Is Nursing School less mysterious than pre-req's?

[Anne36, LPN]

In Nursing School do the instructors actually teach the material and tell you what you need to know to be sucessful? I was so frustrated in pre-reqs because the science class exams were anybodys guess on what to focus on to get an A. We know it is unrealistic to for us to remember/know every single thing, so do they tell you what is important or do you still find yourself spending countless hours on sections that never end up on the exams?

[JBudd, MSN]

Doesn't matter if its on the exams as much as it is learning what you need to be a good nurse. My exams don't cover 100% of the material, but you won't know what pieces might be there. You need to know all of it.

For instance, if you have 5 facts about a certain disease, and the test question is only about one of the facts, does that mean the other 4 are useless? No, but I can figure if you know the one randomly chosen fact, you are likely to at least be familiar with the other 4.

[idahostudent2011]

yes, rn school is even more mysterious than pre-reqs...Not only do you need to know the material, you need to use critical thinking to figure out a problem. The most difficult part is trying to figure out how to read a problem. There are problems that all the answers are right, but you have to figure out which one is a higher priority. It is difficult, but rewarding.

[jennafezz]

The point of nursing school is not to get As on tests.. the point is to learn what you need to know to be a good nurse.

[CuriousMe]

I agree....it's more mysterious. Predominantly because there's so much more material....but still only 75 - 100 questions on the exam. Additionally, all of our exams are cumulative back to the beginning of nursing school. So in JBudd's example, if there are 5 facts about a disease, there may only be one question about it on the exam taken after covering that disease, but 3 exams later might have another of the 5, so on through the 3 year program. Needless to say, cramming really doesn't work.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

Sometimes, there is a review; sometimes there isn't. Sometimes, there is a review where you look at it and say, "That's everything. GAH!"

Keep up with the readings for your clinical courses, listen and take notes well in class, and try to figure out your own method of info retention. If you can retain from one class to another, things do get a bit easier because it tends to build on each other. For example, if you understand CHF in an adult patient, you'll more quickly understand CHF in a peds patient, although it's different.

[Anne36, LPN]

Yikes! It sounds really hard. I guess that explains why so many people drop or fail. In my Micro and A&P's there were very few A's. I suppose if someone cant pull an A in those classes they wont last in NS.

[learning-2012]

That's not necessarily true either. AP and Nursing are in two TOTALLY different formats. It would help to have an A in those pre-reqs but it is possible to make it through with a B and even a C in those pre-reqs. I have a friend who is now in Nursing 4 who had a C in AP 1 and has had nothing less than a B on all his tests in NS.