Summerheat

I can actually sympathise with you here. Most will say you deserved the clinical warnings etc.. I will take the other side of the coin for practical sake. A clinical warning is intended to do one of two things: motivate you, or count as a log against you which can affect your progression in the programme. It is wise to take the motivation side and work to better yourself. In the long run, you will be a better student and in essence, a better nurse for it. That said. Often, clinical warnings are punitive and could likely be avoided with clear, cut directives by the faculty or having the instructor discuss individual issues with their students. I have found from teaching nursing and pre-med students for 11 years, that no two students or situations are alike. Instructors are not very good at allowing individualism and even discussion amongst students. The other issue I wish to raise deals with qualifications. Just because an instructor is a good nurse, has been a good nurse for 200 years, or has a master's degree in some obscure nursing field, DOES NOT QUALIFY them to teach students. I have six college degrees and one of them is a master's of education. I don't have all the answers but I know enough to know that students DO NOT all learn the same way. Some work best in group study, some do well in track simulation, others do best with computer guidance, and a few still prefer long hand. A uni-didactic approach will fail some every time. In some cases, professors are expected to fail a student or two because they are pressured to keep the learning curve ( and tests scores) elevated. I don't think a professor should ever fail a student. It is the STUDENT who fails him or herself. As a seasoned instructor, it was my task to seek out each student and give them a chance to succeed. Have any of my students failed before? Of course. Some did not put forth the effort needed to pass. Some chose to not study well and therefore weren't safe in the field, and finally, some were not interested in nursing or medicine but merely attracted to the field for the wrong reasons. Do not let an instructor decide your fate. She/he has too many tasks at hand. Take matters into your hands and choose wisely. Do you wish to pursue nursing/medicine or is this a path that doesn't seem right for you anymore...? Best of Luck S..

Very interesting discussion but no one mentioned the logistics here. Your job is healthcare and saving lives. Perhaps more security would be in order. That way, you can care for the carnage about you instead of contributing to it.

Dear ToJay Robin: I wouldn't advise you on what to do but I will tell you many have "booted" a test, a course even an entire year and still became nurses. I finally became a nurse practitioner against the odds. I found in graduate school, there were less supportive professors than even undergrad. Undergrad Nursing: the two most important courses in my viewpoint are pharmacology and A & P. Consider a study partner(s) for those courses. Don't try to memorise all the drugs in a drug class for pharm. Instead, focus on a MAJOR drug for each class. Example: Pre-diabetes: lifestyle modification than prescribe a biguanide such as Metformin (Glucophage). Finally, I had several nursing students when I was an instructor that went back when they were in their 60's to finish nursing coursework. Don't give up if that is the career you seek. Best, Summer Silverman, APRN, M.Ed, MS, FNP-BC

A pity this site won't let me respond to e-mails from my new friends. This rule of having fifteen posts first seems superfluous. I think we can help each other along the way with sometimes ONE post. I may not ever have to post 15.... )-:

I hope the " U of M"works out for you. I grew up in Miami and graduated from Southwest H.S.; went to school in Boston and stayed in New England. I also did a career change from teaching. I started in EMS and then got my BSN and just finished FNP. I hope GPA is not the deciding factors for college admissions anymore. Rather, I would like to see diversity and life skills. I taught BSN students for years. Many were task oriented and skilled at completing assignments but lacked the overall skills and desire to become proficient nurses. Just my take on it. My averages were Undergrad Education-3.8, undergrad nursing- 3.9 and grad nursing- 3.6. I believe I gained more competency from clinicals and patient experiences then I ever did in the class rooms. I hope Miami works out for you. I remember Jackson Memorial was an incredible teaching hospital in the area. Summer-

Tommy: You might wish to consider looking at the ANCC (and even AANP) sites for information on P& P as well as cultural competencies. I also believe Fitzgerald has a link on their homepage to those topics as well. It is certainly worth a call to them if you need to find out more. I did not pass AANP and I am looking forward to the diversity (instead of fear) of ANCC. I have heard the differences between the two certifying boards are not that different. I do recall some P & P also on my previous AANP exam. Good luck. Summer

Here it is November of 2013. I failed the AANP a week ago. I was amazed at how different the wording and structure of the questions were from my studying prep. I used the online Fitzgerald and CDS, attended a live Barkley course and used their CDs and study guide, prepared for SIX MONTHS and still did not pass. I feel comfortable with NP preparation. In fact, I feel more confident with seeing a patient and drawing from disease/treatment management than preparing for the Boards. I also used the Fitz practise questions and tested 3 of 4 Barkley's DRT 100 question exams, scoring in the 60s, which the reply "good performance overall" appeared. I do wish there were study/quiz partners available as I begin preparing for re-testing. Barkley was better than Fitzgerald for me for simplifying the material and summarising treatment options. I do not think either of the programmes prepared me for AANP testing though. ALL of my colleagues have passed and are currently practising NPs now. Back to square one I guess....sigh*