Having a hard time with the people in my nursing school...

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Hi there! I guess I came on here to vent since I'm not sure where else to go for advice or a nursing vent sesh. I'm a first semester nursing student and I find myself really disliking a lot of the people I go to school with. Everyone is very dramatic, two faced, and back stabbing...you can't trust anyone!

We took our final today and about half half of us went out for happy hour at a local restaurant. One girl in my program had a little bit too much to drink and started crying after she got kicked out of the restaurant. I went up to her and asked if she was okay or needed a ride home, she then shoved me into a wall and cussed me out. Other people in the program had to hold her back so I can walk away without her attacking me!

On top of that all year I've been hearing nonstop trash talking about other people in the program, people trying to rat other people out to the professors, and just overall nastiness. Is this what the nursing world is like?

It's really discouraging to see these are the type of people that want to be nurses. In a sense it kind of makes me sad. so here I am reaching out to all the fellow nurses and nursing students. Are other nursing programs like this? Can you help shed some light on how to make the next year and a half with these people not so...awful?

Sorry for the vent. I needed to let it out somewhere!

I read your post and can relate. I just finished my 1st semester also and found I was surprised by the behavior of many of the people in my class. Initially, I was surprised and upset. For example, there are a group of students in my lecture that are incredibly disrespectful towards our professors. A few of these students have blatantly stated they only chose this career for the money. About a month into clinical I got the greatest piece of advice from my instructor though. She said when your in nursing school, there are many situations your going to encounter that are going to test you. Whether its a bad day, relationship drama, family drama, etc, there is going to be things that make you so upset. Her advice was to view all these situations as "distractions". Its just something that is distracting you from why you are there and trying to get in the way of what you want to accomplish. For me, that advice helped me a lot. I have read some of the comments on here and while some are supportive some are also negative. Just think of those negative comments as distractions. Your human with emotions and feelings that deserve to be validated, not torn down. This site is for us all to build each other up and be supportive. Its unfortunate that some comments are written to do the opposite. Again, just think of those negative comments as distractions.

Nursing school will go by quickly and during this time you will also meet some friends you will have for the rest of your life. I am sure you have already found your group of friends that support you. During this time, just try to think of all of this as many lessons. Not only are we learning how to become nurses, we are learning how to deal with people. People who you won't like, who are mean, and who are there for all the wrong reasons. Dealing with all that will make you a better nurse on day.

Your not the only one who feels the way you do either. I hope the advice that was given to me helps you too. Just think of all those people as distractions and don't let it get in the way of what you set out to do. I wish you the best of luck in nursing school!

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Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.

I felt the exact same way and I just graduated. There were only a few people I liked in school. It was hard for me because in the general public I am the type of person who likes most people.

I got through it anyway.

I too worry about how I will fit in with other nurses on the floor when I start working.

Will it be like nursing school?

I just hope that nursing school is a weird type of stress that brought out the worst in the group I was with.

My advice: keep calm and study hard. Don't hang out with people you don't like, but be nice to everyone. Also, don't take crap or allow anyone to bully you. Be kind but be your own advocate.

I didn't make any friends in nursing school. I tried, but it didn't work out. You might not either, and that's okay.

Best wishes.

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There are a few people in my cohort whom I don't particularly care for as well, but I've learned to deal with them. You'll always encounter people you don't care for. Just push on and stay focused on yourself and your success.

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Specializes in Family Clinic.

It is certainly normal to feel like everyone is completely losing it in such a competitive group like a nursing cohort. It is hard to find people whose personalities match and all get along. From my very little experience it seems that some of this does carry over into the actual medical field. Personality differences and high stress can bring out the best and worst in people. I will make conversation with everyone I can, but at the end of the day I am here for one thing and one thing only, MY FUTURE! Don't let it get under your skin, remain neutral, and brush it under the rug as much as you can because these people don't pay your bills or make your grades better. If it truly starts to bother you, take a step back and look at why it is bothering you. As always, vent it out or cuss under your breath in a closet somewhere, but you are there for you! Keep your head held high and your eyes forward to your goals and let the bad seeds self implode :) Best of luck!!

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Stay above it all but don't be too isolated. Do not take sides.

Many of your colleagues couldn't care less if you fail out of nursing school. Be stoic and get out of nursing school with a degree.

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As others have said, you need to focus on your studies and try to stay above it. You coming out of this with a degree is far more important.

In my program there was a touch of drama in the first semester, and a bit here and there this past term. It may be tempting to do things like engage in gossip and take sides, but it's just not becoming to do such - especially as a developing professional.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

I taught for 11 years. That's 22 different groups of students. I've seen quite the variety of cohorts: mature, driven, responsible, as well as immature, catty and lazy. In every group there were outliers.

When I was a student, I was the youngest (started at 18), with a group of 20-50 year olds. Many were late 20s/early 30s. This was my group of friends/study partners. They were all 2nd career students, some with spouses, kids, mortgages and jobs. No time for drama (but yes, an occasional outing to the bar, where no one got kicked out).

My my suggestion to you is to find a group of classmates that bring you up, not down. Like minded people, who are serious about this. People who will make the cut each semester.

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Welcome to the world of nursing

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Specializes in Nephrology Home Therapies, Wound Care, Foot Care..

Nursing school in many ways is just a microcosm of the rest of the world, but with high stakes and much more estrogen! I'm an older student, and I don't go out drinking with classmates, lunch maybe, drinking never. We all have to get home in one piece, a DUI and we're OUT. Not worth it.

I agree with the poster above, this is about your education and your future. Will you make lifelong friends in nursing school? Maaaaybe. Will you ever lay eyes on a single one of these folks again? Probably, unless you relocate far far away. Your job is to learn as much as you can, be the best nursing student you can be, pass the NCLEX, and move on. School is temporary. Many of the people who start won't finish, others that you thought never had a chance, will surprise you. Be the grown up, this isn't a sorority- it's where you are learning the basics that will allow you to save lives, improve lives, ease suffering, promote health. It's a really big deal to be a nurse. It's a really big deal to just be admitted to nursing school! This other stuff is just useless and distracting drama-stay out of it, it ain't your circus, ain't your monkeys. Know what I mean?

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Listen sweet pea, what I meant was she came on here to vent. If you see she's upset by this situation, why make it a point to make her even more upset than she already is. You ever heard of "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all?". I totally get that she used a public forum but for Christ sakes let the girl vent if she wanted to vent. What if she doesn't have friends and this is her only outlet? Just like (I'm sure) you would call your friends up or boyfriend/husband whatever to vent about work... she is on ALLNURSES venting about school. Nursing school is a lot of drama, maybe yours was not, and kudos to yours if it wasn't.

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well said! and yes this is for people to vent, not to be critical of what people are writing!

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well said! and yes this is for people to vent, not to be critical of what people are writing!

No, this forum does not simply exist to allow people to vent. It's designed around the concept of feedback. As long as the posts do not violate the TOS, they are absolutely allowed to disagree and be "critical" of certain viewpoints.

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