allnurses.com helpful to busy students or an unnecessary distraction?

[steveogurule]

After 2.5 years of prerequisites, I'm finally starting the nursing program next fall. My school's program is excruciatingly competitive...nobody has a chance unless their GPA is 3.5+. I have "stopped facebook" in preparation. I'm new here at allnurses, is it addictive and distracting or helpful and enriching?

[karamarie91]

LOL. It can be both! It can enlighten you, make you laugh, or even make you depressed(like GPA statistics).Congrats for getting into nursing school-- I guess you've won half the battle. Allnurses is not facebook, its more of an advice website. I think you will want to come back to Allnurses just for help with nursing school because there is so much support and knowledge on this website. Just know the difference between leisure and play like you did when you were completing prereqs. You should be fine. Best wishes!

[ParkerBC,MSN,RN, PhD, RN]

I find it to be helpful. I have answered many student questions on the board. To make sure I give correct information, I look it up and respond. It has helped to “cement” the information when I am explaining it to another student. I have also found helpful resources on this site in regards to career choice. However, I think, just like any other website, it can be distracting. Just limit your time.

Good Luck!!

[steveogurule]

Thanks for the thoughtful response, that seems to be a theme here.

[Trilldayz,RN BSN]

BOTH!!!!!!!! Distracting and helpful!!!

[Saysfaa]

Yep, it is both. Or either, since it is sometimes one without being the other.

[OB-nurse2013, BSN, RN]

Both, I ust agree with others. Although it was more when I was applying last summer for my program I was really exhausted, nervous, and excited without many people around me understanding Now when I got my letter and posted the good news on here, it was awesome and I got a wonderful response and that was very encouraging. Anything can be a distraction if you let it, for example my hosue is clean as can be since I will do anything instead of studying when I'm not in the mood. :)

[studentLJinCA]

BOTH!

It's nice to see what others are going through, and gain advice from those with experience.

But on the other hand, I also spend WAY too much time on here just looking & reading posts that have no relevance to me or my situation. I'm just nosey! :)

[mangopeach]

Both. But you will learn once you start nursing classes that you really have to cut back. I don't post as much since I started nursing school this semester. Although not wise, you can cram for pre-reqs and still do well on an exam if you did not manage your time wisely. You learn fairly quickly in nursing school that time is precious and you need to manage it wisely. You can't cram for nursing exams and there are so many other things you have to do. Unless you don't like yourself, LOL, you probably will not be letting Allnurses take up too much of your time. Now that the semester is winding down and clinicals are done. I'm posting a lot more, but at the beginning and middle, I posted sporadically.

[llg, PhD, RN]

30% helpful

70% distraction

I see a lot of students getting bad advice here and others getting involved in conversations that are not really helpful to them or their careers. I'm sure that for many, it is mostly a distraction. However, I also see some students getting support and advice that is helpful.

So, my recommendation would be to participate here ... but proceed with caution. Don't believe everything you read and try not to get drawn into the stress and anxiety that can feed off itself here.

[windmill182]

I just replied to the question about people deleting FB. I chose to do the same thing because I felt it was just an unnecessary distraction. Its nice because you can always reactivate your account, and it will be just like you never disabled. I do spend a lot more time on AllNurses, but feel like its motivational for my goal. Also, sometimes its nice to take a ten minute break to read some of the posts on here when you are reading a text book for hours on end...

Also, very few people on my FB understood the pressure of being a pre-nursing/nursing student, so its nice to have you guys to relate. : )

[CuriousMe]

I'd say it's the other way around. My whole nursing class is on FB, and we help each other out there all the time. I know of folks in my class who created an FB account to stay in touch with other folks in our class.

AllNurses stopped being useful for me once I got in to a nursing program.....as, it doesn't really matter how an anonymous poster puts together a care plan, it matters what my Prof's want. If anything, I see more wrong information than right here on AN.