I'm really discouraged

[nakniwa]

I'm in my fourth and last semester of an associate's RN, and I am considering giving up. I feel like this whole program we have been taught as if we already know everything, have always had more on our plate than we can conceivably handle, and have been treated like bad children. I also feel like most teachers teach as is everyone is an LPN. Most of the people who have made it this far are already nurses. I am one of the few non-LPNs in my class.

Our first exam I failed miserably and I studied my butt off, yet there were people who barely studied and did better than I did. Most of the questions were on Nursing Care, which most people take for granted is common sense. We are barely taught nursing care in favor of A & P and pathophysiology, yet the exams are all nursing care. If you don't have the experience, how are you supposed to know what you would do? We only have one day a week of clinical and that is not enough to gather the experience neccessary to learn everything about nursing care.

I know I am ******** and complaining, but I just don't know if I have it in me to finish this degree. I can only juggle so many things and study so much with crappy results. I really want to be a nurse but maybe I am just not cut out for it. Any positive opinions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Do you have an instructor you can discuss your concerns with? Don't give up. I would try to talk with someone to find out what you can do to be more effective when you study.

Good luck.

[Plantingmydaffodils]

I don't really have a solution for you but I just wanted you to know that you are not alone. Keep at it, you are so close. Pray hard and often and remember, you made it this far for a reason.

:redpinkhe

[LibraRNinNY]

I know it's hard, but please try and stay positive! You made it this far for a reason!

Can you team up with one of the LPN's in your class for a study session once a week or so? I wasn't an LPN before I went to nursing school either, but I loved picking the brains of my fellow students who had nursing experience. It really helps to get their perspective on the material since they have first-hand experience in patient care and medication administration.

[examinator]

I might be able to help - check out examsplus.flyingcart.com

[nakniwa]

Thank you all for the suggestions and insights. I met with my teacher today and I hope I am now on the right track. I see where I have a lot of work to do in learning how to study the right way. I appreciate being able to sound off here. Thanks again.

[kbullinger]

I know exactly how you feel, my anxiety is in clinical which scares me to death. I am in an ADN program, my firsts 2 semester clinicals were in the evening. We got very little experience in medication administration. Now Im in my final semester and want to withdraw. I have a low passing grade but I feel my clinical skills are so weak that when I get in the real world I might not make it. I am an older student, and two of my classmates are LPN's and the others are young students who have no anxiety. Please let me know if you have any pointers. I have six weeks left.

[tlc2u]

i'm in my fourth and last semester of an associate's rn, and i am considering giving up. i feel like this whole program we have been taught as if we already know everything,

sounds like the school i went to.

i studied my butt off, yet there were people who barely studied and did better than i did.

i did this too, in hindsite i realize i overstudied. i felt like certainly i needed to read the entire section in our textbook and then would get bogged down with thoughts of how was i to remember all those details.

to study effectively i had to make an outline or mindmap starting with the disease process or body system we were studying and know what causes it, what happens in the body, what medications or treatments would be ordered, what would be major side effects etc. and what would be the nursing diagnoses for this.

in other words i had to have a basic elementary understanding before i could read the textbook chapters and determine what was most important for the nurse to know. remember the textbook is the "authors interpretation of what you need to know". but to be successful on your class tests you need to know about the nursing assessments and interventions, medications, treatments, side effects, or complications etc.

often i found the nursing textbooks difficult to read and understand. the information didn't flow well or was not presented in a clear, concise manner. i found using supplemental books like made easy or reveiws and rationales to be very helpful. as well as saunders nclex book with practice questions and test taking strategies.

best of luck

[RetrieverGirl, BSN, RN]

I am also experiencing the same anxiety as you are describing. I am a second semester student in a 2yr program. I love the clinical setting and I am very much a hands on person, but I unfortunately suck at taking nursing exams. I have a friend that is very book smart and gets fantastic grades on her exams, but lacks the confidence to perform skills during clinical. I have found it very helpful to purchase supplemental information to break down the important concepts into an easier way of learning for me. I need visual examples and mneumonics to assist with difficult information.

[nakniwa]

I know exactly how you feel, my anxiety is in clinical which scares me to death. I am in an ADN program, my firsts 2 semester clinicals were in the evening. We got very little experience in medication administration. Now Im in my final semester and want to withdraw. I have a low passing grade but I feel my clinical skills are so weak that when I get in the real world I might not make it. I am an older student, and two of my classmates are LPN's and the others are young students who have no anxiety. Please let me know if you have any pointers. I have six weeks left.

I too am an older student and have a lot of anxiety in clinical. I am really trying to stay focused and remember that I am paying for this experience and that I have a right to take my time and do things right. I refuse to feel rushed and make a dumb mistake because of it. Stick it out, like me, you are very close and like someone said in this thread, you made it this far for a reason.

Thanks again to everyone who replied, I am determined to make it through.

[tlc2u]

I used a lot of pneumonics and visuals as well to supplement my learning in nursing school. I wonder if they were to take a survey that they may find many who struggle with learning nursing school content and have the most test anxiety if they are visual learners. I don't feel my nursing school did a good job of teaching to the visual learner.

I think it is interesting that others have realized there is a need for visual learning for nursing students. By others I mean the ones who write the supplemental books, the pneumonics and the books of visuals for nursing.