r/NursingStudent

I can’t believe it. I left my house an hour and fifteen minutes before the exam starts (as I usually do for an exam) for a 25 minute drive into the city. There was so much traffic that I got to the parking garage, parked, sprinted into the building, took the elevator up 10 floors, and got to the room just as they locked the doors at the exact time the exam is supposed to start. I feel like a major loser. Apparently half the class had the same traffic issues but that doesn’t make it better. A lot of the professors were outside the test taking room just reminding students to email them about a make up date and looking at us with pity so I know they don’t think we’re just a bunch of lazy students. It just sucks so much. I studied so hard just to still have it hanging over my head? I think about what I could’ve done differently and idk, maybe leave the house 2 hours before the exam starts next time? Even if that means getting to the school an hour and a half before the exam? I’m going home now to cry and start my emailing process to try to make up this exam.

29, unmarried, no children, homeowner, for context.

A little backstory: went to school for business because I figured it would allow me to choose from many paths, have my MBA as well. worked in corporate America in management consulting for 5+ years, that was the job I landed right after school. Laid off in December of 2025, got a job in hospitality management for a “brain break” from consulting. It’s way too taxing for the low salary (low in comparison to what my salary was in consulting). I’m at a point now where I really can choose a different path. I figured, what better time than the present.

I’ve been exploring becoming a doula for years, it’s always been on my list of things I could see myself doing. I think women’s bodies are incredible, I’ve always been drawn to learning more about maternal health, labor, postpartum, newborn care, etc.

I shied away from anything health related as an undergraduate student because of how much I told myself I was terrible at math and science. I’m at a place now where I’m older, feeling more confident in my abilities, and interested in going all the way, going back to school to become an RN and hopefully land a position in a L&D unit. Of course, this won’t be easy/guaranteed and I fully understand that.

I guess I just would love to hear some guidance, stories, etc from anyone who went back to school for nursing as their second degree. I plan to start prerequisites at the end of this month, and start the ABSN program next fall.

Feel free to include info on how you financed it. I will have to relocate about 1.5 hours away to attend this particular program.

Thank you!!

I plan to join absn in GCU Nevada and wanted to make sure that the program fulfills the educational requirement for California as I plan to practice nursing here. The person who I talked to had no interest in answering the questions i asked. This is the conversation I had with the BON of California:

Me: Do you guys take courses from study.com?
Her: We take courses from all the colleges.
Me: Study.com is a third party website and not a college.
Her:We take courses from all the colleges.
Me: The labs are online as well.
Her: We take courses from all the colleges.
Me: I plan to do absn in GCU Neveada does the clinical hours satisfy for California ?
Her: We take courses from all the colleges.

It is so frustrating . I also learnt in reddit and all nurses that GCU's clinical hours will not be sufficient for the educational requirement in California. After taking away the GCU's stimulation hours, patient to patient care comes up to be 400 and California requires 500.
While talking to my counselor at GCU they told me they have not heard any of the study .com complications as well as they told me a lot of people have graduated and are practicing nursing in California.
Does anyone know anything about it?

Hi everyone! I’m studying for the TEAS and aiming for a score of at least 90, but I’m having trouble figuring out when I’m ready to take it.

For those who have already taken the exam, what helped you decide you were ready? Did you wait until you consistently reached your target score on practice tests, or did you focus more on how well you understood the material?

Also, how close were your practice test scores to your actual TEAS score, and which practice tests did you use?
I’d appreciate hearing about your experiences.

Thanks!

#TEASExam #ATITEAS #PreNursing #NursingStudents #NursingSchool #TEASPrep

thoughts on a clinical instructor relying entirely with AI? major subject btw. frustrated rn how we are directly sent of her gemini prompts screenshot not even trying to hide it kahit i copy paste man lang para hindi ma halata na galing AI lol. Puts undiscussed terms sa quizzes then blames us for being st0,opid daw. She didn't have us buy book so we really don't have any solid clue at all on what's next or what we are doing or reading is right except that all her materials came from gemini. Is this how we are suppose to be molded as a future nurse?

I’m so excited!! I got accepted to one of the local CCs I applied to for Spring 2027!! 🥹
I’m an anxious person lol so I want to be as prepared as possible for next year.

