NURSING SCHOOL: Your Biggest Challenge!

Nurses General Nursing

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I was reading in the student threads about some of the challenges student nurses are facing these days. I'll admit, I kinda had it good: I lived in the dorm, I had a great roommate, and I was the same lighthearted person I am today. My goal in nursing school was to get my education and have FUN at the same time. And I did! I was fortunate as I had some professors who believed that school should not drain your total person and allowed me to show my silly side where I could.

The biggest challenge for me in nursing school was the pediatric rotation. Yes, drug calculations was going to be a bear, but I knew if I could just overcome my fear of math and equations I could get it. But, I couldn't get past seeing the pain of abuse and the pain of death in children. In my entire nursing school experience, I never got lower than a 94% in anything, except for my Peds rotation. I think it was depression and transference (as my brother was the child I thought of every time I had a peds patient) that made me not do as well in that class. I ended up with an 86% - the very first and only final exam I ever had to take. (In our program, if you maintained a 94% average or higher during the year, you didn't have to take a final exam.)

What was your biggest challenge?

My hardships while in the program currently is time management...not with regards to my patients, but in regards of trying to manage my home, kids, husband (biggest whiner of my time), studying, care plans due every Friday, and various other homework assignments. I don't find the material very hard (except CV does have quite a bit to digest). One example of my time management suckage is with halloween being last week. Instead of working on my care plan that was due Fri. morning on Thursday, I took my kids trick-or-treating. I had since Wed. night to do this lengthy assignment, but instead chose to shop for costumes. I also had other assignments due in this two day period, so my care plan did not get turned in on Fri. morning. It was not finished until 4 pm Fri. and ultimately got turned in on Monday morning. Luckily, I have a really good relationships with my instructors. This particular instructor knows that I am a strong student. I was honest and told him my priorities for those few days were not my clinical paperwork, but my kids since no one else could take them out on Thurs. I haven't been late with any other assignments, so I think my instructor is OK with it.

As far as any particular subject matter, probably cardio. Learning meds are cake, it is just the heavy concepts.

In the hospital setting, I have problems with ortho/neuro. For some reason, when I get on that unit, everything seems to go wrong for me. And because of this I have developed anxiety which potentiates the problem.

ORIGINAL FROM HAPEEWENDY

The second big hurdle was actually having to work hard and study. I had it pretty easy in school, didnt have to study all that much and got excellent grades without much effort (not proud of that , just saying!) anyway nursing school changed all that in a hurry! All nighters were a new concept and I was overtired a lot of the time. And wanted to quit the whole program when I was doing my pre-grad, again I'm glad I didnt.

its a tough ride , you really earn the title of "nurse", its far more intense than many other college/university programs and it takes special people to be able to do it.

so lets keep remembering that we are a special breed of people , who roughed it to get where we are now!

I'm proud of all of you and am glad you toughed it out!

THANKS FOR THESE WORDS.....

I AM A THIRD YR STUDENT AND HAD A HORRIBLE WEEK....I ALMOST WALKED OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF MY CLINICAL DAY....I AM GLAD TO HEAR I AM NOT THE FIRST ONE OR THE LAST ONE THAT HAS EVER FELT THAT WAY...:kiss

my biggest problem was money, wife got ill, ended up losing house. second problem was geri patients.loved OB and L&D

It had to be OB for me. As a woman I felt totally inadequate in the subject matter. All of my classmates had kids and I didn't, so it was more natural for them to identify with all of the different concepts. Plus, it surre didn't help that I was in the middle of a nervous breakdown at the time!!!:rolleyes: But I passed with an 85% and since the lowesr we could get was a 79% in any subject I was pleased with that. Warrior Woman.

Im still in school, 5 weeks short of my lpn. The hardest part for me is clinic. I get anxiety attacks and failed last year, had to repeat 175 clinic. Not because im stupid, just because I stress, think hay this person watching me has the power to make me or break me. So I sabataged myself, I couldnt breathe and no o2 to the brain made me not think clearly and Constently drop stuff on the floor, forget things ect.... Well any way I have been working as a nurse extern over the summer, and have done well. Worked with a very calm, patient and understanding precepter. Now back to school again. Every thing was going great, first two weeks went by, I managed to stay calm and did well. Today I left in tears because had to do a head to toe assessment, then do a care plan. It has to be turned in by the end of the shift. Took my time getting my data, then started looking through the book for my interventions and rational as to why these interventions are needed. my instructer came in and told me I need to get it done before I go and better hurry, panic attack sets in, I cant find anything in the book, cant breathe, I know Im not going to get done on time. so any way turned it in unfinished but almost done, and cryed all the way home. The paper was a mess, and couldnt find pg numbers ect.... fealing pritty stupid and beat up. my instructer says to me as I was walking out, that one of the RNs told her that I didnt know that I needed to use a needle filter when getting med from a ampule. I told my instructer yeah, I didnt remember that. well heck I only did that in the lab a year ago. havent had to deal with an ampual sence lab in school. How does one remember all this stuff. Some times I leave work, or clinic and a feel good. then days like today I feel like such an idiot. Some times I want to quit fighting, give up and go back to being a CNA at least I knew what I was doing and could do it well. I hate feeling stupid. but find it happens alot. any way needed to vent, and to cry a little more. thanks for letting me vent.:o

