overwhelmed

Yes, it is hard at first...nursing questions are a whole different animal! It will get better I promise, by the end of first year I was really good at figuring out critical thinking questions...you will be too!

p.s. Shame on your teacher...how are people supposed to learn if she makes them afraid to ask a question?!

I'm sorry you had such a bad day. Yes... once you get into the program you get slapped with reality really quickly. I too - was an "A" student in all my pre-req's and it came as a shock that I would probably never see a grade in the 90's again. But... you have to get over that quickly - and move forward.

I used a great book in my 1st semester - it was called "Fundamentals of Test Success". It taught me how to rip those critical thinking questions apart -and how to answer them correctly. It gave hints like: if an answer has "always" or "never" - it's usually not correct b/c very rarely is anything ever written in stone. It taught me to underline key words, circle others and read EVERY SINGLE WORD - lol. You may want to think of using a resource like this to help you get started.

Also - I know you are probably overwhelmed with the quantity of the work involved. Planning is key! Decide when you are going to read, when you are going to study, and when you are going to do your written work. If you have a schedule - you're more likely to keep to it. This way you don't have to feel like you have to complete everything at once.

Hang in there... it will get better. Try to find the thread: you know your a nursing student when.... You'll see stuff like: "C" means: see you at graduation! You're not alone. Don't let the grades get to you.

All my best.

Thank you Beth and Jinx. The book on test taking strategies sounds like a good idea. The amount of reading is monumental. I do need to make some sort of schedule and stick to it, because right now I am spinning in circles trying to figure out what to do first . Today was a little better in class. I will make it. One day at a time. Now it is time for me to put on my glasses and hit the books. Thanks again.

Nursing School is tuff!!!! The first semester is all about weeding people out! Hang in there!

I am also an older student. This is a second career for me. I am not really having a problem with the critical thinking, it is just all so overwhelming:eek:. It goes so fast and there is so much information. Plus, I have to work to pay tuition so I feel like I never have enough time to study. I find myself thinking, "Was teaching REALLY that bad?" I hope it is just a bit of culture shock and I will adjust...

Hey everyone,

If you are feeling overwhelmed then you are doing good. If you weren't then i would think something was wrong with you. LOL I too am an older student, i work full-time and have 3 in high school. Like it was mentioned before, break it down into manageable tasks and try not to over do it. Also don't look to far ahead, that will bring on gloom and doom as well. here is a link for test taking tips...... http://evolve.elsevier.com/staticPages/s_student_development.html ....tho i have been in and out of nursing for a few years now. I still found this helpful to focus on how to answer them questions. Also, try and find a nclex recview book, even if it is an old one. You can look over your topic, the outlines are rather good. Then, take the practice quizzes and tests. This helps me alot because it has rationale on why it was or wasnt the best answer. Just keep practicing. I hope this helps and goodluck.

There are several threads here on study and test taking tips. Look them up!

Here's my perspective: 1) recognize the testing style is WAY different so you'll need to change up your studying and test taking strategies 2) you won't have to intensely study every last word and memorize every last detail to do well on tests - use lectures, section reviews, sidebars, and NCLEX review books to pare down what you focus on in those long assigned textbook sections 3) read to understand at a basic level for your own future clinical practice; for testing purposes, you often just need to get the gist of it and remember basic highlights 4) the bulk of the content in your textbook will be used for reference as you prep for patient care as opposed to being tested on each last piece of info presented - heck, there's a lot of redundancy as it covers many similar conditions and symptoms 5) there's no way to master every last piece of info; that means taking a weighted risk in where you decide to focus your efforts to maximize learning and test performance (especially since tests don't directly test your retention of assigned readings); this is very different than traditional courses where with enough effort you actually can master the bulk of the content presented and doing so means you will ace the tests 5) learn & practice the testing style by using NCLEX prep books - it's only partly about testing your knowledge and more about testing your ability to figure out what the question is getting at. Since you usually don't get much time to review test questions in class to figure them out, NCLEX review books can help get a grasp of this different kind of test question and get practice in recognizing what is considered a "best" answer.

I think feeling the overwhelming feeling is part of it! I bought several nclex review books that really seem to help with the whole questions answer thing. My favorite one is NCLEX for Dummies. I love it! It really gives great hints of how to answer questions and it will help you study for your test that you have in class as well!

Good luck!

Thanks all. Wow I feel so supported here:redpinkhe These are great tips, you all really seem to know what you are talking about. Must be all of the critical thinking skills you've acquired from nursing school. I am going to order NCLEX for dummies right now, then check out that test taking tips site from Unseen. I am so glad I posted.