FunkyMama1733

I for one am with ya - to a degree. I actually went to nursing school so that I could eventually become a midwife (I worked as a doula for 5+ years). But, right around the time I enrolled in nursing school, I got burned out on birth. But, I love working with pregnant Mom's, women's health, sexual education, newborn's.....so I am not sure exactly where I am going - but that crowd speaks loud and clear to me. So we'll see! Awesome that you found your niche. And I 100% agree with you that all the other areas seem so uninteresting. I have, however, found other areas that I would also enjoy working with (such as Oncology and Endocrine). I so wish that you could kind of tailor the program to what you wanted to do, but that would obviously greatly limit you if you ever changed your mind. My program, in my opinion, focuses way to much on the specialty part of all the different areas, and not on the general 'care and keeping' of those patients. For example - with OB, we didn't spend nearly as much time on the normal physiological process, etc, as we did on how to read a fetal monitor strip. We spent three days. THREE DAYS on fetal monitoring. The only people who need to know that much about fetal monitoring are going to be people working in OB and obviously get additional training in that. Blah. Sorry for the ramble, but I'm with ya!

You see, apparently I have a hole in my head somewhere. A hole where all of the nursing stuff I study falls right back out again. In all seriousness, I'm not sure what to do. I have a final exam in 2 days. I have consistently studied throughout this semester, I have hit the books as often as I can (which is at least 4 times a week, at LEAST), I have 4 different NCLEX style review books with rationales, I have flashcards, I have everything I can think of. I don't know what the problem is. I have had a lot of issues in my personal life that are extremely stressful (surgery, divorce, deaths, you name it, 2011 was the year of suck), but that doesn't mean that I shouldn't be able to manage this too. I was an honor student when I went to college the first time 10 years ago. I seem to do just fine at clinical, but for whatever reason, I cannot wrap my brain around remembering the basic facts to be utilized to critically think my way through the test questions. I can figure it out on the floor at clinical. I am really good at a few subjects. I won't even bother complaining about my program (it has the best NCLEX pass rate, but the highest flunk out rate, a LOT of complaints about the program from our Board of Nursing. I, of course, didn't know any of this when I enrolled, but I am not about to start over now). This Final is over 689 pages of material. We are having a lecture tomorrow, and that material will be on the final too, the next day. It's comprehensive. And I feel like a complete and total moron. Words of wisdom? Thoughts? Tips? Tricks? A stiff drink? I guess, I just need to hope and pray that when actually sat down in front of an exam that I will do well. It's worth essentially most of our grade for the class, so it will make or break my already mediocre grade. Which, is also frustrating, but I digress. Anways, I guess I just need some ideas and reassurance. Thanks!

So, I completed, successfully, the first two semesters of nursing school. Then, due to some very difficult life circumstances, I had to take a semester off during the Summer (we are year round and go right through). I am entering back right into the third semester tomorrow, and I am panicking. I never really clicked with the clinical setting to begin with. It felt more like something I had to survive and less something that I actually learned anything from (I realize how negative that sounds, but it truly held very little value with regards to actually learning about the nursing process. Especially because none of our nurses had any time to talk to us about anything AT ALL). The only time I felt a good solid connection and had a great experience was when I was working labor and delivery or Mom/Baby. I have worked with childbearing women (in a slightly different role) for many years now, and so it felt like a natural fit. But, being on the other floors, and dealing with the clinical instructors from different areas that aren't nice, aren't around when you need them, and treat you like you should already know the answer to things even when we haven't covered them in class yet....well it just makes me want to drop it all. I won't, of course, but it's difficult to find the desire to continue, when I feel like I am looking at 3 semesters of me potentially continuing to feel like a moron every time I go to clinical. Sigh. Again, I really don't want to be a Negative Nancy.....but I don't know what I am supposed to be doing, and whenever I have sought out help, I've been met with either frustration or just ignoring me all together. Looking for some words of wisdom? What SHOULD I be doing? And am I the only one who doesn't feel like they are getting anything out of clinical?

Even when we ask flat out what's going to be on the test, it's not the same, LOL! Ah well. I will have to be happy with the grade I am getting and go from there. One of the questions on the last test was so weird - 'You are walking down the street, and you see a close acquaintance that has lost 40 lbs. You feel: 1) Inspired to lose weight. 2) Uneducated in how to lose weight. 3) Depressed about losing weight. 4) (I don't remember, but it was something that was totally incorrect).' ***** What does that have to do with nursing? Even the proctor of the exam was like....'what does this have to do with anything?' when asked. Weird.

I cannot begin to tell you how much I love this post. This is EXACTLY what it feels like. The lecture feels so totally useless, because essentially my instructor is just reading all of the headings in the chapter, and not really covering anything else. I know it will get better. Are there are good study guides that can be bought for fundamentals?

Twice. I have emailed back and forth with her, called her, and attempted to sign up with the tutor, who seems to be completely booked and isn't even getting back to me. She just keeps telling me that I need to study as much as I can. I study for 4-5 hours minimum a day outside of class. And I have other classes. My good friend is taking the class with me and she is getting fabulous grades (I have since asked her to stop telling me her grades -- it's not helping me). But, most everyone else I have talked to is doing as bad (or worse) as I am. I don't know if it has to do with this being this instructors first term teaching first semester students, or if I should accept that this is going to be an uphill battle for me. I wish we got more than 1.5 hours of clinical every week. I need to DO something and practice it hands on and see it in action for it to click. I am so distressed, I don't know what to do.

Hello everyone - Please tell me this will get better. I have never ever been so frustrated in my entire life. I am a first semester nursing student. I am SO FRUSTRATED with this program I want to scream. I don't know why they are teaching students in their 5th week all the intricacies of fluid and electrolyte imbalance, but I am not wrapping my brain around this material, and I guess I need a pep talk. There are so many discrepancies between text books, they don't actually walk through any of the skills, we just read the book and then watch videos. In the next 4 weeks, I have 4 different tests, which would be fine, if there was any consistency between what was being lectured on, and what we were reading. I also have a scenario involving an entire head-to-toe assessment and medication passing. Remember, this is 1st semester, week 7 starts on Monday. And they haven't gone through the basics of what is expected in a head-to-toe yet, just handed us a rubric, turned us lose for 45 minutes in lab to practice with each other and didn't walk around and give any direction. I have no idea if what I am doing is right or wrong. Am I being a wuss? Is this normal? I just wish we had some kind of instruction and consistency between the instructors, and some actual hands on time before we get thrown into a huge scenario worth like half our grade. Sigh. I need a pep talk!