I would like an idea of what nursing school is going to be like

clclc4444 · May 22, 2011

Well I am 28, and my husband is able to care for our son along with daycare and I do not work, and since I have all of the co reqs out of the way, all the way to the BSN program, I am not worried about family life, mainly what the program is like... thanks everyone!

jelly221,RN · May 23, 2011

It really depends on your program and which semester you're in. First semester, I worked 50 hrs/week and almost had a nervous breakdown from that, but I hardly ever studied. Second semester was pretty easy, aside for some late-nite cram sessions before Med-Surg tests. Third semester was a nightmare. I studied for 6-8 hours every day, 3-4 hours on days we had clinical (and we didn't get out of clinical until 4-5pm!). Clinicals in 3rd semester were a bit nerve-wracking, because we're expected to know EVERYTHING. I had great clinical instructors who were really there to help, although they had (have) very high standards. Fourth semester has been great. I've studied a fair amount, but nothing like 3rd, and clinicals are FUN!

Like people said, be prepared. Do your reading ahead of time if possible, and find a good study group. I've never been a "group work" person- would just do the whole assignment myself. But if you can find 2-4 other people who learn at a similar pace to yourself, it'll help so much to talk through concepts/rationales with one another, and you'll end up reminding each other of small details that'll probably end up on the test.

Good luck!

lemidora · May 23, 2011

I love nursing school. In my opinion, all those gen ed courses were the toughest part because I just wasn't all that interested but when it comes to my nursing courses, it's really not as tough as some make it out to be. Being a mom and having gone to school full time for two years already, I imagine you have kick ass time management skills that will really help you out. Nursing school can be a lot of fun if you let it be. Don't worry. If nursing school really was so impossibly hard, there wouldn't be any nurses around. Good luck!

rumwynnieRN · May 23, 2011

It depends on a lot of things; here in Houston, the general consensus is none of us really have a life, and we've all learned in some shape or form to say no to a lot of things (I'm talking about the three major nursing programs in the medical center btw). There are those of us who are better at time management and have learned to "pre-read" our books.

If you've heard horror stories about nursing school, I have one that's on a thread somewhere here, take it with a grain of salt; I'm not saying that it didn't happen to person who had that experience, but there are so many extraneous factors that contribute to a negative experience. Don't make someone's horror story yours. As much as I don't like the previous nursing program I was in, I wouldn't discourage people from attending.

You're going to hear this phrase "you need to put this information together" in some shape or form -- what seems to trip a lot of people up is the test questions. NCLEX questions are more application based, and you have to be willing to think beyond (but not overthink -- it's a very odd balance) when presented with answer choices. Your classes also won't be "exclusive" to that particular class anymore, especially the first two semesters.

Oh, and careplans? Careplans suck. My first careplan took me all night to do, and I didn't know what I was doing. If you think your english is awesome, it'll go down when you write your nursing dx's.

allnurses Guide · May 23, 2011

If you get all your ducks in a row before you start (what hours can you work? can you quit? who's going to watch the kids? do you have enough money saved? do you have any type of situation that is weighing you down that will interfere with your concentration?).

Trust me.

You don't want extra crap to worry about.

If you can just focus on school, you'll be fine.

hubbert40 · May 23, 2011

:yeah:Of course, every program is different but I have enjoyed it so far. I'm in my second semester of nursing classes. My advice would be to read your text, make lots of notecards and don't throw them away....The clinicals have been great, instructors are great, just be prepared and you'll do fine. Good Luck !