Yup, I failed...2nd year, first semester! Need advice

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Specializes in Cardiac.

Hi all...soo, yes I ended up failing my acute care course today! 8 weeks into my 2nd year of nursing school...needless to say i'm heartbroken and my family is very unhappy with me and overall, I feel like such a stupid person, esp as I am not working now, and devoted more time to school than to my family!

argh. I kno what I did wrong, i failed the 2nd exam BADDD like super duper bad and it was a struggle alll semester to bring it up, I came close...soo very close and I actually passed the final...unlike many of my classmates but I failed by a whole...get this...1.3%!!!!! yes!

So now, I'm at a crossroads...I LOVE Nursing and yes I know this is what I want to do wwith my life...yet i'm very down about this, i'm not like some 20yr old, fresh outta HS with no responsibilities, I'm in my 30's with a family and student loans and Ive already done a undergrad and a masters which proved to be -worthless-...anyway. The school said I could continue into the next 8 week course just to get it done then do a "leave of absence" and return next october and redo acute care. I am thinking maybe thats a good idea...I cant tranfer in as an advanced standing student nurse anywhere else...id have to redo the entire process AGAIN...and im not down with that! and I could work full time as a PCT during my "absence" which may potentially be of use to me as id be on the floor still and wouldnt loose what I know. I unfortunately cant sit for the LPN licenser...which I had looked into...but nope, not in my state...anyway. I dunno...a part of me thinks ok, just wait it out and go back and do the acute and finish the program then...so id grad june 2014...but im also scared...like do I have it in me to get back into the studying and crazyness? I want to do NURSING...but the prospect is daunting... will i forget what I learnt...what if i screw up a 2nd time?

please any advice...

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Specializes in L&D.

Wait it out and finish the program. You might as well take the advice the school gave you. Dropping out wouldn't do any good. A later graduation date is better than no degree!

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better late than never.

In my previous degree I "rushed" for a frat and to be honest the stuff I did there was scarier than anything the teachers could have ever thrown me in nursing school. Take it easy, take this time to build up relationships with people that were in your class so you know what to expect and learn from it.

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Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.

"what if i screw up a 2nd time?"Then you" ll be pretty much in the same place you are at this moment. However, you learned it once, and was very close to passing. Buckle down, study hard and when you relearn the same stuff next year it'll probably come come easier to you.

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Specializes in ED.

Continue on!!!! This will not be your last let down!!! Nursing school is full of them !!!! Lol

Good luck . You can do it!!!!!

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I agree with the above posters. Complete the other course and then take your "leave of absence." Give yourself a break from the chaos of nursing school, spend time with your family, and work as a PCT full time until you can come back. If anything, you can always finish your course and decide not to continue nursing school for whatever reason when that time comes next October. Just give yourself the option to go back to nursing school by finishing the 8-week course before making a final decision.

If you made it through 1 year and you have a passion for nursing you should keep on going! As time passes, you'll find that this experience will have given you the strength to overcome anything that comes your way. I have faith in you. Best of luck!

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I say just wait it out & work in the mean time.

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Specializes in Cardiac.

Im the OP...I just wanted to post an update incase anyone else experiences what I went through. I ended up taking the year off to relax mentally, I spent more time with my family...I also got a really good job as a PCT and worked full time, in the meantime I paid attention to *everything*, I also studied in my off time when I could so key, critical concepts remained fresh...I also took the other non-Nursing classes and finished all of them so I could go back and solely focus on the Nursing courses. I went back and passed the class again with a 97%! The highest grade in the class (I think, from what I heard)...I admit I changed my studying and studyed my butt off BUT the major difference is the 2nd time around important, complex concepts actually clicked in my brain. I could reason though them, rationalize...I knew them cold. I breeezed through that class and even got two 100%'s on exams which most people failed...the rest of the program was a breeze and I finished strong. I graduated 1 month ago and am waiting to take my NClexRN in about a month and am applying for jobs. At the time I was heart broken and devistated but frankly it ended up being a blessing in disguise. I got to travel a bit with my husband and kidlet when he went on conferences for work and I got time to spend with my family and regroup and develop a battle plan and ofcourse as I said things made tons more sense 2nd time around. So if you end up in a similar situation...dont worry...it may seem hopeless and you may be extremely depressed and sad and everything else but everything happens for a reason...it may be a blessing in disguise.

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Good for you! Congratulations:)

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Specializes in Surgical Intensive Care.

Awesome story!! You should be very proud of your success, and I wish you the best of luck with your future nursing career!

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Specializes in Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.

Congrats! I loved reading the update..

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

Congratulations on completing your degree! Sometimes what has to be done is to take a break so that you can put yourself in a better mind-set. Amazing what happens when you have that "lightbulb" moment! What really gets fun is when your classmates come to you to ask you what you think about something or how to do something... and you get that chance to teach, which only reinforces what you know.

My first year wasn't bad... it was horrible, but not because of the material itself. It was, however, a great experience because I learned what my limits are, and I know when I potentially become unsafe by being too tired. Going back through was a whole lot better overall because a lot of things changed, not the least of which was the schedule.

I went from just struggling to get through to becoming someone people turned to for advice.

It sounds like you had the same turn around, and for that, congratulations, and I hope you're able to breeze through the NCLEX.

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