group work fear

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Aug 10, 2006

You're going to do group work, not a matter of if, but rather, when. It's not a giant portion of your education, but it absolutely is there in clinical assignments and lecture and lab work.

Please don't freak about it too much; remember, you're all nursing students so there's always that "fear factor" about getting the best grades you can. It's not like other kinds of schooling where most people are happy to let others do the bulk of the work--at least, not in my experience.

The point of the group assignments is to learn teamwork (if it wasn't there already); collaboration among staff members is vital to good nursing. No one is an island :)

Relax. I bet you'll find it far less stressful when you actually get to do it!

BeccaznRN, RN · Aug 10, 2006

You're going to do group work, not a matter of if, but rather, when. It's not a giant portion of your education, but it absolutely is there in clinical assignments and lecture and lab work.
Please don't freak about it too much; remember, you're all nursing students so there's always that "fear factor" about getting the best grades you can. It's not like other kinds of schooling where most people are happy to let others do the bulk of the work--at least, not in my experience.
The point of the group assignments is to learn teamwork (if it wasn't there already); collaboration among staff members is vital to good nursing. No one is an island :)
Relax. I bet you'll find it far less stressful when you actually get to do it!

:yeahthat:

Group work was not a common thing in my nursing program, but there were instances where we completed assignments as groups. It's very important to know how to work as a team because you will be a part of a team when providing care for your client. You'll work with docs, techs, PT, OT, respiratory, dietary, lab, pharmacy, just to name a few! It was also my experience that most nursing students take school seriously and will strive just as hard as you to get a good grade.

nursemama2be · Aug 11, 2006

I heard groupwork happens quite a bit in my course.. im very nervous of it... i am initially quite shy and often feel out of place.. that is until i feel comfortable with people.. i tend to be by myself alot and i am not going in this with any friends that I know so im very nervous of the prospect of groupwork.. and i have been treated the same as you in the past... the one who does all the work..

Imafloat, BSN, RN · Aug 11, 2006

We had lots of group assignments. The more of them you do, the easier they are. We are told that we need to learn to collaborate with other nurses and this prepares us for it. There are all kinds of personalities in group work, there are slackers, go along with anything types, leaders, work horses, etc... one girl made a lot of enemies because she was hard to work with. Just relax and go with the flow. We usually have a group member evaluation to fill out on each group member that is part of our grade.

WDWpixieRN, RN · Aug 11, 2006

All I can do reiterate what the others have said....I haven't started the program yet (8/21/06), but I hated group work while obtaining my bachelor's and also seemed to be the one -- or ones -- who got stuck doing the bulk of the work while others rode our coattails....

So, I graduated, got a job in IT....and guess what? Friggin' teamwork, teamwork, teamwork....some of us STILL work harder than others, and some of those others are making more than me....

I understand your frustration because grades are so important and stay with us, the person, so visibly the rest of our lives....

My best words of advice are to just suck it up, know it might come, and do the best you can to gitter' done!! :)

Ginny516 · Aug 11, 2006

Aph...

It is so unfortunate that you had such bad experiences with group work in high school. =( I don't know how things are at other schools, but I know at my school the waiting list is a year long! I know after waiting and anticipating the start of nursing school, it makes me want to work even harder to succeed. No slacking off for this nursing student, that's for sure! Hopefully the attitudes of students in nursing school compared to the attitudes of high school students are much different. Most nursing students are more mature and willing to work harder because they are at the stage where they know want to do with their lives. In a situation where you would have to do group work, you will be dealing with people who want to be nurses and hopefully are willing to put in just as much effort as you are! Don't be nervous about it! In the end I bet that you will learn a lot from your fellow students!!:icon_hug:

firstyearstudent · Aug 11, 2006

"i hated group work because i somehow always ended up being the one who got stuck doing everything, and taking up my partners' slack. my other classmates loved group stuff, because they got to socialize and could put some of the work off on others"

We do group work every semester and I think it is crucial for some of the students. Group work, more than anything else, is supposed to teach you by doing how to work in groups with other people. From what you said (above), it seems obvious to me that you have a lot to learn...

