Daytonite...question

nurseangel47 · Dec 16, 2006

Not daytonite here, but will respond anyway, if that's alright. I was a young mother, too, when in nursing school. If it hadn't been for a very understanding motherinlaw and mother, and yes, hubby, too for what that's worth...you know, men! Not always aware of what it takes to "help" us!

I did it. You can, too. I wasn't the strongest of students, either. So I had to study extra hard just to get some of the C's I did get to stay in the nursing program. Yes, you have to make it such a priority that it IS like breathing in the nursing material you try to soak up. It IS like eating and breathing it both in that you have so much material to cover and soak up.

Lots and lots of studying. Labs, clinicals, etc. But it is worth it. Just keep your eyes on the goal. You can achieve anything God has put in front of you. It is yours only for the asking. The opportunity has been presented to you. Now...make it yours!

x3xsolxdierx3x · Dec 16, 2006

Nursing isn't just a profession....it's a lifestyle. :)

moongirl · Dec 16, 2006

its like no matter where you are or what you are doing, you are thinking about hte info for the next test, or prepping for the next clinical. there is no time for anything else. it is rather exhausting

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Dec 16, 2006

DAMomma. . .uh oh! Did I scare you? I didn't mean to. I guess I should make myself clearer. You won't have time for any other major projects in your life. As I was coming onto the forum I noticed someone has entitled a post that had something to do with how people keep their houses clean. I mean to go back and perhaps post an answer because housework is the last thing I'm thinking about when I have schoolwork that has to be done. What I meant in my post is that you will spend most of any time you have studying or working on schoolwork. Of course, it's always your decision as to what to do with your time. I wouldn't be planning any major vacations, parties or events unless you plan your time very, very well. With accelerated programs, you are going to school continuously with hardly any breaks for vacations at all. So, as you finish one class, you're starting another. In a traditional system you at least get 3 months off during the summer to rest up.

With the classes you've had up until now, you've built upon subjects that you already knew something about. Nursing principles, however, are going to be totally new to you. It will be information that you've never been exposed to before, so it won't be as easy to learn as stuff you already have a background in already. Some people can assimilate and understand this information right away. Some have difficulty making sense of it all. One of the reasons I spend so much time answering care plan questions is because this whole idea of the nursing process is crucial to everyone's success in nursing school. It's not easy to learn when you've never been exposed to it before. I can tell from the way students word their questions when they are confused, stuck in the middle of the process, or need help with understanding exactly what it is. I also know that if I can try to put it in different words than what instructors have told students, maybe a light bulb or two will go on here and there. This stuff is not easy to learn at first. But, once you get it, you are just that much closer to the prize at the end of the road.

To answer your questions, no I was not married or have any kids while I was in my basic nursing program. I was single and had a boyfriend who worked in the radiology department of the local hospital. It wasn't a serious relationship. I had my own little apartment and I worked three nights a week (Friday-Saturday-Sunday) as a nursing assistant in a nursing home. The rest of my time was spent studying. My only vice, if you want to call it that, was watching General Hospital every day if I was home, something I have been doing since it first came on TV back in the 60's. I ended up having to have surgery for a malignant tumor that was found when I was in my last semester of nursing school. This was a complication that I just didn't need in my life at the time, but I had to deal with it. I was very lucky that my instructors worked with me. I was able to make up the clinical time I missed in order to complete my school work.

My mother helped me as much as she could during my first year in nursing school. I had to drive 30 miles one way to get to school and there was a gas crisis. This was in 1973. If your parents are helping out that is great. It is good that your children see you going to school. Allow them to help you study when you can. It will give them an appreciation, respect and love for learning by your example. You can't teach that with words. In later years when I did marry, my husband was all into his own educational pursuits. He was trying very hard to get into medical school at the time. He really wasn't ready to commit to a marriage. He was more interested in hanging out with friends from school and still acting like he was single instead of coming home.

Unless something happens to me where I can't get to a computer, I plan to be checking posts in this and the nursing student assistance forum every day. I always try to answer questions and help you students out as best I can. I also have a great deal of experience to draw from. So, I can inject some practicality into answers that I give. I know what it's like to stroll into nursing school having no background or experience whatsoever in healthcare. I feared I might accidentally kill a patient through some negligent action on my part as a student and during my early years of nursing. That started with my first clinical in nursing school. I am not unique. Many others have gone through the same experience and feelings. Always remember that nothing worth anything is ever going to be handed to you. You will have to put some work and effort into nursing school. It is doable. The rewards of a nursing career are more than you can possibly imagine, and the money is good too! I could tell you stories of the things I have learned and experienced from my interactions with all different kinds of patients over the years. You must understand that while you will be helping people in your nursing, you are also going to be getting a remarkable education in humanity yourself that very few professions give to their practitioners. This is a fringe benefit of the work. The few sacrifices you may have to make in your life for the next year and a half or so are well worth it over the long run.

