Sudorul40

I have failed the first semester,too, and had to re-apply. I was only one point behind:I had 73( actually 72.5, rounded to 73) and needed a 73.5 to pass. From a general GPA of 3.85, I dropped to 3.44. I got in back. All I can say is that I knew nothing hot to approach the learning style. By that time I did not have an account here, too. I knew there must be something different from the pre-reqs learning style, but no one would have shared anything among my class-mates. I was wondering how they were able to make it, while I was working so hard and did not make it. Plus, I noticed any correlation between lectures and the questions we got in exams. This was so frustrating! I heard the following :" they teach five days but test from six days". The way the tests were like made me say this:" they teach five days and test ONLY from sixth day". The day I found out I got back in, I started to do questions...the more you do, the better. Learned a lot from rationals. Potter and Perry, such a waist of time! Just read the boxes: learn vitals, learn the lab values, and make a note-book only for the rationals. At least for me it worked. I have to say I hate any time I read posts like " you have to understand, bla,bla!" Sounds like, indirectly says you are an idiot and do not understand. No way! Most of those who make it are not genies at all! Common people like us! But most of them do thousands of questions but would never say directly..just turn around the essence. So, my advice is- as being in the same shoes like you, last year-buy Davi's series, and Lippincot, also LaCharity, and do all questions and rationals...this would develop the sense of picking the right answer in time. Best regards!

@b747girl5 I have three kids, too. The youngest is only 2. By the time I was accepted in the program He was almost one year and I was still nursing him. I always been a serious student, my grades were high, thanks to science, but failed the first semester in nursing. Not to mention English is my third language learned, so my vocabulary is far behind of a native speaker. But I was in your shoes: 40 years old by the time in the program. From my experience, doing questions, thousands of questions in advance is much, much smarter than readings, because you learn a lot from rationals as well as it really boosts the " test taker" skills. I used to spend too much time in readings and ended up a failure. And I just hate to hear/ read the same annoying sentence:" you have to understand the material". I would like to see how those genies are defining the "understanding". Most of them even do not admit they are working a lot doing questions, just to seem " so smart". I even do not waist my time to read such "advices" and posts, because they have as a consequence even putting you more down. I would sincerely advise you to do as many questions as possible, because after that you process different the information and they pump up easily, without hours and hours of readings( which they like so much to make you read hundreds of pages, from the books they force you to buy!)

You just took the words out of my mouth: I failed the first semester in nursing program( 1.5 points behind), because I did not know how to study! I used to spend hours in readings( which if you do not what to select in order to read you end up wasting so much time for nothing!) and was not capable to take the tests, while my classmates used to spend not even half of the time I spent and had high grades. I was so frustrated, I felt I was the most idiot one ever. I did not know about this forum to read and to understand how to approach the study, because at school, trust me, most of the classmates played genies, and I needed just a hint how to make it. Thank God I found this forum and started to read every day people's testimony and made a plan how to approach the nursing school again! First, I collected all reviews about the tests books and then purchased them. Then I started doing hundreds of questions in advance, even not reading the material, but I did that only to develop that" sense" necessary to chose the answers they look for. This was my weakest part, because my knowledge came in conflict with the type of the answers they were seeking for. And I started from 42%, 45%. I continued to take tests, again without reading any material, and now I am doing 65%,68% . I hope, when the material if lectured and the information is given, to be able to sort out easier what is important from what is not and I hope that all this journey through so many questions would have boosted my "test taker" ability!

Great! Thanks for help!

@Vil2290, I find your post one of the most honest and sincere among many I have read so far! Indeed, nursing programs are hard because for most of those who have a different educational background( mostly owning a degree overseas) and approach, the programs are not really designed to teach you how to answer the questions as they all insist on " grasping the concepts". I agree we need to understand the concepts, but, again, the content books, for which we pay such a huge amount of money, they do NOT prepare you to be successful in taking exams! Being a straight A pre-nursing student( where the exams are usually based on the information designed to grasp), I was unsuccessful for the first semester in the nursing program, for I did not know how to answer the questions! Now I am back in the program, but I learned my lesson. I was seeking help from those who were successful, did not get any sincere and honest "key", though I was preparing in details every single exam. Even I prepared and got all the knowledge from the content book as well as the powerpoints, I was walking out with 72.5, 75, 70...I was always border line and felt so frustrating! Every one told me the same thing:" you need to understand the concepts", like I was the ultimate idiot in the world and did not "understand" the concepts. But no one was honest to say they did tones of questions, many lied just to seem " genial". Looking back, I could say I did not find useful the Orientation, where they make you buy expensive not necessary books( I guess everything is a business, is it not?!), books of thousands pages where it is clear no one has physical time to read the books! I also find the "critical thinking" such a subjective concept...I think now, because of too much "critical thinking" we end up not knowing what to do with patients in real life work! Now I know exactly how to approach the learning process so that I could pass my exams: I bought Silvestri, Lippincot, and LaCharity and work from there. So, far, I do much better than spending days in reading the content and walking out with 70.