African American male here. I have some questions for my fellow nurses

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Jul 6, 2012

my biggest obstacle was me. I was like you and worried before there was a reason to worry. Finally I learned to take one day at a time and not over-think the situation. When you do clinical rotations you will be around experienced nurses. Note that none seem like a genius. We are all people. Special people, but people. Congrats on your career choice!

CrunchRN, ADN, RN · Jul 6, 2012

I worked almost full-time until my last semester of nursing school, fell in love, partayed my tusch off, and still passed even with only average intelligence:lol2:.

You obviously have a passion for it. There is no secret except study really hard. Seriously, if you put in the time you will do just fine. What helped me was to go to school after my night shift job and study there for an hour or two before classes. No distractions and nothing else to do. Turn off your smart phone and whatever you do do not go online during study time. That is really all it takes.

FLmomof5 · Jul 6, 2012

A care plan trick that one nursing instructor gave us....

Each care plan will require all the info on the drugs you have to administer that day. It is LABOR INTENSIVE to do ALL that typing! Answer: Open an excel spreadsheet. Cut and paste all the info you typed into the care plan and save it. When you have that drug again, you just have to cut and paste into your new care plan! Saves a crap load of time for the second care plan and beyond!

emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Jul 6, 2012

Agree with a lot of what's above. NS isn't rocket science but there is a LOT of material.

Don't memorize, understand. Makes it easier to figure out what's wrong with the pt & what to do. This will also help on testing.

2 eyes, 2 ears & 1 mouth. Remember the ratio, use proportionally.

Don't beat yourself up over mistakes. Learn & move forward.

And lastly, have fun.

chuckster, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Jul 6, 2012

Congratulations on your acceptance.

While nursing school is a bit difficult, it is eminently doable. I believe that the biggest obstacle is not mastering the subject matter, it is time managment. You have to juggle classes, study time and clinicals which really amount to at least the equivalent of a full-time. In my case, every day of the week, including Sat and Sun, had several hours devoted to nursing activities. This is partly because I was in an evening/weekend nursing program and partly because there's just a lot of work involved. Since I had a more than full-time day job (averaging about 60 hrs per week) that also required some business travel, juggling things was a bit challenging. It helped that some of the instructors were symapthetic (I had to miss some classes and move a couple of exams around) but other's weren't and knocked my grades down. In the end, it all worked out and the moral of the story is that if I could do, just about everyone ought to be able to do it.

Good luck to you!

ms-feelgood · Jul 6, 2012

I think that allnurses.com should have a thread dedicated to people's reactions when they read their acceptance letter for the first time. It would surely be a hit on YouTube.

Hah, my reaction was more like "oh ****, what have I done".

Nursing school... well, I'm not from the US-of-A so of course it's going to be different for you. But in my experience as a current nursing student, it's not that bad. Of course it's a lot of hard work and lots of reading to do, but I think every school is the same. I am lucky to only have 2-3 days a week where I have to sit in class in person so I have more time to actually work and get practical experience, but less hours at school = more to do at home. However it's doable, so don't believe everything you read!

soontobetexan · Jul 6, 2012

Congrats on getting in!!!

I myself went to school in the south at a predominantly white campus. we had a totally of 120 grads in my class and only 7 african american females. So as you can tell i totally understand how you feel.

What was the biggest obstacle you experienced while being in nursing school?

Adjusting to the question format going from memorizing information to taking the memorize information and applying it.

What would you have done differently if you could do Nursing School again?

i probably would have joined more organizations

Other than studying and time management, what is the most important lesson I should learn before I go to Nursing School?

learn to relax at some point and have fun. dont be afraid to ask questions no matter what

good luck

Puddin2day · Jul 6, 2012

Congratulations on being accepted. Good luck!

Staragate, ADN, ASN, RN · Jul 6, 2012

You have to juggle classes, study time and clinicals which really amount to at least the equivalent of a full-time.
...juggling things was a bit challenging.!

I learned to juggle. (Literally, I can now keep 3 bean bags in the air.)

Time management and organization is a biggie. The hardest part of NS isn't the material, it's life around it. Keeping the cars running, relationships going, the bills paid is tough. You also have to keep your sanity. Whatever your passion is, schedule time for it! You will be stressed and you need an outlet. This is life advice, not just for NS. :) My outlet was juggling and believe me, it was better for my sanity to toss a few sacks before an exam than trying to cram the last few facts into my brain. Last minute cram just stressed me out.

Shack502 · Jul 6, 2012

Thanks everyone for sending me these thoughtful comments! I feel like a weight has been lifted. As many of you have stated, NS will be hard, but you just need dedication to pass it. Thanks again everyone! It really means a lot! :loveya:

RNGriffin · Jul 6, 2012

What does being African American have to do with your job performance or success? I am African American( Somalian) and I have been greatly successful in my career. I was slightly distracted by your title to fully decipher the basis of your post. I know that being african american has some set backs, but you can't live up to the minority basis any longer. The vast majority of Americans have relinquished those fears of African Americans and their job performance. If you would have said, "you're a homosexual male and have some fears" I could empathize with your fear mentality. But, being solely african-american should have little impact on your success in nursing; along with being homosexual. It's all about whether you can do the job or not.

Congratulations on being accepted. There will be some changes to your life as it is now. But, those changes would have come with any career path you would have embarked on.

blackandyellow · Jul 6, 2012

1.) My biggest obstacle didn't have to do with nursing school but my personal life. I took care of my dad while he was on hospice, worked full time, and was a full time student.

2.) I would have saved up more money so I did not have to work full time. But it isn't too bad I just stick to a strict studying schedule that works for me. I was also grumpy some days. Working 3-11 then studying until 2, my dad waking up multiple times in the night, and then 6:30 AM clinicals. There was some instructors I was a little short with and I became a target. However being a target worked to my advantage because I always had to be on top of my game. Since I was always as prepared as I could be I ended up learning more than if I just stayed in the background.

3.) I would say enjoy the time you have with friends and family before school starts. I still have time for people but not as much as I would like. Maybe invest in a care plan book if you're nervous about them. They're not too bad just time consuming. Good luck!