Not doing as well as I had hoped - questions for the future

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My skills class is going to end in about 6 weeks and I'm pretty disappointed with the way I have been doing. I'm sure you hear this a lot - an A student not doing as great as they thought they would, but I am having trouble studying and changing the way I think. What's even more frustrating is that it looks like I can't save myself since we only have 2 quizzes left - they have to be higher in points to make up for it. I received an 80% on my last quiz and I might not do much better on this second quiz. You need a 92% or higher to get an A and it frustrates me that I am not one of the students getting that 100%. I tend to over-think my questions considerably - I have changed very easy answers just because I go back and think "well maybe they mean this....or they're trying to make me think differently". I want to be a NP and I'm really worried that this possible C (though I do believe I have a very high chance of getting a B) is going to look really bad when they look at my application. I know I still have 3 more semesters, but I hope not to repeat this again. I do admit that I don't study as much as everyone does, but I am going through a lot of stress this school year (no financial aid and crummy living situation). Do I still have a shot at an NP school after this? This is a beginner nursing class and it really isn't hard so I worry about what they would think. I also don't plan to get a BSN since I have a BS in biology, but my grades were not good and I was hoping to make up for it in nursing school. Any advice is appreciated!

P.S. I was going over this question with several of my classmates so I thought I'd ask you guys for your opinion :) (everyone chose figure 8 and I know I'm wrong). We had a question about an elbow laceration & the type of bandage we would use so I instantly picked the figure 8 bandage without blinking an eye. I decided to go over my test again and the word "laceration" stuck out to me so much. I was just so bothered by it because a laceration is a pretty nasty cut and I thought immobilization was better instead of allowing it to bend with the figure 8 (wouldn't bending the arm increase the chance of it opening?) so I chose spiral reverse. This is the type of thinking that is getting me lame grades :(. Needless to say, I was very embarrassed and I'm sure I was the only one to get such a simple question wrong.

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Never go back and change your answers.

Not unless you are 100% sure-- like a major ah-ha!- moment.

Your brain/subconscious remembers more than your lack of confidence gives it credit.

P.S.

Sorry, I just have advice for that only.

When I hear people say they doubt their answers and then change them, I can't help but say something... I guess it's my bug-a-boo!

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I don't know about the NP thing but, I will tell you.. Take it a week at a time.. U can't be concerning your self with things 3 semesters away.. You will worry yourself to death.. I don't know what your passing average is for your school .. Mine is 77% so I shoot for an 85 average I'm used to making A's. I have yet to make one!! But I have passed with higher than a 77 so I'm happy!! Also.. You have to take the question for face value.. U can't add or take anything away from it.. what does it say and answer it.. That's it!! Hopes this help.. Don't worry you will become tht NP your keep working hard and encouraging yourself and others..

jasilady

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You want to finish and be a nurse. If you want to be an NP, that might be a long way off. I agree with jasilady, you need to focus on right now. If you don't feel like you are studying as much as your class mates, ask yourself if you can do better. If your grades improve throughout your program, that will reflect positively on you. Otherwise, finish the program you are in, get some experience, then roll the dice and apply for NP school once you have been in the field for a while and are able to gather some great recommendations. If it doens't work the first time around, maybe consider going back for your BSN to show that you know your stuff and are able to handle the studying and academic aspect of NP school.

Your goal is to be finished. At the beginning of my program they asked us, what do you call an RN who got a C in such and such class? The answer was, an RN! If you are applying a dressing to a patient's elbow, they are not going to aks you about how you learned it, or whehter you go the elbow questions right on a test, they just trust that you know your stuff (give them a reason to trust you). Don't beat yourself up over bad grades or continue to second guess yourself, this becomes a vicious cycle. Try to relax on exam days and focus yourself as much as possible. You home situation might not be great right now, but use your classes as a distraction from the other aspects of your life, and focus on the fact that you will have more opportunities to better your life once you have your license.

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Specializes in Oncology/hematology.
I don't know what your passing average is for your school .. Mine is 77% so I shoot for an 85 average I'm used to making A's. I have yet to make one!! But I have passed with higher than a 77 so I'm happy!!

jasilady

This is me this semester. I have always gotten As. I went into the nursing program with a 4.0. But, now I just want to pass with a decent B and learn the material. I am pretty much the most laid back student in my class right now and it's wonderful to not be stressed out all the time. I have a high B and that's just fine with me. OP, this may not be the way you can do things, and, if that's the case, just do the best you can do and be happy with that. As far as overthinking questions, it happens. Try to stick with your initial gut instinct. It's usually right.

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Never Change Your Answer...unless your 100% sure. Do you have an NCLEX review book? I just got saunders and I'm in my 1st semester, very helpful with this type of testing. Don't read into the questions, look for key words, don't think what if, they are not trying to trip you up. My 1st exams tomorrow and I'm not prepared, spending the day studying and staying positive...good luck to you :)

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

You don't need a 4.0 average to get accepted into an NP program. If that were true, there would be almost no NP's in the world. By getting yourself all worked up over not being perfect, you are adding a lot of extra stress to yourself and making it harder for yourself to think clearly.

You need to forgive yourself for not being perfect so that you can focus simply on learning the material. Understand that no one course "makes or breaks" a career. Focus on mastering the material on every course. Don't fall apart about every B you get -- and think of it as a journey. It may have some unexpected twists and turns, but as long as you keep heading in the right direction, you'll eventually get where you want to go.

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Thanks to everyone who has replied, it has helped a lot:). I am REALLY hard on myself and I'm always stressed because of this. I see that getting a A is possible so it makes me feel bad, but I shouldn't let this get to me.

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I know how you feel, I had a 3.75 GPA pre-nursing school and while I'm doing better than most in my class my expectation was A's all the way, but that didn't happen. I'm in my third semester now and have learned that nursing is a totally different animal. Just hang in there, I've seen a few A students drop from my class and have to repeat. Failure in one course doesn't mean failure from the program (at least not where I'm at). Just hang in there, change your study habits, take a different approach to learning the material. The thing that helps me the most is questions, download as many good apps as you can and squeeze them in wherever you are. Best of luck to you.

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I'll share what my instructor shared with my class at the beginning of the semester, "Let go of perfection!"

This says it all. We have so much pressure to succeed and you most likely need a certain exam average in order to go on in your program. Aim for 10% higher than that. So for my school, I need an exam avg of 76%.. So I shoot for 86% which is still a 3.5! Don't stress over every single detail, just the important ones!! :)

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Our very first day of class, our instructor looked at us and asked us how many of us had a really great pre-req GPA. Everyone raised their hands. She said "get over it. Stop worrying about that 4.0. Your job now isn't to get into nursing school, it's to learn the content, understand the content, and be a damn good nurse. A 4.0 does not make you a good nurse."

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