Should i quit?

[Lsugal731]

so im in my second semester of nursing school. i got through my first but barely, i really had to work my ass off just to get a passing grade. it seems like many others in my class dont really study or care and do so much better than me. anyways i about done my 2nd semester and its been rough. i had my 1st exposure of clinicals too and my experience really was not good at all. my teacher did not teach us what so ever. most of my day i just spent walking around hoping someone will tell us something to do. i wiped ppls butts alot cleaned up crap and changed put the trash. i really hated it all semester. i thought we were going to be giving out meds and catheters etc. i didnt even get to really touch a pt except for take their blood pressure. ive been depressed all semester. im failing three classes too. one class i need like a 97 on the final just to pass. ive never failed a class before much less 3. i also had a boyfriend who ive been with since the start but he just left me mid semester so ive been depressed about that too. i talked to my advisor and he said that i can just come back and repeat the classes i fail. im failing pharm, health assessment, and foundations of nursing. these are all really important classes. i think my lack of motivation went downhill with my crappy clinical experience and boyfriend drama. i started out the semester really well. i was passing everything doing great and then my grades just started dropping one by one. i dont know what to do. i was really excited about nursing school and now i feel like im dumb and cant do it. i kinda wish this semester never happened and just want to start over. i know if i really try and give these classes another round ill do great. i had a hard time trying to manage time with clinicals and studying. i think my time management sucks which worries me for future semesters. i guess im just trying to get advice am i cut out for this. should i quit ive invested a yr but i dont want to i was all excited about being a nurse and now i feel like such a loser b/c im failing and everything.

[Work in Progress]

Maybe you could get in to talk to a counselor. I don't mean that as an insult or anything, but it seems you are going through a lot and that it is impacting your performance. A lot of campuses have a counseling service available. I think that before you make a hasty decision to quit, you should utilize these resources. I know that nursing school can be hard and increase depression, decrease self confidence and have a nasty impact on relationships. You may also be able to get a tutor to help you pull out a passing grade in these classes. It might also be helpful to take a semester off to reevaluate whether you want to go through with this (if this is a possibility at your school, I know some schools don't let you take time off). Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the current of nursing school and end up not able to regain your footing.

I wish you luck and hope that you end up happy and fulfilled, whatever path you decide to take.

[beingthankful]

It does really seem like you've got a lot of things on your mind. I would thinjk 1st & fore-most if you're truly disappointed in your clinicals, than I would say think hard about whether you want to go into nursing. You'll have to take the good, fun & exciting along with the bad, disgusting & mundane.

That being said though, you've made reference to a lot of things that are probably weighing you down. YOU ARE NOT A LOSER! And don't ever say it again, ppl tend to become what you tell them & self-thoughts are no exception to that rule.

You wouldn't have gotten through the 1st semester if it wasn't for you. I am sorry for the loss of your relationship with your boyfriend, that can be sooo difficult, but you cannot let his choices ruin the work you've put in towards yourself already.

Talk to your teachers, let them know you're going through a difficult time emotionally with family (do NOT be specific) & you've gotten your eye off the prize for a moment. Let them know that YOU ARE BACK! In full force, & work out a plan to succeed with them.

Get a tutor, SERIOUSLY assess your time mgmt skills & enlist help if needed just to get you through this semester. And consider anti-depressants if you're so inclined. There is nothing wrong at all with using them at this time in your life to assist you in coping.

Good luck!

[catz123]

first I would like to say that nursing school is difficult. People who say they never study... Don't listen to what people say. Go through your own experience, do what you have to do and learn as much as you can. There are great nursing books that sum it up, easy to understand, you could look into those. Get an NCLEX book. answer questions on the topic you are studying. Buy the study guide to go with your book. As for the boy friend, you are not even fully the person you want to be yet, so let him go... you will shine later. concentrate on school if that is what you want to do. I am still a student, I had to leave the program because of work. I wasn't going to go back, but I am going back in sept. I have worked so hard to get as far as I did, I am not going to just quit and you shouldn't either. As far as clinicals, the first one is mostly to get the student to be comfortable approaching the patient, talking to them and patient care is a part of nursing. Cleaning bm, urine, vomit comes with the job. wait until you suction, or take care of a stage 4 wound. You are an advocate for the patient always, and what is best for them is not beneath your doing. I wish you well in what ever you deciede to do. oh yah, I have said several times that if you want to feel stupid go to nursing school. It's not because any of us are stupid, it is just that challenging, and worth it.

[Heinz beans]

You sound a bit stressy. It might be a good idea to take a semester off to sort out the things that are holding you back and figure out how you can best tackle these issues. Don't get too involved with boyfriends they come and go while a skill is there forever. I have been in a similar boat and struggled a lot through nursing with grades, having a family and a mental illness. Its not easy.

