Nursing School Lost

For me, simply reading the material is what always helped. Review questions are good for review, but a chaotic and fragmented way to actually learn the material. Understanding the "big picture" enabled me to guess the right answer more often than not ...even if I wasn't 100% sure about the details.

It also helps to speak with your instructor privately. I've noticed over each semester that with tests made by different instructors, they expect different things. I've had to adjust the way I study each semester because of this.

So, I read all of the assigned material and hit the areas identified by the instructor each semester extra hard.

As far as not going over rationals from the test in class, that's common around here because people will argue their points and it holds up the rest of the class.

We are able to make appointments with the instructor to go over the tests and get the rationals for what we got wrong. I would advise asking for an appointment for that. They should be able to see how you test based on what you got wrong and your rational, and give you pointers for future tests. Answering nursing School questions really is an art haha.

Thanks, I may need to buckle down and try this approach. Depending on the semester it may or may not be doable. Last semester we were test on about 40 concepts, so 10 each test give or take. Reading all the chapters was almost impossible. This semester is much more focused and I have read the chapters for some concepts and merely skimmed for others. Our instructors do ppt slides to go along with lecture which is where a lot of the information gets lost in lecture. Some points are harped on, others barely acknowledged so it does get chaotic trying to study. I will try reading as much as can to hopefully gain more understanding of the bigger picture. Even guessing more accurately would be helpful.

It also helps to speak with your instructor privately. I've noticed over each semester that with tests made by different instructors, they expect different things. I've had to adjust the way I study each semester because of this.

So, I read all of the assigned material and hit the areas identified by the instructor each semester extra hard.

As far as not going over rationals from the test in class, that's common around here because people will argue their points and it holds up the rest of the class.

We are able to make appointments with the instructor to go over the tests and get the rationals for what we got wrong. I would advise asking for an appointment for that. They should be able to see how you test based on what you got wrong and your rational, and give you pointers for future tests. Answering nursing School questions really is an art haha.

An art for sure! I think I will try talking with my department head and see if she can offer something new. My instructors have all offered what I am already doing. Thanks for the input!

It is not unusual for test/quiz items to appear to be unrelated to the lecture or reading material.... this is because those items are designed to force you to analyze the underlying concepts. Ex: lecture covers respiratory pathophys, including the concepts of oxygen demand and blood gases. Then, you have a question like : Mr X has traveled from Tempe to Denver for a mountain biking vacation and discovers that he is experiencing shortness of breath, dizziness and calf muscle cramping after a relatively short period of brisk cycling. He has arrived at your clinic exhibiting high levels of anxiety and states he is fearful that he is having a stroke just like the one that killed his grandfather. What interventions should you initiate to help Mr X? Why? What should you do first?

Are you getting things like this? They want you to think about high altitude vs. low altitude; oxygen demand; lactic acidosis; signs of fear and panic . . . etc. You may not have had this exact situation in your book or lecture, but you should be able to figure out the basics.

Have you ever worked with concept maps? I've discovered that this is a very effective way to help students 'connect the dots'.

There are three components that you must bring to an exam (classroom or NCLEX):

1. Knowledge of the content. You don't need to know it all... just enough. Knowing it all is not an option.

2. Test taking skills. You need to know HOW to work your way through the item so that you can apply the knowledge of the content that you have. There are LOTS of resources about test taking skills. I am fond of the Strategies for Test Success book by Silvestri.

3. Emotional Control. If you cannot be calm... you cannot use your knowledge and skills. There are lots of tools for this too. I am fond of progressive relaxation and visualization of the desired outcome. Some students need to go the next step and consult with a psychologist to use hypnosis. Laugh all you want, I have seen INCREDIBLE exam success by the most anxious students with the application of hypnosis.