Anybody actually like nursing school?

allnurses Guide · Jul 29, 2005

HATED IT!
But not because of the workload. That wasn't too bad.
It was the lowsy cliquy way the students treated each other. I was so naive to think that it would stop when I got into nursing as a profession_ cuz boy it didn't

I didn't exactly hate it but it was very hard due to the school being 70 miles away, having 3 children and a husband (all were supportive but I still had to be a wife and mom), my mom lived with us and while that was helpful at times (she cooked dinner and watched the kids when I needed help) she also smoked and could get wacky at times.

Just the logistics were hard for me . ... trying to study at home was just about impossible. Riding a bus 70 miles one way, to school and home from school in one day. There were a couple of instructors who tried to make your life miserable. One was very unorganized but nice.

We didn't really have cliques . .. most of us were older women and had families to care for and just wanted to get our work done.

steph

mariedoreen · Jul 29, 2005

I can't say I love nursing school... there's just too much riding on my doing well to relax enough to let me love it.

What I have are moments when I feel completely jazzed. Usually they happen in clinical... when I nail a skill that I had been nervous about, having a patient tell my nurse they were so glad I was there for them, having my instructor give me a skill-intense patient because "...i knew you could handle it." But also in school as well: getting a good grade on an exam I thought had killed me, walking out of a skill check off in lab feeling good about how I'd done, driving home from school after a taking the final exam at the end of a term knowing that I was now one big step closer to my RN...

You can counter all the above warm fuzzies with a truckload of reading, weekly papers to research and write, hours of studying and skill practice, exams and check-offs to stress over... just an unrelenting pace and pressure the likes of which I have never experienced before admixed with intense feelings of insecurity and anxiety.

So no, I can't say at all that I love it. And that's really okay.

Curious1alwys, BSN, RN · Jul 30, 2005

But I feel very intimidated and inadequate because I haven't worked as a CNA or in healthcare. Thanks again!

Oh, I totally feel you on this! I am in the same boat and started school a month ago. We have not started clinical yet, but the fear is there 100%. It also seems much more pronounced in myself than in my fellow classmates who do have healthcare experience.

I am trying to free up as much time as possible in Block 1 so that I can have the time to get comfortable (as can be!) with my hands-on skills before clinical starts. The anxiety is just too overwhelming. Do you have to work while in school? It would help alot if you didn't have to. I am trying to figure all that out as we speak!! :uhoh3:

shyne · Jul 30, 2005

I liked it and was excited in the beginning, but hated it towards the end. I just wanted to get it over after that.

lunakat · Jul 30, 2005

For me it is a love/hate thing. It just depended on what was happening on that particular day or where I was at. I hated it sometimes because of the drive, lack of sleep and the fact that I am currently working full time and feel burnt out sometimes. But when you really make a difference in pts care or life that was always the best, a huge rush with fuzzy warm feelings inside. For everyone it's different. Once you get in full swing you'll know more about where you stand with your feelings toward nursing school. Good luck!

HuggyPuglet · Jul 30, 2005

I'm getting very nervous about starting NS in three weeks. I understand it's difficult and the workload is grueling; but did anybody enjoy it? I've read countless horror stories about instructors out to get students and bad experiences in clinicals; I'd like to know if anyone had a positive experience? Or, is there anybody who got into nursing school and found that it wasn't as horrible as the stories they heard beforehand?

I'll admit it's been a long time since nursing school but I loved it! So call me weird. :rolleyes:

Perhaps it was because I was actually learning to do something I was enthusiastic about. I ate every class up (except for maybe nutrition but that was more because of the boring instructor rather than the content).

Yup, must be weird....

lucky4timesover · Jul 31, 2005

I LOVE NS!!! It has been more stress than difficult. The stress of 3 kids, a hubby, and a home to care for all while getting all the information crammed into my brain. The information isn't really too bad, it just takes time to go through all of it. I am sure that you will do just fine. Good luck. :)

Sunny

ocb_dave_ocb, LPN · Jul 31, 2005

Yeah it was stressful and VERY hard... BUT I LOVED IT..... I MISS IT NOW THAT IM GRADUATED

allnurses Guide · Jul 31, 2005

Yeah it was stressful and VERY hard... BUT I LOVED IT..... I MISS IT NOW THAT IM GRADUATED

OMG that is so funny . . . . I wouldn't go back if you paid me. And I always say it is a good thing I had NO IDEA what it entailed or I would never have gone to school.

To those of you who didn't have any healthcare experience, neither did I and it was fine. In fact I was encouraged NOT to take the CNA class during the summer before I started and to just enjoy my family. Also, you learn all the CNA stuff in the beginning . ... I do remember being intimidated taking my first blood pressure but after practicing on my family, it was no big deal. After all, there are going to continue to be things you will learn that you have never done - a CNA does not start IV's or place NG tubes or read EKG's . . .all those things and more will be "firsts" . . .. . you will never know everything beforehand.

So, don't sweat it - you'll do fine.

steph

ocb_dave_ocb, LPN · Jul 31, 2005

I guess the thing I miss so much about it, isnt the school itself.. i miss all of the people that I made friends over the course of study. I did not taking CNA classes either.. and to be honest with you nursing school never crossed my mind.. I was going to move right out of high school and take a job working for my dad.... Then my girlfriend talking me in to going with her to school.. NOW I HAVE NO REGRETS..... I really enjoy it..

leopold · Jul 31, 2005

Actually I'm more worried about my first year of actual nursing than nursing school. I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I first started (LPN). I loved the classes, learning about diagnoses and illness and all the parts of the body and procedures but the politics was sometimes enough to drive me over the edge. It has been extremely stressful but worth it.

About the CNA stuff, yes it can be useful because it shows you how things work in healthcare and you can observe nurses and see what they do first hand but you do pick up a lot of bad habits (I failed handwashing in my first lab). Most of the stuff we did in our first rotation was basic CNA stuff (and despite my experience I was terrified). By the time I hit my second clinical rotation we were expected to stop thinking like CNAs and start thinking like nurses. That was a very difficult transition for me to make.

So wherever you are coming at it from it's going to be scary, just hang in there! :)

lisamc1RN, LPN · Jul 31, 2005

I really like it. It is hard work and there are days when I'd rather sleep or go to the beach, but I push through and usually end up learning something interesting. :chuckle I do think I need a break before I go on to RN school though. I was considering just going right into RN school after graduation but I think my "like it" would turn into " I can't stand this anymore" real quick!:)