Don't give up just because you hated a clinical placement. I bet there will be placements you love -eventually. Not all nursing is the same. The first placement is about basic nursing care and a lot of students expect to do too much too soon. Try to enjoy the ride

[cdmartinez09]

Oh my goodness! when i read ur post i felt like i was reading something i wrote!!! i feel/felt the EXACT same way. I have made it to the point where I've been accepted into my nursing program and only need to pass Micro and health assessment in order to start clinicals but i've sucked BIG TIME. I found myself failing exams left and right and without any clue what to do to make things right. I was so depressed to know i had made it this far just to fail miserably. I'm still going through this now but i picked myself up the best i could. I told myself i was not going to let these 2 classes stop me form being sooooo close to achieving my goal. I went from failing my micro class to now holding a B!!!! now health assessment is still making me struggle but i'm trying to hang in there. The best advice i can give is try your best not to get discouraged. Whenever you start thinking about ur x and u just feel like laying down all day, start thinking about all the sweet sweet revenge u can have once ur a nurse!!!! this is all coming from someone who is in the same position your in and trying super hard to get out of it!!!!!!!

[JSlice., ASN, RN]

How bad do you want to be a nurse? If this is a dream of yours, maybe you need to see a counselor to sort out your personal problems. Personal life can really take a toll on your ability to enjoy what you're doing and can also affect your concentration. Try not to look at everybody and think that they are just breezing by. The entire class may be feeling the way you do, but hasn't admitted to it. Everybody has crappy clinicals, but all you can do is make the best from them, and that includes going in with the right attitude. Try reevaluating the reason you decided to become a nurse.

[Motivated87]

I myself am in the same boat... I failed out my first semester of a two year program nursing school. I find myself depress just like you.... so i know the feeling very well.. Just hang in there. I am giving it one more shot... you should too... You dont want to spend the rest of your life being bossed around at a low paying job right... well chin up... for ever correct answer on an exam is one step closer in being a nurse...

[rhevansjr]

Not to but in however, yes Nursing school is difficult, I am in my second year and my second go around with trying to get through, I have test taking anxiety severe and have had a very difficult time answering the NCLEX Style questions, I do well clinically and get all of the compliments from the patients as to how good of a Nurse I will be when I finish however, I dont know if I will finish if I cannot get this test anxiety under control and learn how to answer these darn NCLEX questions, no matter how much I practice I still get the same result and I am not happy at all. With regards to the boyfriend let him go there are more fish out in the sea get your schooling finished, find out who and what you wish to be in life and then find yourself a good boy friend. Good Luck with the rest of school.

Rich

first I would like to say that nursing school is difficult. People who say they never study... Don't listen to what people say. Go through your own experience, do what you have to do and learn as much as you can. There are great nursing books that sum it up, easy to understand, you could look into those. Get an NCLEX book. answer questions on the topic you are studying. Buy the study guide to go with your book. As for the boy friend, you are not even fully the person you want to be yet, so let him go... you will shine later. concentrate on school if that is what you want to do. I am still a student, I had to leave the program because of work. I wasn't going to go back, but I am going back in sept. I have worked so hard to get as far as I did, I am not going to just quit and you shouldn't either. As far as clinicals, the first one is mostly to get the student to be comfortable approaching the patient, talking to them and patient care is a part of nursing. Cleaning bm, urine, vomit comes with the job. wait until you suction, or take care of a stage 4 wound. You are an advocate for the patient always, and what is best for them is not beneath your doing. I wish you well in what ever you deciede to do. oh yah, I have said several times that if you want to feel stupid go to nursing school. It's not because any of us are stupid, it is just that challenging, and worth it.

[Tricia76]

I would talk to someone about your issues and I don't think you should give up..show the world what you can do..Fight your way through..it will be all worth it in the end..Hold your head high!!

[MokaVG]

Dont give up. Don't let them beat you up. Nursing school is a real b!tch at times, and nursing can be full of them. I'd love to share my full story here, but you never know who's watching.

It's the luck of the draw sometimes, you might get a practicum you hate, or one that you love. Don't give up, dont call yourself stupid, dont ever, ever let anyone tear you down.

As for exams, I had some exams where my marks were in the high 90's, and other times they were much lower. Depended on how the exam was written, and sometimes I just had an 'off' day. Don't let that bother you, we all have ups and downs.

I agree with the person who said that those who say they dont study that much are full of it. You HAVE to study to get through nursing, how on earth are you going to know what a pathophysiology of a disease or condition is, or what a drug is for if you dont study??

Dont be so hard on yourself. I'd suggest taking some time out, find ways to relieve your stress, and focus on yourself before anyone else (including the boyfriend thing).

I haven't dated since I started nursing school, and for good reason. No one can take on the emotional roller coaster of dating as well as the emotional roller coaster of nursing school.

Hang in there, you'll be so strong in the end if you stick with it.

Hugs.

[BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN]

taking a semester off to get your life in order is not 'giving up'.

Part of going to school as an adult is knowing when to say "I can't do this right now'. No one wants to freely admit that, but while you are in school, life gets in the way. Every single nursing student can easily say that they are going through some sort of issue while in school; whether it be work, marriage (either getting married, trying to stay married, or being unhappily married), raising kids, trying to have kids, dealing with parents (illness, financial support, pressure from parents to succeed, etc). It is inevitable, and for many, it affects their ability to succeed.

You may have had this ideal plan; to finish school in 2 or 4 years, graduate ad get a job. Very few peoples plans go off without a hitch, especially when it comes to education. Nursing school is expensive, it is hard (much harder than we think before we get into it), it is stressful. Everyone here (and in school) knows this.

Depending on your school's policy regarding failing, withdrawing, and grounds for dismissal, temporarily 'quitting' may be the best thing you can do.