Horror stories.....

NurseMMM · Dec 19, 2006

While I was in nursing school, but that was 25 years ago. If you didn't fit what they had imagined in their minds as a Florence Nightengale, you didn't pass. Or they found a way to get rid of you. I graduated in a class that started with 4 men, only one passed. Also, there were three african american girls that didn't pass with us. All of us were white, physically thin to moderate build. And we wore our whites with those stupid hats at the time. There was alot of injustice at our school. There was alot of critisim if you didn't fit their ideology of "Nurse" mold. I hope things have changed since I went to school. I hope the prejudice stopped.

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Dec 19, 2006

While I was in nursing school, but that was 25 years ago. If you didn't fit what they had imagined in their minds as a Florence Nightengale, you didn't pass. Or they found a way to get rid of you. I graduated in a class that started with 4 men, only one passed. Also, there were three african american girls that didn't pass with us. All of us were white, physically thin to moderate build. And we wore our whites with those stupid hats at the time. There was alot of injustice at our school. There was alot of critisim if you didn't fit their ideology of "Nurse" mold. I hope things have changed since I went to school. I hope the prejudice stopped.

Hi, I can not speak from personal experience, but I think much has changed. For starters, Student Nurses are no longer weighed almost everyday or kicked out for gaining a few pounds or not fitting into a particular size uniform. We are also not kicked out for getting married or being pregnant or kept from attending school because we are over 30 or 40 (I forgot the old cut-off point). A former co-worker of mine who just retired told me of similar stories about the ridiculous requirements of your time.

I do not know if the racism and sexism is still as bad today. However, I figure if other requirements have changed, maybe those have too? In any case, I am willing to find out starting this January.

smurfy · Dec 19, 2006

unfortunetly, there is some truth to these stories. The truth is there underneath the exaggerations

BoonersmomRN · Dec 20, 2006

For the most part I have not experienced the "horror" stories that I was told I would. At my school there is a thick " horror" surrounding M/S 1 about how brutally hard it is. I thought the class was easy although that was not the popular opinion with my other classmates.

However in my Acute care rotation back in 1rst semester I was told my insturctor was " crazy, mean, nutzo" you name it. Well, unfortunately she was. Everything I had heard about her turned out to be dead on true. BUT because I was prepared for her- I kept my mouth shut and flew under the radar. There were a few in my group who clashed head on with her and holy heck batman- the sparks flew! I really loathed the woman, and she has no place in teaching honestly, but I got through it.

I take most horror stories with a grain of salt. They are someone's personal experiences and someone's opinions. Everything I heard about NS and how hard it is, how my life will end, no time for anything, etc has not been what I have experienced at all.