Hi everyone,

I cannot explain how much hardwork was being put into my first semester in Nursing school. I have worked way to hard to actually be accepted into this nursing school and I am feeling more down then ever. One of my classes, I almost passed by 0.1% and the other course was due to my impaired vision during an exam, which was  out of my control. I will be meeting with my dean this week to further discuss the situation, in which is pure bad luck. I just honestly wish I was given a second chance. If anyone has any advice, I would be extremely happy to listen according to my current bad luck situation. This was my LIFE that I worked so hard for and now its being taken away within the blink of an eye. ANY advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated during this sad time of my life.

Thank you.

As Sue said, be open and honest with the Dean. 

I would not want to plan to use "bad luck", "it was fate" or "in the cards".  That would be interpreted as a dodge of responsiblility on your part.  You did not make a passing grade - - period.  No denying it.  It happened. 

Now explain to the Dean what you plan to do to correct it.  It may involve more time on your part, perhaps even dropping into a lower class.  If you want it bad enough, you will do it.  (I started to work on my Masters in 1983 and finally finished one in 1996).

Other recommendations, make an appointment with your Nursing advisor NOW.  That is the one person in the program who knows you and knows what you can do to fix the problem  That is what they are there for, that is their job.  Work out a real plan that would allow you to get to where you need to be and is acceptable by the  Department of Nursing. 

When the Russians invaded Afghanistan in 1979, I thought that I would lose my place in the school.  I was released from service after the US decided not to react.  I was able to make up the time over the summer and remain in my original class. 

Work with your advisor, before you meet with the Dean. 

Good luck and please let us know how it turns out.

It is not out of your control until you let it get out of control.

Remember, what an advisor tells you is that, ADVICE. 

I made a horrible mistake when I had been cruising through my Masters program with an advisor that I knew, admired and knew what my goals were.  When I was switched advisors less than a year before graduating, he took me off in a different direction.  I was having fun before that.  He had me take courses that I still have no use for.  (I was going through a Major Depressive Episode at the time and did not know it.  That was why I just followed along.)

Only you can control your destiny.  Maybe the advice from those 2 profs was sound.  I spent 4 years as Navy Hospital Corpsman before going to nursing school.  I had gained confidence that I never had before and never would not have gotten in my lifetime, if I had not done that.   That was good for me.   I cannot say that that would be good for you.

It is time for you to sit down with the pad and paper (yes, do it.  It is not a mental exercise) and write down What do you want to do?, Who are you doing it for?, Why are you doing it to begin with? and What do you hope to accomplish once you have your degree in hand? 

Answer all of those questions honestly.  If you do not, you will not know what to do next.  I would share the results with the Dean if your answers indicated that you are truly interested in pursuing nursing as a career.

I honestly appreciate all the great advice that you have all provided me with. I will keep everyone updated in regards to my intervention. I honestly NEVER thought I would ever be struggling this bad during nursing school. I did go from a 3.76GPA to barely a 2.0 GPA. My hard work invested into this program is really what keeps me motivated to do the best that I can do. I work twice as hard a normal college student due to my Attention Deficit Disorder. I've never used my learning disability towards my advantage, but instead I strived to be able to achieve what I am capable of. I still believe my capability has not been set yet. Wish me luck everyone!

Yes, I agree with Dr. Tom.  And there are learning styles that can be used to "get" the material. If being a nurse is your goal and your dream, please take the time to find out about your learning style and retention style. What works for someone else, may not be your best way.

Sue,

You are dead on.  I started as a Navy Hospital Corpsman, BSN 8 years after high school, MPH 13 years later and PhD 2 years after that.  Some of us take it in smaller bites.

Great points and congratulations with your Masters and I know that you'll do great with the Doctorate with that attitude.  Like you said, you deserve it and you deserve it because you did what you had to to get there.  No luck or star alignment there.

KLD4024, 

I, like you, struggled with my first year of nursing school.  I was in my 40's and had a passion for nursing, so I decided to pursue.  When I went back to college for my pre-reqs I had a lot of catching up to do.  It wasn't easy and there were times when I felt like giving up.  I ended up doing very well with my pre-reqs and got accepted into nursing school with a 4.0..I wanted it BAD.  My first semester was a disaster..20 chapters to study all at once, learning drug calculations on my own and with my new found best friends (ya' gotta stick together), and a first year teacher who tried hard but teaching jus wasn't her strong suit.  Many times in that first year I cried, and ranted, and came very, very close to quitting.  Passing a test with a decent grade was almost impossible and afterall I was a 4.0 student...well then I had to get real.

One of the first things I had to learn to do was dissect an NCLEX question.  There is a method to it.  If you have an NCLEX book, read the very first pages ( you know, the stuff you usually skip over cause you want to get to the "meat" of the book) and it should shed some light on these types of questions.  Start doing questions and reading the rationales until you understand.

I am happy to report that I did indeed finish nursing school, passed the NCLEX on the first try, and am happily praticing as a nurse.  Oh, and I ran into my 1st semester professor today in the meat asile of the grocery store.  We had a very nice chat, an extended chat actually, as two professional nurses.

The bottom line is...it can be done.  It is very hard work.  My husband and I have 5 children, all of whom were teenagers during my adventure in nursing school.  In my opinion nursing school is harder than raising 5 teenagers!  Best of luck and don't give up.