I'd approach group work as an important learning opportunity for you -- and something that is as or more important than a grade. By the way, the instructors at my school always make group work a very small percentage of the grade because they know it reflects a group effort and not an individual one.

user9876 · Aug 11, 2006

and something that is as or more important than a grade.

everyone keeps saying this, and saying that "C's get degrees" and "passing the NCLEX is more important than GPA", blah blah blah, but for me, that's completely not the case -- i've been busting my butt to finish extra pre-reqs that i didn't need for nursing, so that i can apply to the PA program once i finish. it's very limited and very competitive...GPA is *everything* in this situation. that's why my fear of group work is what it is.... my grades in nursing school are literally EVERYTHING, because my goal in sight is not nursing, it's PA school. :uhoh3: so stressed!!

WDWpixieRN, RN · Aug 11, 2006

We do group work every semester and I think it is crucial for some of the students. Group work, more than anything else, is supposed to teach you by doing how to work in groups with other people. From what you said (above), it seems obvious to me that you have a lot to learn...

I just want to add that I think this thought was a little uncalled for....I have done nothing but work in teams in my current position in IT. LARGE teams sometimes composed of hundreds of people; my salary depended on it. I can imagine it's even more crucial in a medical setting where I won't have the knowhow or knowledge of doctors or other specialists....

But I will say I agree with the OP....I don't like group projects in school because many times if you truly do care about your grade and tend to work to achieve your best, you are sometimes grouped with others who don't feel the same....unlike a job where you are often required to "do your part" on a large team project, a school project isn't necessarily the same...and I'll never forget a paper/presentation I had to do for macroeconomics where a young girl and I did all the work and we never saw the guy who was supposed to work with us. Our professor never asked for evaluations, but you can bet I asked him after the fact if he was interested in any feedback.

The most cooperativeness I ever had was in my honors classes....students who truly cared and gave their all. I'm hoping as another poster mentioned, that since we wait so long and work so hard to get into so many nursing programs, we won't ANY of us have to deal with people who aren't willing to continue doing the same.

ShockerGirl07 · Aug 11, 2006

I had your problem too in jr. high and high school, i was the "nerd" of the group and wanted a good grade but i think when you are in nursing school, people take it more seriously - when you are in high school, people just care about graduating, in nursing school this is your career training and people are going to take it more seriously. thats the experience i've had at least! good luck!

firstyearstudent · Aug 12, 2006

I stick by my answer. It seems the poster is ALREADY anticipating that she will be stuck doing too much work and other people will be slacking off and/or won't know what they're doing. That's a self-fulfilling prophesy. What if she went in thinking that she was ready and willing to do her share (and not more than her share) and that others were willing and able to do the same. How might that expectation affect how the group worked? If she does find herself being the person who is inspired in the group, where others are not, she will have the opportunity to learn how to inspire others and explore her leadership potential.

School is more than about grades, it's about learning. Nursing isn't just an academic discipline, it's a vocation. She's had problems working in groups in the past, which she readily admits, and now is the time to address those issues. How might positive experiences doing group work NOW affect her performance and expectations when she needs to do so in a work or academic environment in the future? What can she learn from how other students approach the same problems and issues?

I used to be one of those who hated to work in groups because I was basically a control freak. I have learned so much from being forced into that situation. People actually like to work in groups with me because I've learned a few things (good organization, clear and appropriate delegation, solid deadlines, faith in the abilities/talents of others). I've also learned to be assertive and not passive aggressive with people who aren't pulling their weight. Most importantly, I've learned that my ideas aren't always the best. This has all been FANTASTIC!

No one likes working with another gal at the school because she can't give up control. She is always obsessing about the grade, is overcritical and does folks' work over (for marginal improvement). She does not have faith in her fellow students and they feel that. Guess what, her groups don't grade any better for the (misplaced) effort.

The thing the poster should realize is that the group work is a requirement. She can't do anything about it, so she should learn to give up some control and go with it...