Nursing Students Shafted

MK2002 · Oct 30, 2002

I meant that Accounting is equally difficult with a lot of required classes.

As for the real work, it is obvious from my post that this refers to the quantity of courses and their difficulty level.

Also, as someone else pointed out, the greater challenge comes AFTER school. If you think you have a difficult time now, just wait until later.

colleen10 · Oct 30, 2002

Hi Thendar,

I kind of get what you are saying. I have a degree in Agricultural Science and what always got me was that I had to take tons of Science classes with Labs. I would get a measly extra credit for spending 4-5 hours in lab each week.

And, it cost me so much more to go to school and took longer too. That is compared to all my friends who were non-science majors.

But I'll give everyone their props. It's a matter of how you look at it. A 2 year Computer Science degree might be a breeze but I doubt I would do well in it as I have no interest or desire to learn anything about computers.

colleen10 · Oct 30, 2002

Hi Thendar,

I kind of get what you are saying. I have a degree in Agricultural Science and what always got me was that I had to take tons of Science classes with Labs. I would get a measly extra credit for spending 4-5 hours in lab each week.

And, it cost me so much more to go to school and took longer too. That is compared to all my friends who were non-science majors.

But I'll give everyone their props. It's a matter of how you look at it. A 2 year Computer Science degree might be a breeze but I doubt I would do well in it as I have no interest or desire to learn anything about computers.

NurseDennie, BSN, RN · Oct 30, 2002

MK2002, I couldn't disagree with you more! You're looking at another computers to nursing change, and yeah, I've got the older computer science - from Purdue no less. That's a full-fledged engineering program. After that, I took a lot of courses in psych in order to study artificial intelligence. I've also studied the physics of chaos, and although I didn't study accounting for a degree, I have a couple of those courses under my belt as well.

Know what? Nursing is WAY harder. The courses are harder, the work is more difficult, and the concepts are more difficult. Plus, once you get the concepts, then you have to deal with the uncertanties and differences in actual clinical practice. Take it from me. My classes in psych nursing were WAY harder than the classes in psych.

Yeah, I sat there for hours and hours writing programs, debugging, etc. That was before the days of PC's so I was in the lab, writing in COBOL or one of those other Completely Obsolete Bad Old Languages, AND dealing with the stupid punch card machines, toting around the bleeding cards. But I've also sat up until all hours of the morning before clinicals, writing care plans, looking up drugs and trying to figure out WHY somebody is taking this or that. One lady that I took care of on the hospital floor was taking incredibly large amounts of vitamin C. The only rationale I could come up for that was her doc wanted her to produce extremely expensive urine.

Computers are easy. Numbers are easy. Physics is easy. PEOPLE ARE HARD!!!!!! Yeah, you'll be learning about some drugs and about some diseases, and about body systems, etc. But mostly you'll be learning about how to deal with people. It's not that you know so much about pneumonia, but how is THIS person doing to deal with HIS pneumonia, and how is HIS family going to be helping/hindering his efforts?

The only "B" I ever got in my previous life was in..... English 101. But in nursing, I graduated with a relatively high "B" average and was bloody grateful for that!

Love

Dennie

NurseDennie, BSN, RN · Oct 30, 2002

MK2002, I couldn't disagree with you more! You're looking at another computers to nursing change, and yeah, I've got the older computer science - from Purdue no less. That's a full-fledged engineering program. After that, I took a lot of courses in psych in order to study artificial intelligence. I've also studied the physics of chaos, and although I didn't study accounting for a degree, I have a couple of those courses under my belt as well.

Know what? Nursing is WAY harder. The courses are harder, the work is more difficult, and the concepts are more difficult. Plus, once you get the concepts, then you have to deal with the uncertanties and differences in actual clinical practice. Take it from me. My classes in psych nursing were WAY harder than the classes in psych.

Yeah, I sat there for hours and hours writing programs, debugging, etc. That was before the days of PC's so I was in the lab, writing in COBOL or one of those other Completely Obsolete Bad Old Languages, AND dealing with the stupid punch card machines, toting around the bleeding cards. But I've also sat up until all hours of the morning before clinicals, writing care plans, looking up drugs and trying to figure out WHY somebody is taking this or that. One lady that I took care of on the hospital floor was taking incredibly large amounts of vitamin C. The only rationale I could come up for that was her doc wanted her to produce extremely expensive urine.