OnTheRoad · Dec 16, 2006

Daytonight.. ya put a little tear in the corner of my eye. Wonderful post as always.

OP I don't know the exact feelings behind the 24/7 comment, but I can tell you that I dream about clinicals and exams every night. When I talk to people I am constantly thinking of nursing diagnosis in my head. I have woken up trying to get my husbands pulse or make him take mine (he is quite perplexed LOL). My biggest discussions with my children lately have been medical based and at least 2 of the 4 have decided they want to be doctors or nurses... and when someone is sick, they end up being assessed just cause I can. I try to involve my kids in my studying so they get a bit of knowledge and a bit of understanding why mom needs to study alone sometimes.

Nursing school does take your life hostage, but you can decide how to deal with it

Medwynn · Dec 16, 2006

When people say "You will literally be eating, sleeping and walking around thinking about nursing 24/7." Do they mean it will something that will always be in the forefront of our minds? Or does it mean EVERYTHING we touch, say and do will be dedicated to nursing school? I figure this will consume 85% of my life. Am I on the right track?

Heheheh depends on if you want it to take over you.

I'm an easy going guy who takes nursing school seriously... but not tooo seriously. so i try to equal the amount of studying with the amount of play or dead time...

It is really up to you on how you want nursing school to rule you. I believe what you should be understanding/thinking the most of is understanding the concepts of nursing (i.e. nursing assessment of a certain dx, s/s of what to look for, nursing diag"s for that dx)

like what a previous poster said... you will have to spend a lot of time with prep work for clinicals and studying.

For some it won't take as long to do the prep work or study ... and for some it will take longer ... or for you overachievers (you spend soooo much time)

jov · Dec 16, 2006

eating/sleeping nursing?

well, as a previous poster said, perhaps it all depends what else in your life. I think it might be nice to be a single student living in a dorm, eating in a cafeteria where your meals are provided, and only keeping clean a 10 x 12 room, so all you would HAVE to do is focus on nursing.

However, I am married, have two kids (one elementary, one high school), pets, church, housework, etc. You do have to re-arrange things (like my husband does all the cooking while I am in school, but I still have to plan the menu and buy the groceries - AND I do all the laundry on Saturday) but you really don't have to be consumed by nursing school. Focused? Sure. Consumed. Not really.

The way I look at it is I have this whole wonderful other life outside of nursing school. I enjoy learning and enjoy attending school, getting to meet new people, make new friends, take care of patients, grow professionally, but I don't eat/sleep/breathe nursing. And won't when I work as a nurse either. Have too many other wonderful roles in life to let one role (job) define me!

DAMomma · Dec 17, 2006

Okay, I am sitting here a bit misty eyed....thanks to Daytonite..... :cry: :) . To everyone, thank you SO much. In fact, this whole board is so encouraging and extremely helpful..... All I can say is thank you!

NeoNurseTX, RN · Dec 19, 2006

It's really NOT that bad. Yeah, something nursing related will be on your mind a lot of the time, but that is because lots of stuff you learn in nursing school can be applied to many parts of your own life. The content is very interesting so it's like you WANT to think about it, to visit sites like allnurses to learn more and talk about nursing, and read health related journals. Any other major I would have chosen, I don't think it would have consumed this much of my life...but it's a good thing.

Megsd, BSN, RN · Dec 19, 2006

It's really NOT that bad. Yeah, something nursing related will be on your mind a lot of the time, but that is because lots of stuff you learn in nursing school can be applied to many parts of your own life. The content is very interesting so it's like you WANT to think about it, to visit sites like allnurses to learn more and talk about nursing, and read health related journals. Any other major I would have chosen, I don't think it would have consumed this much of my life...but it's a good thing.

Yeah, I agree with this entirely. You're not just consumed because you have books to read and things to study. You're consumed because the stuff you're learning about is fascinating and REALLY REALLY COOL! I find myself even more captivated by medical shows on TV, I poke at my and my boyfriend's veins to see if I could stick them with IVs, I see drug commercials on TV and go look up the drug in my drug guide to see if they portrayed it accurately. I am so excited about the stuff that I'm learning that I kind of *want* to be engulfed in it.

School itself may not encompass your whole life (for most of us, there's more to life than school, for better or worse) but nursing is a culture, and I wouldn't be surprised if you became quite involved in that culture as you learn more about it.