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

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For the past 6 months I have been so stressed out about getting into nursing school. My GPA wasn't the best, but I made a 93% on the HESI Entrance exam. This ranged from crying, yelling, and overreacting to everything. A couple of weeks ago, I went to the mailbox and saw this letter. (It was kind of creepy sitting there) I picked it up and there it was, "You have been accepted". I made the weirdest sound when I saw those words but happiness filled my soul with excitement!

Right now I'm going through the "Nursing School is going to kill me" phase. I've heard so many horror stories about Nursing School that I'm actually getting very terrified. People are saying how I'm not going to get any sleep, I will loose all my friends now because Nursing is going to take up so much time, and the dark terror of the dreaded "care plans". I know this isn't a big deal but I do feel that since I'm a black male, I might have more eyes on me than usual. (I live in the South so bear with me) I know that shouldn't be a factor in my education, but that's the stigma the south portrays unfortunately...

Now that the sad stuff is out the way, I have some questions for my fellow nurses!

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

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

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

Any help would be appreciated!

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.
I definitely agree with the "two ears and one mouth" thing. Everyone will be concerned about what YOU made on your exam and comparing themselves to other people. There's gossip about instructors AND students. Don't get involved with any of it! Do anything and everything that you have to do to succeed, as long as it doesn't drain/cost you emotional, physically, and mentally. You don't have to kiss anyone's behind, but "play the game". It's not as bad as people say, but you do have to work for what you earn...just like anything else in life. Although it doesn't matter, I'm Black but I work just as hard as my peers plus more and I love it! Get some sleep and enjoy your life aside from nursing. Study smart!!

Congratulations!!!

I can only really speak honestly from my experiences rather than say affirmatively what nursing school is like. For me, it was a huge dedication, I had to sacrifice a lot for this degree. Sometimes I grew bitter, especially when everyone else I knew was having the "typical college experience" and I was sitting at home with a stack of books every night. There were lots of tears, lots of stress headaches, and days when I was just too exhausted to get out of bed.

That was the down side. Throughout the journey, though, I never lost sight of the ultimate goal. It didn't hurt that despite all the work and studying and the sleepless nights I loved what I was doing and learning. It was my passion. I grew very close to my fellow nursing majors; we all understood, supported, and helped each other.

My advice to anyone about to go into nursing school would be to learn how to study in a way that works for you, treat clinicals like a job, don't pull all-nighter cram sessions, don't be afraid to ask for help, and be excited about nursing! Take pride in being a nursing student, it's not for everyone! :)

congrats on the 93% HESI score!

I cried when I got my letter and I am NOT a crier, lol.

Things to do:

- learn to use a calendar. I put everything on my Google calendar and use the alerts so I never forget anything (my biggest fear).

- If you like procrastinating as I do, learn to do it less. You will feel like you have more free time, no cramming right before the exam.

- Don't panic. NS isn't the end of life as you know it. I still do all the stuff I like to do and always ride the high end of B's. Every school is different. All of my grades are from exams, we don't have busy work or quizzes. I make time for studying and I know how I learn best. I make time to enjoy myself as well. You can't and shouldn't study all hours of the day, you can only learn so much at a time and you don't want to burn out. Be efficient with your studying is what I'm trying to say. I could cut out some fun stuff and make A's, but I choose not to make myself miserable, it's a balance you have to find for yourself.

- Be prepared, don't make excuses when something happens like arriving late to clinical or forgetting one of your stacks of assessment papers.

For me, getting through all the classes to get into NS was the hardest. NS goes quickly. It is fun, boring, frustrating.... Be flexible (!!!!), use resources, get through it :cheers:

First off Congrats!!! It's been a while since I was in Nursing school (2003) but the biggest obstacle was finance, and the stress that brings at least for me it was. I'd say be organized, know your deadlines, and try to stay ontop of everything. No matter what just smile and move on. If you don't know just ask. Hopefully I keep with my own advice this time around. Again Congrats!

Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.

In the OP's defense, the color of his skin and his gender are qualities that people immediately see. In my opinion, regardless of how far we've gone in terms of racial equality in particular, people of color have valid reasons to be be worrisome in situations where they could be the only person of color in a group.

But good luck to you OP.

Specializes in ..

Did not read all of the posts, but the ones I read had pretty good advice. Remember, you've done the hard part.....getting in! If you got in, you can finish. As someone said, learn, don't just memorize. Be ready to accept failure in some form and take criticism graciously, not personally. The people who don't make it through nursing school rarely fail due to intellect, it is often due to an unwillingness to make changes and acknowledge/improve their deficiencies. We all have them, and a good nursing program will bring them to light before they unleash you unto the world. Criticism hurts, but it is your friend. Bear in mind that some instructors do go too far in this area, but so will some patients.

