Nursing students; Honestly....

z's playa · May 4, 2005

Ugh...kill me already......I think I BOMBED 2 ANP exams..and quite possibly failed BOTH of them. Too much to handle this semester . Anyways I am FREAKING out waiting for my marks. I sometimes tend to freak out too soon and all is well but I dunno. I hope so. I passed all my NSG though. I like school. It's just no fun yet :)

Z

Nurse2B2005 · May 4, 2005

Are you enjoying nursing school? Is it what you expected? Or are you miserable? (with the schedule not career choice). Are you still glad you chose it? Is it going by fast?
-Jasmine

I have had a love/hate relationship with nursing school. It is what I expected. I know I have been miserable, due to the extensive careplans, research papers, having to read 8 chapters out of a patho book before a 5 hour lecture and then having a test the following few days after, let alone the homework that's also due and waking up at 4 in the morning for clinicals. . . . But now that it's coming to an end, I can look back and realize it wasn't so bad :rotfl:

It went by fast now that I look back, but at the time it sure didn't seem like it. I am 100% glad that I chose it. No regrets. I'm looking forward to graduating this month. I hear that's when the real learning begins :)

widow2RN · May 4, 2005

I have had a love/hate relationship with nursing school. It is what I expected. I know I have been miserable, due to the extensive careplans, research papers, having to read 8 chapters out of a patho book before a 5 hour lecture and then having a test the following few days after, let alone the homework that's also due and waking up at 4 in the morning for clinicals. . . . But now that it's coming to an end, I can look back and realize it wasn't so bad :rotfl:
It went by fast now that I look back, but at the time it sure didn't seem like it. I am 100% glad that I chose it. No regrets. I'm looking forward to graduating this month. I hear that's when the real learning begins :)

Did I write that first paragraph??? Wait! I know I couldn't have... because I'm just about to finish only 2nd semester! HA! Congratulations on your upcoming graduation!! It does seem to fly by... once you get there...lol... I'm still looking ahead to the "dreaded" 3rd semester I've already heard so much about (make you or break you)... and sucker for learning that I am...I even agreed to sign up for the EXTRA class in Pathophysiology for 3rd semester (separate from the 10 hour nursing program classes... because they PROMISED that THIS time they've lined it up to teach the patho as we are having to learn it in 3rd. We'll see... (none of the objectives have matched up with the current books too well)...

In this 2nd semester of clinicals, we finally moved from nursing home to hospital. I was piqued by your comment about "that's when the real learning begins," because in OB clinicals this semester, I was told the same thing by one of the nurses on that floor. She told me that we just have to get through all the bull of the program, but that it's when we graduate, get licensed, and start working at a hospital under other nurses... that's when we'll start really learning it all. So, let me know how it goes for you after graduation. Good luck on the NCLEX-RN... and good luck on your start in nursing!

scorpionrs33 · May 4, 2005

Are you enjoying nursing school? Is it what you expected? Or are you miserable? (with the schedule not career choice). Are you still glad you chose it? Is it going by fast?
-Jasmine

Yes, I can truly say I am, even though I say my brain is FULL...because it is!! But I had heard and expected it to be challenging and time consuming. All I do is work 18 hrs a week, study, practice for validations, clinicals, care plans (ahhh, no, not that, anything but that!!) and be a mom when i can, and study , and sleep, and study, and uhhhh...lol. It definitely was a good choice for me. I know a few people who dropped out ...even being this close to finishing the semester and not failing, guess it wasn't what they expected. Some of it was not what I expected....I did not think nursing was a constant state of assessment! Like my teacher likes to say, especially when we finish a night up at the clinical site and say, yeah! were done....Is nursing work ever REALLY DONE?? anyways, its been way rewarding and i feel i accomplished a lot in a little bit of time. Thanx to the nursing teachers!!!

:balloons:

not now, RN · May 4, 2005

As a whole I loved it.

If you had to break it down there were things I hated but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

AussieKylie · May 4, 2005

I wish I was like some who enjoyed going to Nursing School. I particuarly not enjoying it. Reasons why:

* the distance of travelling to uni & the location is just a tad boring

(it can be long train rides there, no buses can get me there, getting the car can be difficult)

* not many supportive teachers

* years have flown by so quick

* not alot of energy or emphasis gets put on subjects, labs, its like half *** job and I respond by Well whats the point

* hasnt built my confidence

* too many essays not enough practicals in the hospitals

If I could redo this experience I would have chosen a better Uni to go to. As right now, being my last year at Uni, I feel so scared of going out in the nursing world. I dont think I am very well prepared for it, my knowledge is down the drain. What I feel I am good at is communicating patients, making them happy. All the clinical skills I feel awkward with. I hope this passes.

