I am at....I'm literally at the end of my rope guys. I honestly don't know what to do. I'm scared and frustrated beyond measure.

I just took my Nursing Exam for one of my classes, one that I've studied for weeks in advance, spent hours upon hours each day building up to it, studying almost every waking moment to try to pass, sacrificing sleep, a social life, any possible meaningful relationships, so I could devote more time to cram this shit into my head to apply it.......

And what's my reward? A 69 out of 100......A fucking "F"..........I've failed the only two exams that I'll take in this class, aside from the Final. And if I want to pass this course, I have to have not only have a passing class grade, but a 73% overall testing grade to stay in this program.

.......Honestly, I don't know what to do anymore. I've tried every test strategy that I could think of to try to learn the material and apply it to a nursing scenario, cause apparently in nursing tests, like the NCLEX, ALL the answers are correct, but you're supposed to choose the BEST correct answer to each scenario.....

I'm....I'm literally breaking down inside. I may be trying to be cool outside, but I'm tumbling into a void inside guys...... I have EVERYTHING riding on this nursing program if I want to have something of a future. My first degree of "Bio-premedicine", I realize now, is essentially WORTHLESS to get a job higher than a CNA, as it's just a stepping stone degree to "higher" medical jobs, like a DOCTOR or a PA, and we all saw how THAT attempt went with me.

If I get kicked out of this program or I'm forced to drop out.....I honestly don't know what I'll do. I'll be stuck at home, with no place to call my own, be hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt because of this program, stuck in a low-paying position of a CNA which can't even afford me a crappy apartment in the Ghetto to live on my own, with nothing to show for as an adult career.......

I don't know what to do guys. I'm trying so freaking hard to pass, I've sacrificed almost everything to try to succeed, which they tell you you need to do.....but it's not enough......it's just not enough......

If I can't be a nurse and grow as an adult........I don't know what to do with myself.......

I just realized applying my profile to the 3ds deletes all the games...no more zero mission :(
Also shantae-risky's revenge costs exactly 1 pound more than i have in my account right now....goddammit

Really sorry to hear about that, Xander. Is there anyone who can help you? Counselors? Teacher's aides? Other students? There should be people there who can help, so maybe altering your approach somehow will improve your performance.

Bagheera has the right idea with asking about any professors or aides that you could meet with. If you've yet to try that strategy, it's always something you could break out of your arsenal.

^
Thank you Bags. And yes, I have been speaking with my teachers, tutors, and even senior students who have taken the class in order to try to come up with a better strategy for me, but it's still not working. These tests are so vague in their answers and the material is so expansive, we barely have time to study and filter out the information that we need. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

xanderkh wrote:I am at....I'm literally at the end of my rope guys. I honestly don't know what to do. I'm scared and frustrated beyond measure.

I just took my Nursing Exam for one of my classes, one that I've studied for weeks in advance, spent hours upon hours each day building up to it, studying almost every waking moment to try to pass, sacrificing sleep, a social life, any possible meaningful relationships, so I could devote more time to cram this shit into my head to apply it.......

It might be that you spent so much time on learning stuff that you forgot to relax, which can negatively impact performance. Also, try to get good sleep, it seriously helps memory. Basically, proper sleep and relaxation help you process the information you learned earlier, making it easier to understand subsequent information on related subjects.

Also, what Bagheera said. Just talking about it to someone can help a lot, and they may have tips on how to help fix the situation.

^
Thank you Bags. And yes, I have been speaking with my teachers, tutors, and even senior students who have taken the class in order to try to come up with a better strategy for me, but it's still not working. These tests are so vague in their answers and the material is so expansive, we barely have time to study and filter out the information that we need. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

Is the focus on learning things by heart, or understanding the processes described?

^

The posters above have you covered: it could be test anxiety.

Hey, if you need to vent, Skype me (or anyone here!). I'm on the line.

You're going to figure things out, I promise you.

Shamsiel-kun wrote:Is the focus on learning things by heart, or understanding the processes described?

It's BOTH in a sense. You need to understand the concept AND try to apply it. But the thing is, these stupid tests come up with questions that try for scenarios that throw you off and question what it really is about. AND, you HAVE to know every tiny, detail, cause if you miss one, they make sure that there's a question on a small comment made in a tiny paragraph of information that could easily be glossed over.

I really am trying guys, and I'm trying new techniques. I just hope it's gonna be enough.

xanderkh wrote:It's BOTH in a sense. You need to understand the concept AND try to apply it. But the thing is, these stupid tests come up with questions that try for scenarios that throw you off and question what it really is about. AND, you HAVE to know every tiny, detail, cause if you miss one, they make sure that there's a question on a small comment made in a tiny paragraph of information that could easily be glossed over.

I really am trying guys, and I'm trying new techniques. I just hope it's gonna be enough.

