Why does school have to be made to be (seemingly) unneccesarily difficult?

[Guitarstrings]

With all the reading we are giving and expected to memorize, paired with minimal guidance and classroom time, how do they expect us to succeed? 2 classes over a 3 week period followed by a 50 point exam? And if I have a question or don't get it, then what?

I'm just very p.o.ed right now and getting very frustrated/borderline discouraged. All this hard work and I'm getting nothing to show for it expect disappointment and more frustration.

makes me want to cry right now.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

How do you study? I can't seem to handle all the material in both of my classes.

I don't study anymore since I finished school 6 1/2 years ago. To be honest, I rarely studied in nursing school either. I have never been much of a studier- from grade school all the way through college. I went to class, paid attention, learned the material and then applied it.

You have made MANY posts on this forum about struggling with very basic material. My honest advice to you is to seek out tutoring.

[Stephalump]

I honestly don't see how some are doing it. I presume that the ones who can handle the extra course load must already be familiar with the material from previous healthcare or personal experience..that's the only way.

Emily, I'm sorry, but no.

I think you're doing yourself a disservice by blaming your struggles on your program and attributing the success of others to some sort of unfair advantage.

Your many posts on this website demonstrate a lack of critical thinking ability. I'm not saying you're a lost cause - I have no idea - but you aren't going to find anywhere where you're going to get 5 years to grasp every concept in nursing school. If you're able to truly get a handle on the basics, you can apply it to everything more complex and you don't HAVE to memorize every chapter in the book. I don't want to call it common sense, because it isn't, but it becomes nursing common sense, if you get my drift.

If you need something slower paced, you're going to have to do something else. I don't know what else to tell you.

[Jenngirl34RN]

I think the best way to make it through all of the material in nursing school is to focus mainly on the objectives for each module and study that information first, instead of doing all of the reading right off the bat. Then, once you fully understand the main objectives, you can fill back in with any details you had to skip over the first time around. I have found that once you understand the main points of each topic it is pretty easy to use that knowledge to figure the rest out.

There is a ton of information, but I think part of what nursing school is trying to prepare us for is to prioritize and think critically.

[BCgradnurse, MSN, RN, NP]

Nursing school is hard. It should be hard-patients' lives are in our hands and we owe it to them to be competent, at the very least. You have to be willing to put in the time and make sacrifices to do well in nursing school. That being said, I always found it helpful to study with classmates. We could bounce things off each other, and if one of us didn't understand something, chances were someone else did and could explain it. I also agree with not reading every chapter word for word. I would study my notes and always used an NCLEX review book to help support my notes. I'd use the textbook to elaborate on things I didn't fully understand or needed more info on. In pharm, I would focus on general characteristics of a class of drugs, and learn the details on one or two of the most commonly prescribed in that class. Look into tutoring and have a frank discussion with your advisor. Perhaps he or she can offer some insight into your issues.

[zzbxdo]

There's a ton of information to be learned, if you're trying to learn via text books you're doomed. I've been taught since day one to study in a manner that will stick, cramming will do you no justice. In fact, I probably did the least studying the couple of days before an exam. Figure out what method of studies works for you. Ideally, what your professors teach in class is what is going to be emphasized on exams. Refer to texts if you need to, but personally I never lay my hands on them other then the need for visualization. Google has been my best friend otherwise. It's not like prerequisites anatomy and physio where you cram and try to memorize everything. You actually need to THINK. Everyone here is going through the same process or has already been through it. You need to find the magic short cut that works for yourself. Just understand if you think reading all "20" chapters is gonna get you anywhere, you're probably gonna be doomed before you even get anywhere. That said, you learn the most the first few years of work. Just study to understand and past the nclex.

[luckydaisy84]

I went through an entry level BSN program. It is a lot of hard work and sleepless nights.....BUT..... nursing in the real world as a new nurse is much harder than I ever could have imagined. Trust me, the hard work in school helps to form you into an organized and bright individual so that you are able to survive as a new nurse :). Find a support system in other people in class with you. Use them to vent to and also to laugh with..... it makes all the difference! Good luck!!!

[NuGuyNurse2b]

I agree with the others who posted similar sentiments. We as nursing students are being prepared for the real world, and if clinical is any indication, it doesn't get any easier. I'm passing my 1st semester - but I'm struggling. And I don't give myself an excuse - I ask myself "would I want a nurse who couldn't make it through even the first semester of their nursing school taking care of me or my loved ones?" - and once I get into that mindset, I am more willing to accept that it is hard, but it's a necessary challenge.

[sourapril]

Think it as a beginning of a very long (and sometimes difficult) journey then you don't feel so bad. When you look back after you work for a while, school will seem like a piece of cake.

[EmilyEmily]

I don't study anymore since I finished school 6 1/2 years ago. To be honest, I rarely studied in nursing school either. I have never been much of a studier- from grade school all the way through college. I went to class, paid attention, learned the material and then applied it.

You have made MANY posts on this forum about struggling with very basic material. My honest advice to you is to seek out tutoring.

okay so you're just naturally gifted. you don't need the book. but what about students like me who need to study for hours and need to read the material..it's exhausting

[liketheairport]

okay so you're just naturally gifted. you don't need the book. but what about students like me who need to study for hours and need to read the material..it's exhausting

To the OP, academia can be really difficult, no matter what field it's in. Why? Because schools want to seem prestigious enough to get people to apply and enroll. Also, it's to test people's mettle, to weed out the people who aren't serious about it. That's pretty much in ANY academic program, but especially in anything having to do with medical sciences.

A lot of things may SEEM unnecessary, but the funny thing is, you never know when you may need an alternative approach to a problem. You'll be glad to have crammed all that stuff in, you may actually recall it when needed.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

okay so you're just naturally gifted. you don't need the book. but what about students like me who need to study for hours and need to read the material..it's exhausting

As I said, I believe you should pursue tutoring. You posted on another thread where you couldn't figure out what 90% of 100 is- that is like 3rd grade math and you should be able to do it in your head. You've also started MANY threads where it is clear that you are not grasping very basic concepts. The nurses on here have offered you solid advice. If you barely scrape by in nursing school, you're going to struggle even more with NCLEX and with actually being a nurse. Better to address the problem now. Go to your professors' office hours. Seek out a tutor.

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

okay so you're just naturally gifted. you don't need the book. but what about students like me who need to study for hours and need to read the material..it's exhausting

If the work is exhausting maybe you need to consider changing majors. This and your multiple other posts discussing your struggles of barely passing your classes are very concerning. You continually post the same questions. & concerns about basic nursing information and application of knowledge whether dosing calculation or nursing concepts.

Perhaps you should schedule a meeting with an academic advisor to see if this is the best major for you. If it is, what can you do ( tutoring, alternative assignments, whatever) to help you quickly process the information and develop the ability to apply clinical knowledge. Just like in kindergarten you learn to count but in first grade you learn how to apply the basic math skills to telling time and counting money/change.

If nursing is not the best major for you, perhaps academic advising and/or career services can help you find a new direction for your education & career.

For me, I enjoyed the material and loved learning new things and thus actually enjoyed nursing school. After a while it was no longer work but pleasure. I loved the research. I loved pharmacology. I loved tutoring classmates and seeing that aha moment when they understood a difficult concept. (Though I am the odd student who read ALL of my nursing textbooks. And did the associated workbook/study guides concurrently with the reading....this I think reinforced my knowledge and well prepared me for exams). Having the " nursing common sense " to apply text book knowledge to clinical lab and patients became a natural progression. These skills serve me well as I progress through my nursing career