It got me thinking: What is the point of school when we have to go to hospitals for placement anyways. I learn more at the hospitals then at Uni. I am more fulfilled practically and I am not an academic person that can do these awful essays. No way. Unfortunately its the only way to be an Rn in Australia is to go through University system.

I have been feeling like crap for a while now as i had to do essays a week apart of each other and its got me depressed. I think too much theory has driven the practical information away from me.

Is there anyone else feeling the same way as me :uhoh21:

lifeLONGstudent · May 4, 2005

my (accelerated) bsn program starts in 2 weeks - will let you know then.

lifelongstudent

ps...i am a bit of a type a personality -- haa ha. as of right now, i have read one book of our 4 required texts. i am on page 660 of 1100 of the big boy text and the other 2 books i ordered last night. i think there should be a rule that you are not allowed to have more textbooks than weeks of class (pharm is the first class - 3 weeks) :chuckle :chuckle :chuckle

manna, BSN, RN · May 4, 2005

my (accelerated) bsn program starts in 2 weeks - will let you know then.
lifelongstudent
ps...i am a bit of a type a personality -- haa ha. as of right now, i have read one book of our 4 required texts. i am on page 660 of 1100 of the big boy text and the other 2 books i ordered last night. i think there should be a rule that you are not allowed to have more textbooks than weeks of class (pharm is the first class - 3 weeks) :chuckle :chuckle :chuckle

holy moses! you don't mean your pharm class lasts 3 weeks, do ya? :bugeyes:

good luck! :)

wonderbee, BSN, RN · May 4, 2005

Are you enjoying nursing school? Is it what you expected? Or are you miserable? (with the schedule not career choice). Are you still glad you chose it? Is it going by fast?
-Jasmine

No, I'm not enjoying it anymore but I do love the sense of satisfaction I've derived from the whole experience. It is pretty much what I expected. There have been occasions when miserable would be a very appropriate description for how I've felt but I'm still glad I chose this route. Yes, it has gone by quickly.

GrnHonu99, RN · May 4, 2005

WOw u guys are scaring me....at the moment im taking AP2 and Micro...if those arent bad enough , I start my nursing program (a masters of nursing program that is 15 months straight, no breaks) at another school and will be going to both at the same time....im worried that it will be too much work and ill have to drop out (ill be in school from 8-4 at the MN school and 430-7 or 8 at the pre req school)...itll be my first nursing degree so i have no idea what to expect...i know that the school has extremely stringent rules (if i dont hold an 85 ave im out) so i just dont know if i can do it!! the opportunity was sooo sudden and such a great opportunity that i couldnt pass it up...i never thought id get accepted, especially for this term ( i went in looking at their BSN program for next year and came out in the MN program for this year) anyway i thought it was worth a shot even if i dont get to sleep or see the light of day till august (thats when ill be done with all my prereqs at the one school)...AP2 and micro will be done 4 weeks after i start my MN program, then i get a week reprieve from the prereq school then i start AP3 till end of august, meanwhile in July ill start my clinicals...ahhh...oh well...ill be stressed out to the max, thank goodness for these boards, atleast someone will feel my pain!!! :)