Okay, my guess would be that these tests are made like that on purpose. One thing that strikes me as essential in nursing (well, anything health-related really, as well as several other applied subjects) is that the nurse needs to be able to adapt to a variety of situations, many of which they will not have studied for. So what they aim to test is whether the student can apply learned procedures in a different context than what is described in the examples.

From that point of view it is not that different from part of my own specialisation in biology: ecology. You have general techniques that can be applied in various situations, but at the same times those situations may require some "customization" when it comes down to stuff like statistics (or for you: dosing drugs). You also have more or less standard situations that are taught to students (so for me, that would be for example an aquatic salt water marsh ecosystem, for you a patient with a broken leg), but when you encounter those in reality things will not be like examples on paper, there will be complications that you need to deal with.

So what you need to learn to do is something like the following:
- Learn to discern the stuff you need to know by heart (e.g. popular drug names, dosages that are important), the stuff that you need to understand the general process of (how to fix a broken leg on the scene of an accident), and the stuff that is circumstancial (so those circumstances that may be present, but are not essential to what you have to do - but try to keep them in mind somewhere).
- Discover what kind of learner you are. Some people are really good at cramming stuff in their heads, others must understand the process and only then can learn the little details. Some people are good at taking notes at lectures. Personally, I'm not, I always forget half of what is said when I take notes. So instead I listen well and try to understand the reasoning - at a certain point you can then predict what the lecturer is going to say next (with a good lecturer).
- If you're not sure about something, put it down on the test anyway if otherwise you would not write anything down. If you really don't know and feel panicky, do another question first. What I always did was to read the whole exam before starting, doing the questions I was sure about straight away, so I had more time for those that I had trouble with.
- You might find that giving a good general description of something gives you more points than having an average general description and details. If a teacher gets the impression you get it, if they are a good teacher they'll grade you higher.

If before a test you generally feel very nervous (pee a lot, shaky, thoughts running through your head, fearful, hyperactive, etc.), maybe get counseling for fear of tests. Sitting at the front of the room, where you can't see other people leaving, can also help a lot.

Oh, almost forgot the most important one: Teach yourself to say "Enough". Give yourself time to relax after cramming. Not a computer game. Take a walk, go sporting. And the day before the exam, go do something outdoors, don't study.

I'll try to look into other methods to beat them into my head.

I appreciate what you guys are doing, it helps a bit.

And forgive me for being a bit pessimistic.

It's just.......all my regrets of my life are crashing down on me because of this test....

^

You are twenty-five, man! You're too young for regrets! Don't do that to yourself.

I took the dressing off my knee today (it was falling off anyway, and I didn't want it to fall off somewhere embarrassing.) The instant I did, the entire thing started hurting and generally being gross. Had to leave class to go and blot it with paper towels. I'm currently trying to find some of the adhesive gauze pads I got yesterday.

Nuclear Lunchbox wrote:I took the dressing off my knee today (it was falling off anyway, and I didn't want it to fall off somewhere embarrassing.) The instant I did, the entire thing started hurting and generally being gross. Had to leave class to go and blot it with paper towels. I'm currently trying to find some of the adhesive gauze pads I got yesterday.

Make sure to keep it clean and all. I know it hurts like a bitch, but some isopropanol probably wouldn't hurt (pun intended). Keep that shit wrapped up.

I feel pretty good about it on that score. I've been putting fresh antiseptic on it twice a day and making sure it has time to air out.

Nuclear Lunchbox wrote:I took the dressing off my knee today (it was falling off anyway, and I didn't want it to fall off somewhere embarrassing.)

It's a dressing on your knee, not a bikini top. At most you're gonna squick someone out who is sensitive to the sight of wounds or blood.

The instant I did, the entire thing started hurting and generally being gross. Had to leave class to go and blot it with paper towels. I'm currently trying to find some of the adhesive gauze pads I got yesterday.

Can't you put on some baggy trousers and let it dry out nicely in class? Just be careful not to hit it again (which probably means you will... )

Shamsiel-kun wrote:It's a dressing on your knee, not a bikini top. At most you're gonna squick someone out who is sensitive to the sight of wounds or blood.

Dropping bloody fabric in classrooms is generally discouraged, I think. Anyway, I wear shorts; the dressings are only on to make sure nothing accidentally bumps into my raw flesh. Now that the weekend is here, it'll have a good few days to heal up without me having to wear any gauze over it.

What depresses me is that this thread is barely 24 hours old and we've already got a page and a half of content. At this rate, if we really work at it, we can have another FML thread ready before 2015.

What depresses me is that energy drinks make me drowsy now: every time I drink one, I start falling asleep.



...this should probably concern me.

Gob Hobblin wrote:What depresses me is that energy drinks make me drowsy now: every time I drink one, I start falling asleep.

What about coffee?

Gob Hobblin wrote:What depresses me is that energy drinks make me drowsy now: every time I drink one, I start falling asleep.

Me and DR Pepper. same deal.