One test down and 2 to go!!!

Today I had my skills appraisal test. You go into the school for a half an hour and draw two cards. On these cards is a skill that we have learned during the semester in lab and whatever skill you received you get to perform. Well, I drew IV lines and a wet to dry dressing. My skills went well and I passed with flying colors. Even so it is a bit nerve racking to try to perform your skill exactly by the book with your instructor watching your every move. This is a test you must pass in order to go on in nursing school and 2 people did not pass. However, they will go back next week and try it again as we are given 3 chances.

This Monday is my 6th exam for the class and it is a huge test for me. I did not do well on the last exam and I am at a do or die point of the program. I have been studying 4-8 hours a day trying to prepare for this exam. The next exam is next Monday the 22nd which is our 200pt final. Between these two tests I have 50% of my grade to be determined which is a blessing but also a lot of pressure.

My big brother came up with the idea of a tutor and told me that for my birthday a few weeks ago that he would pay for me to have a couple sessions with a tutor. The problem is that most tutors are just general tutors and it is tough to find someone who has been through nursing school and tutors. We have a tutor at our school but she is an English teacher not a nurse and all she can do is give us strategies for general test taking. She can't help us understand the rationals behind the test questions and how to approach them. Nursing school is not like other schooling and the tests are very different. Straight A students come into it and find themselves with 70's. Well, I found a retired nurse who was also a nursing educator and now does tutoring on the side. She will go over nursing test questions with me on the subject that I will be tested on and then I will give my answer and my rational. We will then evaluate my answer and rational and help me understand, if I got it wrong, how I should have approached the question.

So now we are praying for good scores and for it to just click. It is not an issue of time or understanding as much as it is the fact that the tests have become a speed bump. Once I understand them then the sky is the limit.

Thanks for the many of you sending me notes of encouragement. I don't think I could have made it to this point without it. I am not a quitter or a failure but this program can make you feel like both sometimes. It is tough to keep your head above water let alone swim for the goal. My only solace in it all is that God is my strength and that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" This is the door He opened for me and there is no looking down or back just straight ahead. When I finish this program the opportunities ahead of me are endless and many of my life long dreams will then be able to be fulfilled.