CrystalClear75, BSN, RN · May 4, 2005

I have to honestly say that I really don't like nursing school because of the over abundance of material that is required to learn and the amount of work expected in such a short period of time. However, I do know that I will enjoy every aspect of being a nurse and putting my skills into action! LOL But the learning part of nursing is really stressful and tiring. I'm only in my first semester and I'm already saying this. :rolleyes: Actually, I don't know one student that really likes the nursing program. The majority of them are frequently complaining and stressing. I think the main reason many people hate(at leason the ones I know) nursing school is because of the lack of confidence due to not being 100% SURE that one will succeed in every aspect of the learning process. Like, performing "skills" activities such as injections, catherization, etc. The constant pressure of learning things and not being sure of passing can progress into frustration which in my opinion, results in hating the whole learning process. These are just my interpretations from what I observe. Of course, this is just a theory right? Although there are some good points to nursing school, like, building confidence based on learning new things and being able to apply it. The part that "blows" is "learning" it and wondering if it is something I will achieve. The only thing I screwed up was performing the injections test. My instructor just said, "I want to see you do it one more time." She didn't actually fail me. I was pretty upset because I was the ONLY one who didn't successfully meet her standards. ALthough, others had to retake other tests. I also think I screwed up is because my one and only fear of nursing is to give somebody a shot. I am DREADING the time when I have to do it. WHy? Because I HATE shots myself and always would moan during the process. I guess you can say I hate pain, LOL. ALthough, when I got my shots prior to the program(required hepatitis etc) it was like NOTHING. I guess because I went through child birth and that was the WORST PAIN I EVER EXPERIENCED BECAUSE THE EPIDURAL DIDN"T WORK FOR 8 HOURS OF THE LABOR. WOW! I didn't think having a baby was THAT Painful!! :uhoh21: To sum it up, I don't like nursing school, but I DO like the confidence I achieve when I validate the fact that I passed this test, and did this care plan correctly etc. Right now, I am on NO hours of sleep because I was up ALL last night studying for my final which is tomorrow morning. I'm one of those people who can't sleep the night before a test and as a result, I direct my energy toward making sure I know everything. For example, the night before the test, if I attempt to sleep, I'll lay there and keep repeating facts in my head and if I don't remember something, I'll get up, open the book and make sure I know it. Like I'll start thinking about something like, "Okay, metabolic acidois is characterized by hypoventilation but in order for the body to compensate, one needs to HYPERVENTILATE in order to regain co2(I think I said that right), lol. By the way, I was very confused about acidosis and alkalosis(metabolic and resp) because it just didn't make sense to me. I think my weakness is reading into things way too much. I want to know WHY for everything. Like, I'll spend maybe a whole hour reading about bacteria(just an example) and trying to figure out why this one does this, and what exactly a spore is, and in all reality, I only have to know a portion of it. I need to see the WHOLE picture first, and COMPLETELY understand it which can be very time consuming. Although, I have to say that learning some of the material in nursing and about body functions can be quite interesting. I guess you can say that I have a stressful personality when it comes to tests. I just feel like there is SO much to remember and i'm afraid I'll forget something. My grades have improved though but at the beginning I was doing bad. On the first test I got a 76%, 2nd one 62% :uhoh21: (at this poing I was about to quit) 3rd test a 90% , 4th test a 84%, 5th test and 80%. So, that leaves me with a 78% in the class and the passing percentage is a 75%. So, I'm pretty close which means that I HAVE to do good on this final because it's 30% of my grade. Does anyone know how to figure out what I need to get to keep my 78% or at least PASS. I think I need to get an 82% in order to maintain my grade. I HATE C's but what else can I do. It's beter than failing right? I think I'm in the safe zone if I get a 66% or higher. Could anyone please try to figure that out. I know that you add up all the points and divide the number of exams but the 30% thing is confusing me. I think I just multiply 82X.3 and add that to my score of the other grades and THAT score is multiplied by .7. Correct? I hope I did it right. Sorry for rambling but I think It's something I needed to do because I try not to burden my husband or friends with my complaints. LOL Although sometimes it's hard. I really envy those of you who LOVE nursing school. I'm suprised to read about so many positve students who love nursing school. Good for you! Maybe I need to change my way of thinking and try to establish more confidence. At least that is what my clinical instructor said I needed to do. Where do you guys get that, I don't know, umph! :chuckle Thanks for reading, I think I'm kinda delusional. :uhoh3: Oh, I forgot to mention that I decided to stay up all night LAST night so I don't do it tonight. It's wierd, I have no problem sleeping when I know a test is coming. Although, when I was taking my pre reqs, I didn't stay up all night like THIS. Maybe once and a while. And, when I was in college the first time, I used to wait UNTIL the night before to study and pull a C on the test and not even care. Now that I'm older and wiser(29), I can't do that because I value my grades. My previous grades upon entering THIS time were mostly B's, a few A's and one C which was Micro. I HATED getting a C in that class but the teacher was VERY difficult. I'm open for any opinons, advice, or criticizm. By the way, I think I'm going nuts at this point. I can just imagine what nursing 102 is like. :rolleyes: Thanks to those who had the patience to read my long thread. I'm looking forward to reading more comments, or perhaps, reading about how you may be able to relate to how i'm feeling. I think I'm losing it!LOL :uhoh21:

GrnHonu99, RN · May 4, 2005

I have to honestly say that I really don't like nursing school because of the over abundance of material that is required to learn and the amount of work expected in such a short period of time. However, I do know that I will enjoy every aspect of being a nurse and putting my skills into action! LOL But the learning part of nursing is really stressful and tiring. I'm only in my first semester and I'm already saying this. Actually, I don't know one student that really likes the nursing program. The majority of them are frequently complaining and stressing. I think the main reason many people hate(at leason the ones I know) nursing school is because of the lack of confidence due to not being 100% SURE that one will succeed in every aspect of the learning process. Like, performing "skills" activities such as injections, catherization, etc. The constant pressure of learning things and not being sure of passing can progress into frustration which in my opinion, results in hating the whole learning process. These are just my interpretations from what I observe. Of course, this is just a theory right? Although there are some good points to nursing school, like, building confidence based on learning new things and being able to apply it. The part that "blows" is "learning" it and wondering if it is something I will achieve. The only thing I screwed up was performing the injections test. My instructor just said, "I want to see you do it one more time." She didn't actually fail me. I was pretty upset because I was the ONLY one who didn't successfully meet her standards. ALthough, others had to retake other tests. I also think I screwed up is because my one and only fear of nursing is to give somebody a shot. I am DREADING the time when I have to do it. WHy? Because I HATE shots myself and always would moan during the process. I guess you can say I hate pain, LOL. ALthough, when I got my shots prior to the program(required hepatitis etc) it was like NOTHING. I guess because I went through child birth and that was the WORST PAIN I EVER EXPERIENCED BECAUSE THE EPIDURAL DIDN"T WORK FOR 8 HOURS OF THE LABOR. WOW! I didn't think having a baby was THAT Painful!! :uhoh21: To sum it up, I don't like nursing school, but I DO like the confidence I achieve when I validate the fact that I passed this test, and did this care plan correctly etc. Right now, I am on NO hours of sleep because I was up ALL last night studying for my final which is tomorrow morning. I'm one of those people who can't sleep the night before a test and as a result, I direct my energy toward making sure I know everything. For example, the night before the test, if I attempt to sleep, I'll lay there and keep repeating facts in my head and if I don't remember something, I'll get up, open the book and make sure I know it. Like I'll start thinking about something like, "Okay, metabolic acidois is characterized by hypoventilation but in order for the body to compensate, one needs to HYPERVENTILATE in order to regain co2(I think I said that right), lol. By the way, I was very confused about acidosis and alkalosis(metabolic and resp) because it just didn't make sense to me. I think my weakness is reading into things way too much. I want to know WHY for everything. Like, I'll spend maybe a whole hour reading about bacteria(just an example) and trying to figure out why this one does this, and what exactly a spore is, and in all reality, I only have to know a portion of it. I need to see the WHOLE picture first, and COMPLETELY understand it which can be very time consuming. Although, I have to say that learning some of the material in nursing and about body functions can be quite interesting. I guess you can say that I have a stressful personality when it comes to tests. I just feel like there is SO much to remember and i'm afraid I'll forget something. My grades have improved though but at the beginning I was doing bad. On the first test I got a 76%, 2nd one 62% :uhoh21: (at this poing I was about to quit) 3rd test a 90% , 4th test a 84%, 5th test and 80%. So, that leaves me with a 78% in the class and the passing percentage is a 75%. So, I'm pretty close which means that I HAVE to do good on this final because it's 30% of my grade. Does anyone know how to figure out what I need to get to keep my 78% or at least PASS. I think I need to get an 82% in order to maintain my grade. I HATE C's but what else can I do. It's beter than failing right? I think I'm in the safe zone if I get a 66% or higher. Could anyone please try to figure that out. I know that you add up all the points and divide the number of exams but the 30% thing is confusing me. I think I just multiply 82X.3 and add that to my score of the other grades and THAT score is multiplied by .7. Correct? I hope I did it right. Sorry for rambling but I think It's something I needed to do because I try not to burden my husband or friends with my complaints. LOL Although sometimes it's hard. I really envy those of you who LOVE nursing school. I'm suprised to read about so many positve students who love nursing school. Good for you! Maybe I need to change my way of thinking and try to establish more confidence. At least that is what my clinical instructor said I needed to do. Where do you guys get that, I don't know, umph! :chuckle Thanks for reading, I think I'm kinda delusional. Oh, I forgot to mention that I decided to stay up all night LAST night so I don't do it tonight. It's wierd, I have no problem sleeping when I know a test is coming. Although, when I was taking my pre reqs, I didn't stay up all night like THIS. Maybe once and a while. And, when I was in college the first time, I used to wait UNTIL the night before to study and pull a C on the test and not even care. Now that I'm older and wiser(29), I can't do that because I value my grades. My previous grades upon entering THIS time were mostly B's, a few A's and one C which was Micro. I HATED getting a C in that class but the teacher was VERY difficult. I'm open for any opinons, advice, or criticizm. By the way, I think I'm going nuts at this point. I can just imagine what nursing 102 is like. Thanks to those who had the patience to read my long thread. I'm looking forward to reading more comments, or perhaps, reading about how you may be able to relate to how i'm feeling. I think I'm losing it!LOL :uhoh21:

talk to me in about a month and a half, im sure ill be so far gone i wont even remember my name!!!! good luck!