Computers are easy. Numbers are easy. Physics is easy. PEOPLE ARE HARD!!!!!! Yeah, you'll be learning about some drugs and about some diseases, and about body systems, etc. But mostly you'll be learning about how to deal with people. It's not that you know so much about pneumonia, but how is THIS person doing to deal with HIS pneumonia, and how is HIS family going to be helping/hindering his efforts?

The only "B" I ever got in my previous life was in..... English 101. But in nursing, I graduated with a relatively high "B" average and was bloody grateful for that!

Love

Dennie

studentdeb · Oct 30, 2002

I began going to school for accounting and accounting can be very tough. You do have to spend alot of hours to get it right. My husband has his degree in Business specializing in Accounting and he worked hard for it.

I do agree though that nursing students spend more hours for one class. The first clinical course in my program is about 15 hours a week with the lecture, lab and clinical. This is what makes being a nursing student so difficult because you also have to spend alot of time studying all the material. One other thing that makes it hard is the grading scale. Our school for a C in the nursing courses, you have to to get 78% - 83% or you are out. That raises the stress levels also.

I think any program one attempts to go for has it's ups and downs and levels of difficulty.

Hang in there, that is what we are all trying to do, it seems.

studentdeb · Oct 30, 2002

I began going to school for accounting and accounting can be very tough. You do have to spend alot of hours to get it right. My husband has his degree in Business specializing in Accounting and he worked hard for it.

I do agree though that nursing students spend more hours for one class. The first clinical course in my program is about 15 hours a week with the lecture, lab and clinical. This is what makes being a nursing student so difficult because you also have to spend alot of time studying all the material. One other thing that makes it hard is the grading scale. Our school for a C in the nursing courses, you have to to get 78% - 83% or you are out. That raises the stress levels also.

I think any program one attempts to go for has it's ups and downs and levels of difficulty.

Hang in there, that is what we are all trying to do, it seems.

Thendar · Oct 30, 2002

Can we please end this thread... or at least change it's direction.

My intent was to boost morale amongst those nursing students that are having a tough time; it wasn't to attack other professions.

This isn't an accounting site.

This isn't a computer science site.

This isn't even a basket weaving site.

This site is for past, present and future NURSES

Thendar · Oct 30, 2002

Can we please end this thread... or at least change it's direction.

My intent was to boost morale amongst those nursing students that are having a tough time; it wasn't to attack other professions.

This isn't an accounting site.

This isn't a computer science site.

This isn't even a basket weaving site.

This site is for past, present and future NURSES

MK2002 · Oct 30, 2002

Originally posted by NurseDennie
Physics is easy.

Thanks for the amusing comment. I couldn't stop laughing when I read this outrageous evaluation. :) :) :) :) :)

I bet a few nursing students would disagree with you. A lot them struggle with Math and A&P, let alone Physics. Enough said.

MK2002 · Oct 30, 2002

Originally posted by NurseDennie
Physics is easy.

Thanks for the amusing comment. I couldn't stop laughing when I read this outrageous evaluation. :) :) :) :) :)

I bet a few nursing students would disagree with you. A lot them struggle with Math and A&P, let alone Physics. Enough said.

researchrabbit · Oct 30, 2002

Oh, Dennie, I love your avatar.

I have to say Nursing school is more INTENSE than any other school I've done, primarily because of the clinical rotations. Plus there is the anxiety...you can't kill anyone if you, say, dangle a participle. :)

But I studied MUCH MORE for my French degree than I did for my nursing degree (French averaged 3-5 hours for each hour I spent in class; nursing averaged about an hour of study for each hour of lecture time). I studied less for the grad English lit classes than I did for the nursing classes (average of 30 minutes or less per class hour). In both cases, the amount of studying had a lot to do with how much prior knowledge I had.

Everyone's different and different courses are easy or hard depending on how your brain's wired and where your interests lie...and what you find "hard". For some people, memorization is difficult. For others, it's synthesis or writing or even just sitting in lecture.

I guess what I'm saying is that EVERYONE in EVERY degree program has a right to whine... :)