Published Jul 17, 2011
PomPomRN
141 Posts
Sometimes i just feel like giving up, that's when I come to allnurses and start reading the success stories. It helps but I hope I have it in me to finish!
My husband is taking two weeks vacation and is making plans for us to go visiting and down to the shore, etc. I work three 12 hour overnight shifts every week back to back. I explained to him nicely that I am feeling like I need to stay on schedule with these courses. I am trying to prepare for Reproductive health and he is like, "Oh, well I can take the boys overnight to see my cousin at the shore. That will help, right?" I responded by telling him that two days is not enough time!!!! He doesn't get it. My whole family thinks that I can just read through the books and score a C and that should be good enough! It is really starting to stress me out! I HATE getting C's, who wants to be just average!! I try to apply myself but I have way to many distractions. I have come way to far to just give up, but I am running out of steam and fight. Everyone thinks I am trying to be anti-social, I JUST WANT TO FINISH this program, Excelsior is not easy and I have way too much invested.
Sorry for the pity party. I needed to vent to people that get it!
Thanks:crying2:
BarbaraNM, ASN, RN
507 Posts
Sometimes i just feel like giving up, that's when I come to allnurses and start reading the success stories. It helps but I hope I have it in me to finish! My husband is taking two weeks vacation and is making plans for us to go visiting and down to the shore, etc. I work three 12 hour overnight shifts every week back to back. I explained to him nicely that I am feeling like I need to stay on schedule with these courses. I am trying to prepare for Reproductive health and he is like, "Oh, well I can take the boys overnight to see my cousin at the shore. That will help, right?" I responded by telling him that two days is not enough time!!!! He doesn't get it. My whole family thinks that I can just read through the books and score a C and that should be good enough! It is really starting to stress me out! I HATE getting C's, who wants to be just average!! I try to apply myself but I have way to many distractions. I have come way to far to just give up, but I am running out of steam and fight. Everyone thinks I am trying to be anti-social, I JUST WANT TO FINISH this program, Excelsior is not easy and I have way too much invested.Sorry for the pity party. I needed to vent to people that get it!Thanks:crying2:
Hi pfeef21...
Hang in there... hold your ground, don't let anyone guilt you into distraction! Continue to insist that you have WAY too much invested... financially, emotionally, and mentally... to give up now, or to settle for 'average'... (but remember, too, that a C is a 'pass', and still nothing to be ashamed of, unless you feel you haven't given your all.) Go to Excelsior's website, and watch the graduation ceremony... imagine yourself on that stage next year...
Why not tell your husband to take the boys for FOUR days that you are off, giving you more time alone to study... then after your next 3 shifts, you could plan something with the family for either all 4 of your next days off, or 2 out of the 4...?? I work 3 twelve hour night shifts also, and I know how tough it is!!
Don't back down!!!!!!
LoopsRN2
692 Posts
There are probably quite a few of us that felt the exact same way, and for me it was right around Chronicity. I got stuck there for a year while my Mom became ill. Once I really got focused on my study plan, I had to grind through non-stop for fear I would lose my momentum. The day I would pass an exam, I would begin studying for my next exam. 4 hours a day unless I worked more ofthen than usual. When I got to the lifespan exams, I would do nothing but prepare & memorize the weekend before my test. My kids are older (15-19) so I had the advantage of some help around the house, but that is what really suffered for me the most is home organization. After taking my last nursing exam, I went through top to bottom and cleaned out 2 years of too small clothes, boxes, etc. Hang in there, just keep the end goal in the back of your mind and you will get there. This website is by far one of the biggest motivators for me. Keep coming back often, post what you are working on, find others who are working on the same thing and form a little support group :) Good luck !
dslpninla
572 Posts
I have two small kids and a great husband but no family to help... Bc theychoose not to. My husband thought the same thing but i had to explain it all out to him so he could understand and see a fraction of the stress im going through. I stayed up from 9pm when my family all went to bed til 2 am most nights studying then got up to be at work by 6-7a. I reread when i could at work. I made some c's but im not a c student. You do the best you can. Your hubby prob doesnt understand... If hes offering to take the kids he prob is trying to help. One thing ive learned so far is that no one else will understand the process or stress to accomplish this unless they were going through it too. I wish you luck and you can do this!!
BeachieRN84
720 Posts
I completely understand where you are. Although my boyfriend is "supportive" that I am in school, I pretty much have to beg him to give me a minute to myself to help me study.... I went through an exam about every two weeks as a single mom of a 1 year old wild man and working 3 12 hour night shifts back to back.... my schedule is set every weekend so I got to be off from Monday morning-Friday afternoon. I cut corners studying where I could, believe me, hardly touched the textbooks simply because I knew that I would never finish if I did...I pretty much stuck with Saunders for everything so that I got the main concepts condensed and took the EC practice exams---worth their weight in gold. Every time my son took a nap, I studied, when he slept, I studied. I would set my alarm at 4am and study, or stay up until 4am after he went to bed.
Now that I am trying to conquer the CPNE I told my boyfriend if he doesn't give me one day a week of practice ALONE (as much as I love my son it's too distracting) with my CPNE study buddies we are moving in with my mom until September.. that's what it took for him to agree. I have to do what I have to do to pass and be done.
Trust me, if I can do this, you can do this. I am one who learns lessons by making big mistakes--always been a slacker and I looove to leave thing to the last minute. Bring your binders everywhere with you. Take every spare minute, even if you review one page, to study. Get the flashcardexchange app on your phone. Stay up when your kids are asleep or wake up a little bit early. Schedule the exam as soon as you pay for it... that way you have to take it or you lose the $$. THIS, being stressed and exhausted, is only temporary.... you will be an RN forever when you finish.
Go get that degree girl!!
BetterMeRN
I started this program in Feb'08, I'd just graduated from LPN program and started working on a Med/Surg unit. I took an exam every other month, things got bad with me and it took me four months to complete Transitions. I finished AP, Info Lit, and FCCA while waiting for the CPNE. I finally took the CPNE in Nov '09 and passed on the first try. It took me over a year to complete my last requirement microbiology. I took the exam and failed terribly, I ended up going to a local college and completed the requirement.
Well, I finally graduated from EC May '11....three years later. I took boards this past Saturday, still waiting for my official results. I really want to tell you not to give up, it was so worth walking out of the testing center feeling confident that I passed the NCLEX-RN exam. There is light at the end of the tunnel and you will get there. Keep signing on to AN and read success stories one day you will be writing one.
Thanks to everyone who has shared their encouragement. It is really helpful to be able to connect with others who have been through similar situations. Good luck to everyone who is still studying and congrats to all who have achieved their goals. AN is a wonderful place to come and get inspired to focus on what is most important to us - STUDYING and PASSING these tests. Thanks Again!
MsPC
521 Posts
My Mom is totally like that. She is all you studied yesterday for an hour aren't you ready?? She doesn't understand the consistent need to study. I study hard for the last 3/4 days. The other days I just write flashcards and what not.
NighthawkDC2
15 Posts
I definitely understand the drive to NOT be "just average." Hang in there. The thing is that everyone is different and needs to do different things to feel comfortable for an exam. The GOAL is to walk into an exam feeling that you've done everything you could do to be ready. That helps immensely by minimizing anxiety. You get to that level where you're saying to yourself "I've done everything I could to prepare for this. Now, bring it on."