Is Nursing School Hard?

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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How hard is nursing shcool? Did many of you have difficult times when you went to nursing school? What motivated you and how did you make it through?

Wow.. yeah............ Lol... Havent even started my pre reqs yet but all I need is 3 classes A & P, English, and Psycology to get into my nursing program. And Im actually kind of excited to get started. After reading so many posts about how hard it is, I'm a little nervous as well but its something I really want to do! So Im gonna suck it up and not give up! :rckn::anpom:

I am a 49 year old woman. Have always wanted to be a nurse. Throwing around the possibilities of starting 2 yr. RN program. Is it really harder on the older students? By what i have read so far it, it is really making me think about it! Anyone have any advice?:eek:

blackflower19,

I worked as a CNA for a little while, and now I'm in a BSN program. You can do it! And because you already have experience in the healthcare setting, you will understand what is going on during clinicals (and during class) MUCH better than the other students. It will also be easier for you to find a job when you graduate, because employers look for experience, and you will "catch on" faster simply because you've had 3 years of experience, learning how it really is to work in healthcare. You know about vital signs, you can probably tell when "something's up" with a patient, you're not afraid to get in there and work, you've already proven that you can deal with blood, sweat, tears, and BM's, etc. You will also get a little more respect from your nursing instructors if you let them know that you've been a CNA for 3 years, as well. (Don't harp on the fact and tell them every time you see them, but if you just casually let them know, that might be good. They'll probably worry about you slightly less than they worry about the other students. (They worry about us accidentally harming a patient during clinicals. Which is understandable. New nursing students ARE kind of dangerous because we don't know much yet.)

I can tell you this: working as a CNA is very PHYSICAL labor. I would come home, and be EXHAUSTED. Every muscle in my body had given out. Working as a nurse is similar, but it's not QUITE as physically exhausting. --Don't get me wrong-- nursing is still VERY tiring. Now I come home after a 12 hour clinical, and every muscle in my body is aching, but not completely given out. From what I can tell so far, nursing is physically and mentally tiring, but, honestly, I think I'm SLIGHTLY less tired after a day of nursing vs. a day as a CNA. (Of course, you have to remember: this is coming from a student who has experienced 12 hour clincials which consist of following a preceptor (an RN) around. I haven't yet had the burden of being responsible for a 12 hour shift all by myself yet.) These are just my observations so far.

But I think you should take the step up! It IS supposedly getting harder to find a job as an RN, but you should do it, anway! (If you heart is in the right place, and you actually LIKE taking care of people. Which I'm sure it is :) ) I KNOW you can get hired with experience. And I'm sure you know a lot of people who can help you get a job. That always helps.

Just don't get "down" on yourself and think that you are dumb, because you are not. Let me tell you something: EVERYONE in nursing school feels like they're dumb at some point (usually the WHOLE way through). Even the students who are making A's feel dumb sometimes (although they won't always TELL you that unless you're really good friends with them :) ). There are some students who were valedictorian of their class, or already have another degree and had a 4.0, and even they feel dumb in nursing school at times. So, when you're in nursing school, just keep going--don't give up, and eventually you'll get there.

Note: I worked as a CNA during nursing school for 1 semester. I think it would have been VERY helpful if I'd gone INTO nursing school with some CNA experience.

BUT-- for those other prospective nursing students out there, that doesn't mean that you should NOT go to nursing school just because you don't have CNA experience. Don't let me discourage you.

When I STARTED nursing school, I'd been through CNA training, so I had basic knowledge of vital signs, and I'd done a 2 week training session at a nursing home, but I certainly did NOT have what I would call "CNA EXPERIENCE". I got that LATER, when I started working as a CNA DURING nursing school.

Go for it Ya-Ya! I'm 45 and about to start nursing school. If it is something you really want then you WILL be able to do it. As for it being harder for "older" students, I have found that I do need to study much more then I did when I was 20!

I just started and ADN program this spring and so far its much harder or i should say time consuming than i expected.

Specializes in Pediatrics, ICU, ED.

Nursing school is HARD! Nuff said.

Specializes in Infusion.

It is time consuming absolutely. Is it incredibly hard ? no. There are fundamentals to learn and we delve into the A&P stuff a little deeper and look at the clinical manifestations of problems. We have tests every other week with crazy NCLEX questions that make the smartest students scratch their heads in astonishment. We have skills to learn and then get tested on. We have clinicals where we need to show how well we can do our skills over and over again. We have patient preps to write up that go into detail what our patient has, what kind of treatment to expect, what drugs they are taking, why the drugs are being given to our patient, major side effects, patient teaching and assessments needed for each drug. We have a few papers to write. We learn about drugs. We have simulations. We laugh, we cry, we kiss thousands of dollars good bye. It's all very doable but then so is boot camp...... Oh, and I'm just shy of 50.

I'm only in my first semester of nursing school so take that for what its worth. So far I would not say its hard. As some others have said, time consuming, a thousand times yes!!!! - I have chosen to dedicate the next year and a half to school. Anything outside of school is just not a priority for me. I get to those things when I have the spare time. Having said that, I think its very important that you do take time out to unwind. For me thats making sure I go for regular walks just taking in the scenery, maybe a movie every few weeks. Thats the extent of it for me. I might do something for a weekend for Spring Break. But for the most part, school is my life right now. I don't find the material I'm studying to be difficult. The difficult part if anything, is learning to juggle all the things that need to be done. I've got lecture 2 days a week, so study for that, then I've got clinicals 2 days a week, plus the preparation needed to be done before clinicals and reports that have to be done after clinicals each week. All the while finding time to go to lab as much as I can to practice my skills and getting ready for skills checkoffs. Its a lot to manage so time management is CRUCIAL to your success!!!!

I know the material will get a bit more difficult as time goes by, but I think its totally manageable when you prioritize and make sure you stay on top of things.

It's very challenging, but can be done if you keep your focus and priorities straight.

I am a 49 year old woman. Have always wanted to be a nurse. Throwing around the possibilities of starting 2 yr. RN program. Is it really harder on the older students? By what i have read so far it, it is really making me think about it! Anyone have any advice?:eek:

Ya-Ya: I think it depends on the other responsibilities in your life. There's no doubt that trying to juggle school on top of home, kids and work is super challenging.

But, as an older person without those additional responsibilities....I've got to say that I think school is so much easier this time around. I didn't have the discipline of focus in my twenties to complete a nursing program....and now I'm at the top of my class.

Don't count yourself out...what you've learned through your life can only help you in nursing school.

Prior to entering nursing school I had done all of the following:

-Completed a BS in computers with honors

-Run a videoconferencing network for the executives of one of the world's largest pharmacuetical companies

-Worked as a consultant for what was the largest consulting company in the world (and now doesn't even exist)

-Climbed big mountains alone in the middle of winter

-Climbed 5.10 on trad gear (just trust me, that's hard)

-Walked over 100 miles at a stretch

-Taught high school kids

Nursing school was harder, and more rewarding, than any of those endeavors.

damn miss. shitt,.

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