When do you know it's time to give up? :/

Julie Reyes, DNP, RN · Nov 18, 2014

One of the things I did faithfully was to utilize the websites from the textbooks - there are often at least some nclex practice questions there, and 90% of the time, those questions were on the exam! Hope that works for you!

StudentN123 · Nov 19, 2014

You take no notes whatsoever? How on earth do you even know what to study? Trying to read the chapters and retain all of that info is crazy. I'm going to say that is 95% of your problem. You need to listen to the instructor in class and highlight and note what is important. Anything an instructor says or repeats is probably going to be on a test. Do your instructors do power points? Do you maybe record the lectures? There are so many things you should be doing besides wasting your time trying to take notes from a book. I don't know about your class but we may go over 10-15 chapters in a week. That is so much info. You need to use your time effectively.

I made big flashcards of all the diseases we go through in class. I then read that section carefully and put the nursing duties(assessment, lab values, patho, interventions, diagnosis) by making columns. I then take all the diseases then quiz myself. I also took a lot of Nclex practice questions.

StudentN123 · Nov 19, 2014

The situation seems tough.. I am also receiving financial support from my parents; and felt even more depressed once I confessed to them my results. They seemed to understand, and supported me by saying that sometimes we just have to fail, and to not close the doors for myself completely. They encouraged me that I was still young, and shouldn't worry too much. Yet so, I still feel clogged deep down inside. I now come to accept my feelings and reactions, and instead focus on the positive picture like you said. (: I tell myself that if I do end up having to repeat the semester(s), at least I'll know I'll have much more confidence and a better attitude. Yes the waiting time is there, but nursing isn't going anywhere, and there is so much more to life that you can do. I used to think that I had to finish my career as a nurse before "enjoying" my life, but I haven't had a moment to pause and breath. I've been a full time student for awhile, and maybe it's time for me to finally enjoy my musical side once again.

I think that the best thing is just to accept the situation and make the best out of it. As far as parents go, I know feel even much more motivated to do well and do something that can help them in the long run as a payback. I think failure is one of those thing we don't like to talk about, as we feel ashamed, but that behind every failure lies a valuable lesson. Always stay strong, positive, and good luck to you as well! :)

love.live.laugh · Nov 19, 2014

The situation seems tough.. I am also receiving financial support from my parents; and felt even more depressed once I confessed to them my results. They seemed to understand, and supported me by saying that sometimes we just have to fail, and to not close the doors for myself completely. They encouraged me that I was still young, and shouldn't worry too much. Yet so, I still feel clogged deep down inside. I now come to accept my feelings and reactions, and instead focus on the positive picture like you said. (: I tell myself that if I do end up having to repeat the semester(s), at least I'll know I'll have much more confidence and a better attitude. Yes the waiting time is there, but nursing isn't going anywhere, and there is so much more to life that you can do. I used to think that I had to finish my career as a nurse before "enjoying" my life, but I haven't had a moment to pause and breath. I've been a full time student for awhile, and maybe it's time for me to finally enjoy my musical side once again.
I think that the best thing is just to accept the situation and make the best out of it. As far as parents go, I know feel even much more motivated to do well and do something that can help them in the long run as a payback. I think failure is one of those thing we don't like to talk about, as we feel ashamed, but that behind every failure lies a valuable lesson. Always stay strong, positive, and good luck to you as well! :)

That's great that you were able to tell your parents about your situation I am hoping to build up the courage to do the same and I hope that they have the same reaction. I feel like they probably will but just knowing that they've went completely out of their way to support me while I was in the program and I failed so early is so discouraging for me. I was also focused on getting school out of the way while I'm still young but I've realized that putting all of this pressure on myself is not helping. I'm going to be 23 soon and I just graduated in May so for the last 4 years it's been back to back school including the summer and I guess I just want a break. Thanks for the encouraging words, it definitely makes me feel a little better and as long as we don't allow this to keep us down then I think we'll be fine

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · Nov 19, 2014

That is still a lot of info. We have disease process worksheets to do and I do them but I also pay very close attention to the items that the teacher emphasizes in class. If you pay attention real well, you can tell what will be on the upcoming test. That is what I study. I don't know if you guys have the ATI books but I make sure I also do the ATI questions before the test so I understand the type of questions that will be on there. Depending on which instructor is lecturing some will say be sure you know this, or this might be important for the test. I highlight all of that stuff and it goes on my flashcards. Then anything that is repeated. I star and highlight those items and I study those also. There are subtle clues you can pick up on rather than trying to study everything. That is just way too much info to retain.

seriouslyserious, LPN · Nov 20, 2014

what else do you have going on in your life? the majority of people fail nursing school because of prioritization issues. nursing school is not difficult, but you have to put in time/effort. i am not afraid to admit i am not the brightest person in the world, but i have an indomitable will. i haven't seen family for 4 years, i half-assed a relationship (so that failed), and i quit my job to focus on my studies... nursing school was a full-time job for me. good luck whatever you decide to do... i graduated Summer of 2014. with almost a 4.0 GPA (nursing curriculum)

StudentN123 · Nov 20, 2014

The instructors told us that some the material comes from the lecture, and the other from the readings. I am going to try what you told me of really just reading those sections and going off power points, for my fifth exam. One last try. We do have ATI; however some of the topics and questions there are not covered in our exams.

StudentN123 · Nov 20, 2014

"what else do you have going on in your life? the majority of people fail nursing school because of prioritization issues. nursing school is not difficult, but you have to put in time/effort. i am not afraid to admit i am not the brightest person in the world, but i have an indomitable will. i haven't seen family for 4 years, i half-assed a relationship (so that failed), and i quit my job to focus on my studies... nursing school was a full-time job for me. good luck whatever you decide to do... i graduated Summer of 2014. with almost a 4.0 GPA (nursing curriculum)"

Wow, I really admire your will power. I am not a genius either, but I do set aside a lot of time for studying. I live with my family, but usually my weekends and weekday nights are spend studying. I do have some time scheduled for my boyfriend on saturdays nights; and I usually stick to local things like a movie and coffee. I think another issue for me is my social anxiety, in which I tend to breakdown with nervousness at skills lab; lowering my confidence.