Do you KNOW what nursing is?

Nursing Students General Students

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Specializes in Transitional Nursing.

If I could write a letter to my classmates based on what I have heard them talk about and say over the last 8 weeks, this is what it would say, maybe someone will read it and choose a different route, who knows.

Nursing is HARD work and it is often times not pleasant. Wounds are "gross" and if you can't handle a picture you won't be able to handle the real thing.

HIPAA is serious. You WILL lose your job, NO you can't announce that a member of faculty is a patient where you work. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

YES you HAVE TO READ THE BOOK. You can't just google questions all day and hope it sinks in. Maybe you should try putting your phone down during lecture and, I don't know, take notes?

Please, if you're going to apply to nursing school, have some semblance of a clue as to what type of career this is going to be for you.

*huge sigh*

If I could write a letter to my classmates based on what I have heard them talk about and say over the last 8 weeks, this is what it would say, maybe someone will read it and choose a different route, who knows.

Nursing is HARD work and it is often times not pleasant. Wounds are "gross" and if you can't handle a picture you won't be able to handle the real thing.

HIPAA is serious. You WILL lose your job, NO you can't announce that a member of faculty is a patient where you work. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

YES you HAVE TO READ THE BOOK. You can't just google questions all day and hope it sinks in. Maybe you should try putting your phone down during lecture and, I don't know, take notes?

Please, if you're going to apply to nursing school, have some semblance of a clue as to what type of career this is going to be for you.

*huge sigh*

Some people take notes on their phones, just sayin.... Great post otherwise:)

Specializes in Med/Surg, Oncology.

Totally understand. I like to think that the difficulty of nursing school/passing the NCLEX weeds some of those people out by the time they actually have to be employed as nurses.

What! My adviser for nursing school to me it was going to be like this: :yes:

1) Great way to pick up chicks/dudes:blink:

2) Easy way to make fast money!:uhoh3:

3) Glamorous:nurse:

4) Give me feelings of being a Hero/Savior:borg:

5) Everyone that see's me will be saved from (family, friends, diseases, money problems, life's situations, etc):up:

6) Always new and exciting:roflmao:

7) Easy way to get a degree, career, and husband/wife

8) A great way to be the boss, in charge, and have things always go your way. :cheeky:

9) A career that has no responsibilities, cares, or stress. :laugh:

10) **** A career that will always go your way when you need it the most emotionally, physically,and spirituality ****:sneaky::yes:

Specializes in Hospital medicine; NP precepting; staff education.

To me, nursing is a vocation. It is a calling and a passion. I adore being a nurse. It's hard, it can be unforgiving, tiring, and downright cruel at times. We have to sometimes paste a smile on our face and do it anyway. We have to swallow the snarky retort that we want to spew at the hateful patient/family/visitor but we know that they are scared, sick, and just want to be better.

I have to remind myself sometimes that if they weren't feeling this way, they more likely than not wouldn't be so nasty. That might be idealist of me, because let's face it, some people are just plain mean no matter what.

But you know what? We do not know what brought them to that disposition so we must be kind always. I try. It's difficult. But I get up again each day and love what I do.

Specializes in Transitional Nursing.

I totally agree :-)

I totally agree :-)

With whom?

My answer, since a lot of faculties don't seem to teach it, is that you are in school to learn to be a good nursing diagnostician, in the same way a med student is learning to be a medical diagnostician. Both learn how to do that at a beginner's level, both learn manipulative skills and how to treat what they've diagnosed at a beginner's level, and both still have a helluva lot to learn when they graduate.

The ANA 2015 definition is:

"Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, facilitation of healing, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of the human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, groups, communities and populations.”

Specializes in Prior military RN/current ICU RN..

Most of those students are learning. That is why they are in college. Ripping them for not knowing or doing everything the way you know or do it is accomplishing what?

Specializes in ICU.

Nursing is a job. You are going to have ups and downs as with every career. You will encounter positive and negative coworkers. When you realize how much work it is, you won't think the pay is so great.

Bottom line is, anything an advisor or a commercial tells you, nursing will not solve your life problems, it is not the answer to your dissatisfaction in life or another career, it will not pay for an extravagant lifestyle. It will probably pay for my basic bills and the ability to pay for my son. If though I budget correctly, I may be able to save each month and for me to buy some clothes and shoes for myself. Only if I budget correctly though. It's not an infinite amount of money off the money tree.

Yes, you will clean up poop and vomit. You will see disgusting wounds. If you think all of the "gross" work goes to the CNA, you are sadly mistaken.

Specializes in Ortho.

I almost jumped out of my chair with a triumphant screech when I saw the "read the book" comment!!!! Several classmates have asked me what my study routine is like and when I tell them that I always complete the assigned readings, most of them are shocked. I've also heard many complain and gripe about a grade they weren't satisfied with and in the very next breath, tell me they've never read the book.

I understand everyone learns differently. I just don't see how a person is supposed to learn if they never read the material. If you aren't getting a grade you want......read your book. It just amazes me. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks it's crazy.

I almost jumped out of my chair with a triumphant screech when I saw the "read the book" comment!!!! Several classmates have asked me what my study routine is like and when I tell them that I always complete the assigned readings, most of them are shocked. I've also heard many complain and gripe about a grade they weren't satisfied with and in the very next breath, tell me they've never read the book.

I understand everyone learns differently. I just don't see how a person is supposed to learn if they never read the material. If you aren't getting a grade you want......read your book. It just amazes me. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks it's crazy.

I mean we paid how many hundreds of dollars for all those books? May as well read them 😜

Specializes in NICU, Trauma, Oncology.
If I could write a letter to my classmates based on what I have heard them talk about and say over the last 8 weeks, this is what it would say, maybe someone will read it and choose a different route, who knows.

Nursing is HARD work and it is often times not pleasant. Wounds are "gross" and if you can't handle a picture you won't be able to handle the real thing.

HIPAA is serious. You WILL lose your job, NO you can't announce that a member of faculty is a patient where you work. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

YES you HAVE TO READ THE BOOK. You can't just google questions all day and hope it sinks in. Maybe you should try putting your phone down during lecture and, I don't know, take notes?

Please, if you're going to apply to nursing school, have some semblance of a clue as to what type of career this is going to be for you.

*huge sigh*

You MUST be in my program! Lol

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