzes on material we havent covered and may not cover until the next class period... reading from the book instead of teaching the material, attempting to run a class covering material THEY have not read yet... the list goes on)

Unfortunately there is no motivation for a nurse to work on becoming educated about educating a classroom full of students when the pay is LESS than they make on the floor, and no school (atleast not MY school) is willing to pay the piper in order to get a GOOD nurse who is also a GOOD teacher.

To be honest, it reminds me a lot of how I "taught" my son when I first started homeschooling him. My expectations were WAY out of line and my "style" did nothing for him. They need to learn and grow and become good teachers but unfortunately in order to do that, they have to STAY teachers long enough...

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I hear you. I think what you are going through is very common amongst nursing students. Many are high achievers and usually earn A's and B's. I found testing for nursing schools to be different. The test look for critical thinking and not not knowing the facts. I found studying nclex style questions to be helpful.

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Specializes in ED.

Omg! I did it. I got an 80% in my advanced med/surg and i am estatic.

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Omg! I did it. I got an 80% in my advanced med/surg and i am estatic.

Awesome!

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

i know that feeling. i used to get only a's and b's but with everything that you have to do for ns on top of studying of the test there is no way that is possible. hope you get your grade up and pass!

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I agree with Fair-Logic and know what the NURSE will do. Our med/surg(Adult II) seems so much easier to me now, maybe its because I've had everything because this is my last semester. In Adult I failed two quizzes with a 78 and a 76 and most other quizzes got like 84 or 86 as well as your classes I have to make a 80. Now in Adult II after two quizzes I'm sitting at a 89. Hang in there because I really beat myself up after Adult I and I felt so dumb because of my 82© but hey I passed and before me 19 others failed so I was so thankful and I think that's why I am where I am today those test were really hard especially cardiac but I know my strips.

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