Mom & Dad were right: I'm a screw-up

[suture_self]

I'm into my first three weeks of nursing school and I just can't seem to get it together.

Up until the beginning of this semester, I've pulled a 4.0 in EVERY class. However...

I took my first test and scored a 74 (75 is passing). I went to do my first skill check-off today (aseptic technique) and got an unsatisfactory. Apparently, I moved my sterile field with a gloved hand at the border, as opposed to the center of the field (where it's not contaminated).

For a guy who's used to doing well, this stinks. I'm giving all I have to give in the studying arena... and still coming up short.

Help.

[diane227, LPN, RN]

Don't be so hard on yourself. You JUST started. We all had these problems. First of all don't knock yourself out trying to get a 4.0. Who cares. I guarantee that no one will ask you what your GPA was when you are applying for a job. You have to relax. When I was in nursing school I was a B and C student. I always got A's in clinical but on tests I was average or below. I passed my boards the first time and left nursing school behind me. I knew a girl in school that studied all the time but she did not test well. She was excellent at the bedside but just could not take a test.

Lighten up. It will get easier as you learn more. Diane

[Speed Freak]

Dude, believe me. You are not a screw up. I should know. Two years ago during a local kite flying festival a local reporter went around interviewing people for the daily paper. I spoke with him about the kite fights we used to have as a kid. How we used to grind up glass and glue it to our kite strings so we could tear up the other kid's kites. How we were so poor we made out own kites. He was so impressed by my tale that he made the article more about his little talk with me than anything.

The next day I was having breakfast with my dad. I used to live two houses from him and I would eat breakfast with him every morning before work. My mom pointed out the article in the paper to him. My dad read it, folded the paper up then said to me, "That is the first time you have ever been in the newspaper without embarrassing us or having to get a lawyer."

Dude, THAT is when you know your parents think you are a screw up. 4.0 up to now means you are no slouch.

[ParkerBC,MSN,RN, PhD, RN]

Nursing school is much different than any other major. I earned my first degree in Business Administration. Often times the exams were written in a manner that one, who studies, can easily find the correct answer. I learned quickly that the nursing program is not at all that way. You learn the material and then are required to apply it to certain situations. Even more interesting is that often times the answer isn't so obvious. I received a 75% on my first test (77% was the passing score). I was down too down especially knowing that I was a high achiever and have never failed at anything. But, after the first test, I understood how the other exams were going to be. So, I continued to study the material in the same manner, but I began practicing taking those types of exams. The last three exams were all 100%'s. So, I pulled a solid A out of the class. The point I am making is this. It is way too early in the game to call yourself a screw up. Brush yourself off, and take a different approach. I would suggest using either the ATI or an NCLEX study book to practice the questions. You clearly have the intellectual capability of understanding the material, now you just need to study how to take those types of exams.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

Honey, forget Mom and Dad. I just completed an ASN late in life, passed boards, and am still not good enough for their approval.

Focus on how smart you are, and how well you have always done. Nursing school is a special beast, but you can conquer it. The trick is not to let the exhaustion get to you, to have faith in your innate ability to get this stuff, and to know that a lot of A students gets C's in nursing classes.

Be easy on yourself. It'll get better.

[Koyaanisqatsi-RN]

Heh, I wonder if he's passed by now and is a nurse already. How about an update, OP?

[Oorah]

Welcome to the difference between book smart and world smart. Some people are book smart can tell you everything about everything, but can't screw in a lightbulb. Some guys are dumb as a brick, but are the best motor T mechanics I have ever seen. And finally, some people get a nice mixture of both.

Being able to apply your knowledge of what to do is key. You absolutely have to do things the correct way 100% of the time. Work on it. Practice. Don't just read it, practice. You'll get better, its not all that bad. Talk to the teachers and let them know whats going on. They will help you out.