I have an undergraduate degree in a non-science major, although I did take some science classes in undergrad and did well [but that was 15+ years ago.]
I am taking A&P this year at a community college. Last quarter, I barely passed at 70%. I may be doing a little better this quarter, but who knows with the last two finals... The exams are very hard for me and I have been really working on studying more effectively, but it is hard with working and going to school.
My question is, given that I am not one of the students who gets A's in this class, should I give up on going into nursing? I don't know if other classes will be the same.
I just don't want to be the constantly struggling student in every class...
Any thoughts you might have would be greatly appreciated.
hang in there, if you really really want it! i got a bachelor of art too and i was half way through engineering degree but i want to become a nurse. i really want it because i saw my sisters work and i appreciate healthcare job so much (just now). they told me exactly the same thing that i'm going to tell you that a&p, is nothing but study over and over again until you get it. where on the test that you're not doing good, try to work on it. ask the teacher, what can you do to do better on the test or any extra credit that you can do to help with your grade. it's not about should you continue in nursing or not, it's about how much you want it and how hard would you fight for it. it's not going to be easy and maybe even harder later on, are you able to handle it.
I'm hustling my butt off in my anatomy, and I know I'm learning, but my test scores don't say so.
I know I am going ot have to take my class over again, and I' not above that. I don't intend on giving up, but rather trying a little bit harder. At least I know this go-round, I will have an advantage, as I will know what to expect from my instructors, as well as having identified my weaknesses.
Thank you so much for all of your excellent and helpful advice.
I have found out ways to improve my memorization and pictures and drawings seem to help a lot. While I do poorly on the multiple choice exams, which is something that is still a challange, I have ways to deal with that now. Also, I have taken other classes and gotten As, so I don't feel so bad now.
I know this is a journey for me and it won't be completed overnight. I am just going to keep at it and not give up.
Thank you for all of your support. I don't think I would have kept going otherwise. :)
I would consider retaking your A&P classes for a few reasons: better understanding of the material and most nursing schools will NOT accept students with lower than a (B) in those classes. Also I dont believe that recieving a C in those courses means that you wont do well in other science based courses, the first A&P class I took I barely passed- then after retaking the class I got an A. I have also recieved nothing but A's (for the most part) in almost all my other sciences and thats without retaking them (: hope this helps! And Good LUCK!!!
maybe its not you maybe its the professors. the teacher can really make or break a course. Only thing is right now things are very competitve. you have to keep your gpa high to get into a program. but dont give up
Specializes in Float Pool, acute care, management/leadership.
Definitely keep on pushing. First time I took anatomy and phys (both separate classes at my college), I received C's in both of them. Then, I took it at another college where they combined it to A&P 1/2; I got A's in both. I always felt like it was better to not only learn gross anatomy, but to learn the physiological function behind it as well. I didn't like learning just strictly anatomy and then having to wait another quarter to learn phys.
Also, don't ever feel like grades will make or break your application. I applied to three separate nursing schools and got into all three on my first try. I'm by no means the sharpest tool in the shed. Community service, volunteer work, student involvement, work experience, letters of recommendation, and a strong personal statement really supplemented my grades.
Moreover, it really does make a difference with what instructors you have. Ratemyprofessors.com is my obsession, no joke. I literally will rearrange my schedule to get the instructor that I want. True, it's vastly subjective...but some students do post valuable/helpful ratings.
I completely agree with the previous posts. When I took A&P1 I got an A and a lot of other people did too but that was because the professor cared about what she was teaching us and only focused on material that will help us in future courses. Now that I'm in A&P2 I have a professor that has chased away 1/2 of the class and doesn't care if we pass or fail. I'm hanging on but it's hard and I've given up a lot just to average out with a B. Granted the material is more extensive and there is more understanding then memorization but he expects us to know every word of the chapter.