Give me your best advice for succeeding, share your experiences and tell me anything you wish you knew before starting nursing school!
Anything that I should review or study in advance? Any study tips or resources that actually helped you? Any tips for dosage calculations/med math or clinicals? What mistakes should I avoid? How did you stay organized and manage your time? Any recommendations for shoes, scrubs, compression socks, watches, stethoscopes, backpacks, or other nursing essentials? Anything I should buy before school starts or things that ended up being unnecessary? Any apps, YouTube channels, websites, or books you recommend? And what do you wish you knew before starting nursing school?
Give me anything!!! 💪🏻

So I’m a second semester ADN student and Med-Surg 1 has been kicking my butt. First exam I barely made it to an 82. The second exam I got a 76. I was told the third exam was gonna be the hardest one (GI health and musculoskeletal health).

First exam, I felt like I didn’t study enough. Technically, I was below an 80 when I saw my score right after taking the exam, but I think my dosage answers saved my grade. Second exam I felt I spent a lot of time studying and doing practice questions. I also felt confident coming into the exam. I felt like I knew the information and the meds associated with it. Only for me to get a 76.

I am desperately asking for help. I don’t want to fail out of Med-Surg 1. I need a minimum of 80 overall in the class to be able to continue forward with my program.

For students who struggled with this, what changes to your studying worked? At first I was just reading the book, then I started focusing on the learning objectives and how to answer practice questions based on those. It just feels dejecting when I put all this effort and this was the outcome.

Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Anyone has a full-proof way to pass exams, please let me know. I am desperate, I can’t afford to fail and retake. I need to pass and continue forward. Please let me know. Thank you.

Decided to post this in the nursing students sub in case I could help someone who is just starting or in the middle of their nursing school journey.

I took my NCLEX today, while I was down with a really bad cold and so congested. I already pushed the date back one time and the system wouldn't let me reschedule again, because it was less than 24 hours until my exam time. The testing site let me wear a mask (so I wouldn't give my disease to someone else) and bring tissues.

I knew I was going to be fine even if I was not feeling my best. Why? Because the NCLEX tests for basic competency, not whether you know the most niche disease processes or medication. I felt very confident in my knowledge and critical thinking skills.

I barely studied the month leading up to my NCLEX because during my 15 months in ABSN program, I had been accumulating knowledge all along. Here are my biggest tips:

1. Collect bits and pieces of knowledge, store them somewhere and have a system for reviewing them. I do not have a good memory. I have to reminded of the same term over and over again to remember them. I noticed that I learn best through doing practice questions, and every time I encountered a new concept, I *collect* it somewhere rather than trusting that I would remember it the next time I encounter it. I use an app called "Anki," which systemizes this knowledge building and uses spaced repetition to help me remember.

2. Have a planner and create a realistic plan for studying while in nursing school. This is how I never had to cram for exams in school and now for the NCLEX. I probably studied for on average 1-2 hours a day but I make it a meaningful one.

3. Skip the textbook! Choose whatever style of learning that suits you. I think it is SO important to keep the curiosity and nerdiness in me. Once I lose interest, then it's over for me. I loved watching shows like The Pitt. I made little care plans for the patients in the show and tried to connect real life observations with what I learned in school. Do you see a weird dark spot on someone's neck and wonder what that could be? Look it up.

4. Stay nerdy! Okay this is sort of the same as step 3. Take pride in being a nerd and always ask why... there is a reason for everything!

5. Spend as little time on stupid things that schools ask us to do as possible. Our school gave us a lot of "busy work" and I tried to do those on the spot (during clinical or during breaks). It doesn't have to be perfect and sometimes I just have to fulfill requirements. Focus your time on the truly important!

I’m currently in my first nursing clinical/lab course and trying to decide whether to stay or withdraw.

Because of multiple tardies and one unexcused absence, I’ve received two letter-grade reductions—one for attendance and one for professionalism. I take responsibility for that and I’m not trying to fight the deductions.

My instructor met with the course coordinator and told me it will be “very difficult” to successfully complete the course, but she did not say it’s impossible. We’re graded on our overall clinical performance throughout the semester, and I would basically need to perform at an A level before the two deductions in order to finish with the C required to pass.

I’ve only completed one return demonstration so far. I had one safety and one accuracy violation, but most of my other feedback has been good. There’s still technically a path to passing, but I don’t have much room for additional mistakes.

The withdrawal deadline is October 30, so I’m debating whether to stay, give it everything I have, and risk a D/F, or take the W and repeat the course next semester with a fresh start.

For anyone who has been in a similar situation in nursing school, what would you do? And did getting a W versus a D/F make a difference for you?