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

For me, it was being military wife w/a small child,whose husband was gone 4 months in the 4th and toughest semester of school. (fluid/electrolytes, pathophys, etc and 12 hour clinical days that began before 6 a.m.....and 10 page careplans that kept me up til 2 a.m. writing them).....

IT is a an ENORMOUS challenge. You have to want it badly..... It is supposed to be hard......cause to me, it is nothing compared to the first year you spend as a novice nurse, trying desperately to learn the ropes and hang ON for dear life! It was cake compared to that, to me.

Specializes in Emergency.

I agree with the others who started nursing school while having kids at home. The challenge wasn't the learning (it was hard though), it was managing everything! During my psych rotation (which I hated), my youngest, who was 4 at the time, broke her arm, and my oldest brought home lice. I also had about 4 care plans due that same weekend! I almost had a nervous breakdown! Only benefit of that weekend from hell was I lost over 20 pounds in 2 weeks time. I did enjoy that!

Specializes in Oncology/MedSurg.
Originally posted by kelligrl

Well, I have eight freakin' days left and seriously, my biggest problem is the MAN that I'm married to. I love him, but could he get any less FREAKIN' supportive?? I swear he's threatened by the whole d**n thing!! Today FLIPPED out because I was supposed to be off Sat., but remembered I had a school thing to do from 8-12. Not even a whole day!!:rolleyes:

I'm thinking he better get over it, real quick....Geez he makes my head hurt.....:stone

OK, I'm done.

Oh yeah, and I hated Peds. Making little kids cry sucks.

THAT SUCKS to hear kelli, i have not started yet, im starting in feb. but i hope my boyfriend isnt like that. hes being supportive now, but i can imagine what your saying - hes probably jealous really, if he cant deal with it, then HE has a problem that you could hopefully resolve, but its not your fault - dont let him get you down!!! 8 days left!!! GOOD FOR YOU GIRL, be proud of yourself and keep your head up!!

Specializes in Oncology/MedSurg.
Originally posted by kelligrl

Well, I have eight freakin' days left and seriously, my biggest problem is the MAN that I'm married to. I love him, but could he get any less FREAKIN' supportive?? I swear he's threatened by the whole d**n thing!! Today FLIPPED out because I was supposed to be off Sat., but remembered I had a school thing to do from 8-12. Not even a whole day!!:rolleyes:

I'm thinking he better get over it, real quick....Geez he makes my head hurt.....:stone

OK, I'm done.

Oh yeah, and I hated Peds. Making little kids cry sucks.

THAT SUCKS to hear kelli, i have not started yet, im starting in feb. but i hope my boyfriend isnt like that. hes being supportive now, but i can imagine what your saying - hes probably jealous really, if he cant deal with it, then HE has a problem that you could hopefully resolve, but its not your fault - dont let him get you down!!! 8 days left!!! GOOD FOR YOU GIRL, be proud of yourself and keep your head up!!

As a man currently in a nursing program, I'm sorry to hear about Kelligirl's problem. I'm even more sorry to say the scenario is typical.

Of 9 women in my clinical group, it seems only one has a supportive significant other; three are divorced and the others -- despite kids and housework-- are getting no support. I've read in several periodicals it's a common problem with women in nursing school.

I've also read a high percentage of woman divorce their man shortly after graduation. Go figure!:rolleyes:

I can beleive that percentage about divorcing their man p graduation. Last winter (in my first year), my hubby and I nearly killed each other. Was so ready to call it quits, but neither of us could afford to leave each other. This year is easier, so, not as much stress.

I am definitely one of the fortunate ones because I had (and still do) a supportive hubby. I would have never made through school without him.

I hated careplans, geri, ortho, OB, and psych. The skill that was the most difficult for me to learn? Putting on sterile gloves and maintaining sterile technique...:eek: :eek: Didn't get along too well with ABG's either....:confused:

I enjoyed almost all of my instructors, except the peds/OB instructor. That was the last rotation though, and I knew I was almost done. I really didn't dislike the woman, just wasn't my favorite.

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