I am also an AA male in a predominately white female role in the South. A unique position to say the least especially depending on where you are. Best advice I have here is be respectful and respectable. Some patients and coworkers may be a little apprehensive at first, but will warm up when they get to know that you have character and ability. When patients or family say racist things I do not respond with any type of acknowledgement. It is amazing how powerful silence and a straight face can be. Let the silence linger in the air for a second or two and then move on to a clinically relevant topic without showing emotion. Usually you will get an apology and at the least, the remarks will cease. When people apologize I thank them and say something to the effect that we'll act as if it never happened. Don't get into the habit of racist or sexually suggestive jokes. I cannot emphasize how bad an idea this is. Keep it professional and don't flirt at work. Though the opportunities will be plentiful, smart people don't date/sleep around where they work. You really control more than you think. Don't let race be an issue unless someone else makes it one. As a male, please explain all procedures and ask permission to do them and get an aide or another nurse with you when pulling foley's, doing full body skin assessments or the like. Not one accusation is worth the trouble and they tend to come from the people you least expect. Same with coworkers or fellow students. Like mom used to say, "If there ain't nothing to the situation, make sure the situation looks like there ain't nothing to it."

Congratulations! I just graduated and I will be the first to tell you this...take it seriously. I don't mean that in a way to sound sarcastic but I didn't my first time around. I actually thought the hardest part was getting in to a nursing program, but I was so wrong. What you put in to nursing school is what you will get out of it, simple as that. Nursing school the 2nd time around for me was a struggle because my finances were not there, I had a baby, a car that I prayed for all the way to school and back to school. As for studying, I learned to read before lecture. So if the topic was Med. Administration on Wednesday, I spent Monday or Tuesday reading and highlighting the material. Then if the test was 2weeks away, I would listen to the lecture like a week or so before the test. Do not, I repeat, Do not wait until the weekend to sit down and study...you will definitely find yourself digging to come out of a ditch. Invest in a recorder, planner, and notecards. Recorder and planner for the obvious reasons and note cards...true to make notes but to also write words of encouragement. I wrote out my goals and what I wanted my day to be like and taped them to the bathroom mirror. Every morning before school I read them out loud and honestly my day was mapped out and worked in my favor. Finally, we all learn differently and at different speeds but these are just some ways that helped me through nursing school that I didn't implement the first go'round. Although I had financial issues, a car that was psychotic, and an extra mouth to feed, this made my load seem a heck of a lot lighter. Best wishes to you...the medical field really need male nurses.

Honestly, the hardest part is landing the first job and getting to the golden 1 yr experience. Nursing school was a breeze compared to the job search for me - just my two cents.

Specializes in PACU/ICU.

Ok first of all I dont see how pointing out that you are African American has anything to do with wanting to know what nursing school is like. I am from the south as well and maybe the reason why there is a stigma is because people make it that way and always think they are "victims". You said " i know this isnt a big deal".. well if its not a big deal then dont make it a big deal. and " i know this shouldnt be a factor in my education" statement shows that apparently you are making it a factor. And then you continued to say "now that the sad stuff is out of the way".. Are you trying to make somebody feel sorry for you??? Because thats not how its going to work in nursing school. Everybody is equal no matter the color of your skin. Some of my teachers dont even want to hear anything come out of our mouth about anything remotely personal whatsoever. You work your butt off, get no sleep, sacrifice family and friends, and study study study! The end.

Specializes in ..
Ok first of all I dont see how pointing out that you are African American has anything to do with wanting to know what nursing school is like. I am from the south as well and maybe the reason why there is a stigma is because people make it that way and always think they are "victims". You said " i know this isnt a big deal".. well if its not a big deal then dont make it a big deal. and " i know this shouldnt be a factor in my education" statement shows that apparently you are making it a factor. And then you continued to say "now that the sad stuff is out of the way".. Are you trying to make somebody feel sorry for you??? Because thats not how its going to work in nursing school. Everybody is equal no matter the color of your skin. Some of my teachers dont even want to hear anything come out of our mouth about anything remotely personal whatsoever. You work your butt off, get no sleep, sacrifice family and friends, and study study study! The end.

Just because you can't see how him being AA male has anything to do with the situation only means that you can't see it. Does not mean it does not matter. I'm glad that this is not an issue for you, but, speaking from experience, it does matter to some people. And when it matters, it matters BIG time. Please don't insinuate that the OP is creating a problem by being proactive. We can give suggestions and speak from our own place of experience, but cannot tell others from their place of reference. This reminds of a comment made on a sports message board recently....A professional baseball player made reference to a racist remark a fan make to him and a commenter blamed the player for being the kind of person who 'would hear such a remark'. Really?

Well said.

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