Does Nursing School=No Life Literally?

rubato, ASN, RN · Sep 23, 2013

Well, literally, no... otherwise everybody in nursing school would be dead... literally, without life.
Figuratively? Sure, that does seem to be the experience of some people and, as with anything, there are only 168 hours in each week and the more hours that are consumed by one activity are then unavailable for another.

Thanks. One of my big pet peeves. Nursing school can't "literally" mean you have no life or it would be in prison for murder. Of course, sometimes, I feel that way.

Stephalump · Sep 23, 2013

Well you all must be something else, because I'm on my fourth week of a 2 year ADN program and I've never been through anything like this before. The amount of reading and homework is ridiculous! the stress for skills is horrible when they haven't really showed us how to do anything, and I have my first clinical on Friday and I'm a nervous wreck. There literally are nights when I only get a few hours of sleep (2 or 3 hours) in order to catch up with all the work, and I was so tired this weekend that I crashed all saturday and was unable to get up from bed. And no, there is no way I could have a job, for one thing, the school owns me (apparently) and they make up schedules at will, so I have to be there if they say "we have skills lab practice this afternoon". Maybe I'm not as efficient as the rest of you, or maybe you've forgotten because everywhere I go I read posts about people complaining that nursing school is hell. I was a 4.0 student all they up to all my pre-reqs, then we got our first pharmacology quiz, it was nothing like the material on the chapters and I scored a 58, I was devastated and it sucked my self-confidence sort of like a dementor sucks the happiness from Harry Potter. Anyway... I'm hanging in here. Taking a break from school work but I must now go back to reading. Good luck to you. Don't want to scare you, but don't believe everything you read either, everyone is different I guess. Me... I have no life since I started nursing school. Live long and prosper![/quote']
It's still early - it may get easier as time goes on. You'll be better at managing your time (which is a big part of why they give you SO much to juggle), and you'll know better what's expected.
In my experience, nursing school is very front-loaded. There's a ton to learn in a short amount of time, but a basic foundation has to be laid before you can develop that higher level knowledge base. So it comes fast and furious and tedious at first.
Once you get the hang of it, it gets more complex, but in my opinion easier in a lot of ways because you're just stacking blocks on top of that foundation.
Get some rest! I can't imagine sleeplessness will be great for stress levels or academic performance!

Stephalump · Sep 23, 2013

To the OP, I have three little kids and a husband and all the gown up junk that goes with it, so I can't really compare it to anyone that has fewer responsibilities.... But I probably spend about 40 hours a week in school or doing school stuff. So like a full time job. I could have a pretty nice social life if I didn't really need to spend all the extra time at home with my family or in bed watching TV trying to destres :)

There's a point of diminishing returns, and it seems like everyone reaches a crossroad where they have to decide if pressing forward for the gold (A's versus Bs or Cs) is worth it. I know quite a few people who can make a B easy and decided that tripling tier study time to make As just isn't for them. They'd rather have a family/social life.

maracuya · Sep 23, 2013

I hope you're right and I do hope I get the hang of this soon. I did get 90+ on my first two exams, but it was rush rush rush, seems they just want us to learn enough to pass the NCLEX and the exams, and then figure it out when we start working, which is probably why the seasoned nurses hate the new nurses... its not our fault! :-) ha ha ha

Marsha238612 · Oct 9, 2013

Pre-nursing is nothing compared to pre-med. That program is truly no life where every class was harder than any class I had in nursing school...

Dranger, quick question I'm curious. I understand you in nursing now. But did you go to premed and didn't make it before that?!

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KelRN215, BSN, RN · Oct 10, 2013

No, not in the least.

zoe92 · Oct 10, 2013

I need an out-of-school life to get through school. I am taking 17 credits this semester for my BSN program but make time to see friends, sleep and get involved with social activities at school. Granted, I live on campus. But, I think it's important to have some non nursing time too. I like the one day a week off from school idea, I usually spend Saturday like that. I don't procrastinate either and that keeps me less stressed.

donk · Oct 10, 2013

I'm in school full time, work, married, 3 kids with extra curricular activities and still manage dinner with friends or weekend outings. It's time management! I can't let any one thing consume me and while there are days I feel the crunch I still have a life outside of school. I think if you eat, breathe, and sleep school you drown. You need some down time. Even if it's a few hours a week. It'll take some time to get into the swing of things but once you establish a routine it gets easier. Of course around midterms and finals my social life takes a bit of a dive. Good luck!

Dranger · Oct 10, 2013

Dranger, quick question I'm curious. I understand you in nursing now. But did you go to premed and didn't make it before that?!
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I did both because I didn't know what I wanted to do. It's not possible to do pre-med the same time as nursing so I did it during my summers which I don't recommend. I had the GPA and MCAT practice scores but because of life, needing to work etc I couldn't follow through with med school. Maybe in the future though.

If I had to do it all over again I would have just done pre-med and a random major. If I couldn't get into med school, I would do MSN direct entry or accel BSN after.