Actual Nursing Vs Nursing school

NeoNurseTX, RN · Feb 10, 2009

It's hard.. in a way different way. The first year sucks.. hence having a forum for it, but it gets better!

RedhairedNurse, BSN, RN · Feb 10, 2009

Hi guys!
Student nurse here working on a wonderful process record, when a question popped up.
All this homework, studying, reading, paperwork
Does it get easier once we graduate?
I know the stress level is probably higher, after all..you are on your own
It just seems every spare moment I have Im doing homework.
It gets easier right? Work..home and thats it.
So Nursing Vs Nursing school
which is more difficult

:lol2:

FloridaGirl23 · Feb 10, 2009

I'm in my last semester of nursing school and I'm scared out of my pants! I've had some great clinical experiences, but I don't feel anywhere near prepared. Most of the nurses I talk to in the hospitals say the same thing, they all tell me I will know nothing until I actually work, and I believe them!!! When you think about it, in most of your clinicals, have you ever been assigned more than 2-3 pts?? That is definatley not reality in the real world!! I have come to terms with the fact that I will probably make a fool out of myself somewhere in the first few months of my new job as a nurse, will make sure I become a happy servant to all the seasoned nurses so they will show me the way and I will definately NOT act like a cocky know-it-all just because I now hold a license. The best advice I have gotten was from the nurses I shadowed. I actually got to see a new nurse start her first week at a LTC facility and she walked around like she was the best thing since sliced bread. It really made me think to myself "What is she doing???" Some of these nurses have been here for 10-20 years, put in hard work, tears and sweat and she is walking around with the attitude. Well that changed really quick when they were short staffed, she had 20 patients and was still not done passing her morning meds at lunchtime. Look up to your superiors when you are done with school, they are going to be the ones who teach you everything you know.

Galore · Feb 10, 2009

I think they are both challenging in distinctly different ways. In NS you are overwhelmed with a lot of busywork and academic knowledge. You slave away over elaborate careplans, copy information from the drug guide on all 15 meds your 1 patient is on for clinical, and so on. You feel guilty when you have free time and you don't use it to study.

In the real world of nursing, it's a lot more hands-on and practical. I feel like I'm constantly juggling about 20 things at once and reprioritizing my next move constantly. As a new grad, even orders that may have seemed simple when you were in nursing school become more time-consuming when you have to figure out how to put the order in the computer, where to find all the supplies, who to contact when your floor doesn't HAVE all the necessary supplies, how to chart what you just did, etc all while family and the lab keep calling you, alarms are going off, and so on. But...at the end of the day, once your shift is over you can clock out and leave it all behind, plus you are getting paid for all your effort :) Of course I still research new stuff that I see at work when I get home, but it's at my leisure.

mcknis · Feb 10, 2009

that is one hard question! I know for me there have been challenges on both sides, but ins school even though hard, is nice because you always have someone watching over your shoulder every step of the way. When in the real clinical world, someone isn't always there to watch your moves. If you have a subtle feeling deep down at work, you check it out. If you have the same feeling at school, then someone else can help you out. Its still hard both sides, but just different!

emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Feb 11, 2009

Hi guys!
Student nurse here working on a wonderful process record, when a question popped up.
All this homework, studying, reading, paperwork
Does it get easier once we graduate?
I know the stress level is probably higher, after all..you are on your own
It just seems every spare moment I have Im doing homework.
It gets easier right? Work..home and thats it.
So Nursing Vs Nursing school
which is more difficult

Easier - Yes and no.

No more careplans to write out in detail. However, you'll be automatically doing those careplans in your head.

No more highlighting of texts. However, you'll be looking up all the stuff you came across during the shift (*** is von hippel-lindau disease anyway? Well, now I know. And it's an interesting choice of complaint for a drug seeker, gotta give him credit for trying).

No more instructors... S'OK. I like being responsible for what I do. And (at least where I work) there's always someone to ask if you have a(nother) question.

No more wondering when you'll be able to take some time for yourself. If you're doing 12s (which to me is the only way to go), it'll be something along the lines of: work 2, off 3, work 2, off 3, work 2, off 2, work 2, off 3... Nope, doesn't suck.

The job is pretty cool, much more fun than school.

Hang in there, the light up ahead is not an on-coming train.

guest64485 · Feb 11, 2009

One of the biggest stresses of nursing school was the sheer amount of time spent studying or being somewhere (clinical, class, lab). While you get to have time off as a nurse, nursing school stress gets replaced with stress from the responsibility of having to safely juggle multiple things for your patients/families/doctors/management/etc. You have to be on top of your game all the time at work.

Galore stated it well!

RN2be_07 · Feb 11, 2009

I found the difference to be practically night & day. NS teaches you the skills (i.e. IVs, meds, general patient care) but they dont teach you the daily ins and outs of being a nurse on the floor (when to call the docs, when to ask for help when not to, the pace, the paperwork, etc.). NS might give you a taste of these things but not the whole picture thus once you are thrust into real nursing you are in for a surprise.

My only advice is to be humble, remind yourself that you dont really know anything and find a mentor and avoid the nurses who like to eat their young. Make sure when looking for a job you not only get interviewed but the supervisor and the facility get interviewed by you. Try to talk to the floor nurses one on one and ask them to be honest about their likes and dislikes about their job and the boss. Try to find out the turnover rates for new grads at the hospital you are looking for as this will give you insight into the quality of their new grad program and the acceptance of new grads in the hospital. Make sure you find a good fit - also dont be afraid to quit if you find it is not a good fit - dont wait until you get get fired like I did and then regret it.