Why do people drop out of AZ nursing schools?

mattsmom64 · Jun 26, 2006

Hi,

I think most people don't realize the amount of time and committment that the program requires. I didn't find the content of Block 1 difficult, there was just so much info that we needed to take in! Try not to work if you can afford to, or try to limit yourself to no more than 15 hours per week.

A couple of suggestions.....

take all of your co-reqs before you get into the program (Patho is now part of the Nursing Process class so you can't take that beforehand)

develop some really good time management skills

purchase an NCLEX review book to help you get used to the testing format

realize that you will spend alot of your own time practicing skills, writing careplans etc....

give your house one really good cleaning before the semester starts

eat right and exercise to help ease your stress level

One other thing I did was to purchase a copy of the Block 1 syllabus the semester before I started. They sold them at my school's bookstore for around 20.00. It gave me a heads up on what to expect the first semester and I was also able to get some reading done beforehand. If the school you get accepted to doesn't sell the syllabus, try to borrow on from someone already in the program......

I hope this helps!

maryruth · Jun 26, 2006

Mattsmom,

Which school did you go to?

mattsmom64 · Jun 27, 2006

Hi Maryruth,

I'm at MCC

Mary

boomerfriend · Jun 28, 2006

I ditto everything Mary said. I would add that you need to realize that your household will not be the same as when you weren't in NS. (clean house, food always in the fridge, clothes washed, etc.) If you're married, your spouse has to be on board with this too. I have cooked less in this past semester than I ever have in our entire marriage. My husband is o.k. with that. My kids are even o.k. with it. As long as everyone is on the same page, it will be easier for you to focus on your studies. If there's discontent at home, it will make it really hard to concentrate.

Another tip I'd add before you start NS:

Purchase all the extras you can afford and stock up....TP, shampoo, laundry detergent, printer cartridges, etc. That way you won't be making a run to the store when it's not convenient for you. You can just draw from your stash. That really helped me. That reminds me that I've got to do my shopping and stock up for next semester.

PhoenixGirl · Jun 30, 2006

Hello all,
I was reading the 'drop out' thread and it seems as if a good percentage of people drop out of NS during the first or second semester. For those of you who are making it through (or had to drop out), what can we prenursing students do to be more prepared? Should we work less, exercise, take patho before we start?
Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.
CrazyPremed

In my program the people who didn't make it were the ones who didn't stay up on the studying and reading. Some were just flakes but some worked a lot (which is understandable) and I guess just couldn't make it work. There was this one lady who used to fall asleep a lot and I think she worked nights!

Stay ahead on your reading. Get practice NCLEX books and do the chapters that are associated with what your studying in class at that time. Saunders and Kaplan are great for practice NCLEX.

Use the net for studying also. I did this when we were doing cardiac. There are sites where you can listen to heart sounds and breath sounds. Helps a lot! I work in a facility now where we do a lot of respiratory assessments due to pts with respiratory failure and other respiratory issues. Listening to breath sounds on the internet has helped my assessment skills a lot!

Rebecca

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Jul 1, 2006

Purchase all the extras you can afford and stock up....TP, shampoo, laundry detergent, printer cartridges, etc. That way you won't be making a run to the store when it's not convenient for you. You can just draw from your stash. That really helped me. That reminds me that I've got to do my shopping and stock up for next semester.

YES! I do this. Before each semester I go to Costco and I (((really stock up))). I buy everything I use or consume, to last for 4 months. That way I only have to stop at the grocery store for perishables during the semester.

Calzonan RN · Jul 8, 2006

We only had one girl drop out from first block and she left right before clinicals. At my school we do class work first and then clinicals. She was having a lot of personal issues, broke up with her boyfriend etc, and struggled the first block just to pass. She decided she needed to get her life in order before going on to block 2. We also might be losing a girl who didn't pass patho. She passed all of her NS classes, but failed patho. She's taking a make-up this summer so if she passes that she'll be with us next weekend for block 2.