My suggestion is to keep at it. Don't give up on your dream and if the grades arn't good enough then go back and do the course again. If you really want it then you'll get it. :)
I know there are bad instructors who make it difficult to learn, but I have to say that I really don't like the idea of blaming anyone else for my grades, I sure don't give them credit when I succeed.
There are always ways to learn the material: read the book, listen to podcasts made by better instructors (UC Berkeley has a number of excellent ones), search the web for material, there is a crapload of it out there.
When it comes down to it, we are responsible for the grades we get and no one else. Instructor neglect or inefficiency will not net us bad grades. I suppose the case of an instructor actively militating against our success would, but this should be easy to document and such an instructor shouldn't be long for any institution.
Just want to say that not all nursing school grading scales are that harsh. At mine, a C is a 75 which is only 2 points higher than at my liberal arts college, and an A is a 90.
Also, I have a friend who is a senior nursing student who only managed to get a C in both A&P I and II but who did well in all of her ADN nursing classes, passed the NCLEX on the first try, and will be graduating with her BSN in just 3 weeks!
Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.
If you struggle with multiple choice tests you are going to massively have trouble with testing in nursing school. Once you are accepted I strongly STRONGLY recommend you get yourself into a study course or a good book on how to read, interpret and answer NCLEX style questions. All of them are application based, not knowledge based (strict memorization will get you nowhere) and usually there are two answers, either of which might be correct, but one of which is more correct than the other, usually based on critical thinking issues.
Cs in A&P don't mean you can't be a nurse, but I second the motion to repeat the course. It is a foundation for so many things I am now learning in nursing school. And difficulties with multiple choice tests is a personal challenge you should be aware of and start preparing to mitigate as soon as possible.
Specializes in Float Pool, acute care, management/leadership.
I know there are bad instructors who make it difficult to learn, but I have to say that I really don't like the idea of blaming anyone else for my grades, I sure don't give them credit when I succeed.
There are always ways to learn the material: read the book, listen to podcasts made by better instructors (UC Berkeley has a number of excellent ones), search the web for material, there is a crapload of it out there.
When it comes down to it, we are responsible for the grades we get and no one else. Instructor neglect or inefficiency will not net us bad grades. I suppose the case of an instructor actively militating against our success would, but this should be easy to document and such an instructor shouldn't be long for any institution.
I wouldn't necessarily say I "blame" my instructors for my sub-par academic performance in a class, but I do think that finding an instructor that is able to relate to students in a way that is conducive to their learning style is very important. I have no qualms crediting one of my professors for a lot of my success during undergrad. In many ways he was a mentor and if it weren't for him, I probably would have never found my passion as an ethnic studies major for my first degree.
Sure, there are other resources to help facilitate better learning of the material, but in my opinion, if I'm going to be paying a hefty amount of tuition, then I would definitely want to make sure my primary source of education (i.e. my instructor) makes me feel like I am putting myself in a position to succeed and gain a wealth of knowledge. Inevitably, we can't always pick our instructors (especially in nursing school) and there will definitely be some classes that we all have to persevere through, but for prereqs like A&P, micro, chem, etc; these classes are so pivotal in the application process and some schools frown on retakes. Given the opportunity, why not pick the instructor that you feel like best suits your learning style? The last thing I'll mention is that hearsay about instructors is vastly subjective. Just because I think an instructor is terrible, doesn't mean another student will think the same thing. Nevertheless, I still think it helps to hear what students think about instructors.
Anyway, my apologies for digressing from the topic at hand. Just my
pla84
53 Posts
hang in there, if you really really want it! i got a bachelor of art too and i was half way through engineering degree but i want to become a nurse. i really want it because i saw my sisters work and i appreciate healthcare job so much (just now). they told me exactly the same thing that i'm going to tell you that a&p, is nothing but study over and over again until you get it. where on the test that you're not doing good, try to work on it. ask the teacher, what can you do to do better on the test or any extra credit that you can do to help with your grade. it's not about should you continue in nursing or not, it's about how much you want it and how hard would you fight for it. it's not going to be easy and maybe even harder later on, are you able to handle it.