Not doing as well as I think I should...

Jenny67 · Oct 16, 2008

Hi, I am in my third semester also, and have found that my test results have gone up significantly. This semester everything seems to truly make sense to me. I joked to my husband last week that I {almost} feel smart this semester Of course I need to knock on wood quickly, because I don't want to hex myself or anything.

You obviously understood the concepts from your first exam with such a great grade. My advice to you would be to {breathe} and try to figure out what happened on exam 2 and 3 prior to your next exam.

I am sure there are many Nurses and Student Nurses here that will have some great advice for you!

Take care and best wishes with school and the new baby!!

Bortaz, MSN, RN · Oct 16, 2008

Hey all, I'm new to this forum...in my 3rd semester of nursing school at the moment and well, things aren't going as well as I'd like them too...
The first test of the semester was amazing, I got a 92...then on the last 2 tests I've gone downhill, 78 and 79 respectively.
I studied very hard for the last one, maybe too hard, but I feel like I'm getting burnt out!! I have 2 part time jobs and my wife and I are expecting our first baby in about 1 month, so things have been extremely hectic.
Anybody have some tips for me?

I'm kind of in the same boat. For the first time in my life, I finished a semester with a relatively poor grade. Sad thing is, it was the rotation that I've most looked forward to, and the specialty I want to pursue.

My only excuse is that I loathed the teaching style of my professor. She was the polar opposite of how I need to be taught. One of those 'read a few bullet-points on a ppt and let them sink or swim' type of professors.

mzattitude · Oct 16, 2008

Hey all, I'm new to this forum...in my 3rd semester of nursing school at the moment and well, things aren't going as well as I'd like them too...
The first test of the semester was amazing, I got a 92...then on the last 2 tests I've gone downhill, 78 and 79 respectively.
I studied very hard for the last one, maybe too hard, but I feel like I'm getting burnt out!! I have 2 part time jobs and my wife and I are expecting our first baby in about 1 month, so things have been extremely hectic.
Anybody have some tips for me?

Well, first off, congratualtions on ur first new bundle of joy! Having a child is such a wonderful gift! I think ur family should come before anything...

I know how u feel. I am also getting very discouraged. My advice to u would be to keep going and don't let ur last grades discourge u too much. Over thinking is one thing that I am good at. And it is the one thing that'll make u go crazy.

Do u still have a chance at passing this semester?? If so, just give it ur all from here on out. You can't really turn back around, but u can move forward with a new appreciation for ur up coming tests.

Just don't give up. You made it this far. If at all possible, maybe u should give up at LEAST one of your part-time jobs?

lunglover · Oct 16, 2008

My only excuse is that I loathed the teaching style of my professor. She was the polar opposite of how I need to be taught. One of those 'read a few bullet-points on a ppt and let them sink or swim' type of professors.

I have always approached my classes with this mindset: It is MY responsibility to learn the material. Yes, it is the instructor's job to teach it, but if they do so in a manner that doesn't gel with me, then it is up to me to do whatever it takes to understand and remember the information being presented. If this means forming study groups with the smart kids in class, or getting tutoring help, or reading extra material - whatever it is, I do it. I never allow myself to have excuses, because that makes it ok for me to be lazy with my education, and the one thing that I do not want to do is be a lazy nurse.

When I was having trouble with the endocrine system, I went to the library and looked up kid websites that explained the bare basics, and then once I understood that material, I built upon it by reading books and sites that were more advanced, and so on and so on. You just have to find what works for you.

Bortaz, MSN, RN · Oct 17, 2008

I try to temper my excuse-making with working harder. In the future, though, I'll be sure to strive to reach your vaunted level of Super Student. Thanks God for giving me such a rolemodel.

Funny thing is, though, I never noticed you here with me, watching me slough off all semester. I need to may better attention.

suanna · Oct 17, 2008

Test taking is an art- does your school offer a class in test taking skills? I knew a student who jumped her GPA a full point from a 2 day course in test taking skills.

I completed my nursing education working full time until the last semester and with a wife and 2 new daughters. My best advice is set priorities- you are not going to be one of those 4.0 sutdents with lots of extracurricular activities. Focus first on your clinical skills, then on your nursing classes. If you have any time left over after sleeping, eating an occasionaly kissing your spouse then look to PASS the non-nursing stuff. Your BSN is still valid if you got a C- in western cult and a D+ in economics. It may make post graduate work a bit harder to get into but take it one degree at a time. Review your tests with the idea of figuring out what you didn't understand about the thinking behind the questions. Odds are you had the knowledge base OK but were making some error in interpretation or logic over and over. That's where skills in test taking comes in. These skills will also be a big help on NCLEX when you get there.