I really think that a lot of the people that drop out are not prepared AT ALL for NS. I've talked to some people at school and they had no idea about the admissions process, or just basic things about NS, I was shocked. I think the more info you can get the better prepared you'll be. Also, just plan on dedicating so many hours a day to studying, and add extra hours the weeks you have tests. Studying NCLEX testing questions is a good way to familiarize yourself with critical thinking. Most of the tests we took had 3-4 right answers, you had to pick the BEST right answer.

Also, you have to spend a lot of YOUR time practicing skills. It's not just time in the classroom, it's outside study time you need to set aside as well. And what a lot of the other posters said as well, make sure your spouse or support system is on board. There will be weeks when nothing around the house gets done, if that's going to cause problems then something needs to be worked out before you start NS.

HTH,

Keli

nsnapres · Jul 9, 2006

My theory is that most nursing students have difficulty with the critical thinking and time management aspects of nursing school. Classes like fundamentals really throw people off due to the fact that you are specifically learning theory...not just practical skills. It reminds me of art class--first you have to master the theories of oil painting like the classics in order to really have your own talent develop. It tends to be a tedious and time consuming area of nursing--all the care plans/NANDA-speak, etc. Also, I think people have false assumptions that they'll have time to work to pay mortgages and eat...truth be told, most of us can't balance the two. So, it's an expensive yet rewarding time in one's life.

I just keep the main picture in mind--I'm in my 4th block, just gotta get through this one and the next one. Then this will all be a whirlwind of a bad dream.

(tired just thinking about it!)

CrazyPremed, MSN, RN, NP · Oct 9, 2006

I guess that now that Block one is underway - for those accepted in the fall - I can pose this question again.

Have any of your classmates/you dropped out of nursing school this semester? What for? What do you wish you could have done before it started (for those who may start in the fall)?

CrazyPremed

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Oct 9, 2006

Crazy, I actually work with one of my former teachers, and we talk about this very thing a lot.

What we came up with (based only on experience) was a combination of issues.

1. Time management.

2. Motivation

3. Intelligence

By intelligence, I mean that there were some really, really ......umm, let me find the appropriate words here.....non-intelligent people who sqeaked through the pre-reqs because teachers don't want to fail anyone. These students are the one who just can't figure out a process no matter how many people explain it to them. Nursing school can be hard, but I'm talking about really simple things that they are having problems with. In my opinion, in order to increase graduation rates (NOT admission rates) we need to make nursing school harder to get into. That doesn't mean increasing the time, it means finding the people who will show signs that they will pass and giving them admission priority over people who got all Cs in their pre-reqs...

How did you do in A&P? My director of the nursing program always said that they have found this is the number one predictor of how a student will do in our nursing program. I've found this to be true as well. Even though they are completely different classes, they both require you to learn a lot in a short amount of time.

Time management is obvious. There isn't a lot of time to have a family/shop/study..etc. Sometimes, I would go to the library right after class on campus and do a quick bit of studying before I went home. Many times, I would stay after and talk to my instructors. They like your initiative, and you will learn more.

Motivation. Some people just don't want to do the hard work. Maybe they are tired and don't want to read 25 chapters, maybe they want to 'feel out' the first test to know how to study. Always study for your tests as if they were the final. In my program, we only had 4 tests a semester. It was possible for students to do poorly on the first test, and then never be able to recover. We lost 20 students in the last semester because they failed the first test so badly.

In clinicals, say yes to all that is offered. Yes I'll start the IV. If you miss, try to start another as soon as you can (on someone else). I worked with a student this week who tried 3 IVs. She only got the last one. She missed the first 2 and still tried again. Good for her-she's gonna do fine in the program.

Finally, come to this board or your fellow students when you have problems or questions! Everybody loves to help. I love nursing students!

boomerfriend · Oct 17, 2006

We haven't had anyone drop yet this semester. However, if a few of them don't get their grades out of the toilet, they'll be doing block 2 again. I'm not really sure what's going on with them. I know the material is a bit harder and more critical thinking comes into play now. We're drawing on the knowledge base we've established up to now. I guess if you haven't laid a good foundation, you'll be having problems.

Also, the schedule is getting more demanding. We have class two days and clinicals two days and the fifth day is usually a test. Balancing life, care plans, studies and all the other stuff that comes along....is not an easy job.