So which semester is the hardest???

JROregon, ASN, BSN, RN · Jul 3, 2011

Depends on the school you go to. We have 3 terms per school year and students seem to have the most trouble when they start med-surg. They study like they are taking a test in A&P and really, they need to start thinking like a nurse. Think of the medical condition that your patient is getting treatment for. What is the priority for that patient, right now? What is normal and what is an emergency requiring you to take immediate action. Know your role and what you can and can't - you can do a lot but let's say you are monitoring a patient just after surgery in PACU, you don't want to be more than a few steps away in case your patient aspirates. Should you be taking an extensive history when a patient is in excruciating pain or is struggling to breath? Think about symptoms your patients will be having. What are the typical drugs that are given?

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Jul 3, 2011

I would say for me it was 2nd semester. I had a lot of stuff going on at home that made it a lot worse. I did 4th semester as well and did great that semester. 2nd was my worse semester and where we lost most students.

teaton · Jul 3, 2011

Great question! I've heard med-surg is toughest also.

Pneumothorax, BSN, RN · Jul 3, 2011

peds and ob kicked my butt from here to china and back but i made it out alive.

now , this fall i have med surge..but i have a friend in that class now,,, so ill see how he does lol. then ill start to worry.

BelleNscrubs04 · Jul 3, 2011

Good to know!

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Jul 3, 2011

We had 3 semesters of med/surg. The first semester of it was in second semester.

determine2brn · Jul 3, 2011

At my school second semester included: med surg, mental health, pharm 2, peds/ob and leadership/management. Out of those classes med surg was the hardest for me. ALOT of info to learn...

mangopeach · Jul 3, 2011

I'm in 2nd semester now, Med Surg. 4 more weeks left, yayyy! - At first I thought it was way harder than 1st semester. Now I don't think its really that difficult. 1st semester/Fundamentals was definitely way easier but with Med Surg, once you understand how to study for it, it gets easier. As JROregon said, know your role. I don't bother spending lots of time reading every page assigned and knowing every minute detail about the disease. I focus on the complications,meds, lab values,important things I need to teach the patient,diagnostic tests and the complications and care after the tests. The Saunders guide is excellent in helping you stay focused on the really important things.

tubaman86 · Jul 3, 2011

In my school the second semester contains Med-Surg, and OB/Peds, and is the hardest from what I hear. I think some of it had to do with the teacher, because we had a new instructor in Med-Surg and most of the class struggled. We lost a total of 10 people over the semester, which ends up being about 25% of our class. Med-Surg is hard, because you have to modify your thinking as JROregon pointed out.

Lilbit, ADN · Jul 3, 2011

The Saunders guide is excellent in helping you stay focused on the really important things.

People seems to really line Saunders the best. Which particular Saunders did you find helpful?

From the sound of things med/surg is the hardest semester. I've been curious too, thanks for asking :)

mangopeach · Jul 3, 2011

People seems to really line Saunders the best. Which particular Saunders did you find helpful?
From the sound of things med/surg is the hardest semester. I've been curious too, thanks for asking :)

I have the Saunders Comprehensive Review 5th Edition. Wished I had used it at the beginning of the semester. I have a high B average right now. I think if I had used it from the beginning my average would probably be an A right now. My school does not do pluses or minus so a B is a B whether its 80 or 89. Oh well, I'm passing and first year is almost over so thats all that matters in the end.