Backing out of RN school

jennabean55 · May 13, 2012

I honestly think that it's the program you're in and I'm really sorry to hear this. What school are you going to that accepts 1000 applicants?! That just seems a little wild.

Let me just tell you up front that not all programs are like this. I think you just might have gotten the short end of the stick and it really blows. It also seems as though you also got a little dose of false advertising from the program you're currently attending.

When I was applying to NS I did as much research as I could before investing my money, time, energy, and emotion. I had a couple schools narrowed down, but when they started telling me the high turnover rates, red flags started going up. Once I found the school I was comfortable with, I jumped in 110%. Yes, there were things I really didn't agree with, but I knew that not every program is perfect. There was also some disorganization, but it was fixed.

The second my program began, they emphasized that there was NCLEX-World and the Real-World. They did an awesome delineating between the two. I should be taking my boards in several weeks so I'm really excited and nervous!

The other thing to keep in mind is that you are going to lose respect for people regardless what profession you get into or where you're educated. Some of the things I've heard RN's do and say would make your skin crawl. But the thing I need to keep in mind when I start practicing as an RN (or even when you're still a nursing student) is you are the one advocating for that patient(s). That patient(s) is your TOP priority. As long as you know that you yourself did what was in the scope of your training and you don't let the one's you've lost respect for hinder the care you're giving, then that's all that matters.

I know that you're 2 semesters in, but you need to do what you need to do. Whether you decide to take a different path with Physical Therapy or you chose a different nursing program. Best of luck and I hope that all turns out for you!

caliotter3 · May 13, 2012

Unfortunately, while this experience is not universal, it is also not unheard of. It happens often enough to make for significant anecdotal comment. Elements of your post applied to my program, from more than 20 years ago. If I were you, though, I would not base a decision on completing the program, upon what you describe. It would have to be a lot stronger of an argument. Consider that much of what one learns about the profession takes place on the job, after school is over, and after the licensing exam is successfully passed. Unless something drastic changes, I would struggle through and successfully complete the program. That is what I would do and what I would advise. YMMV. Best wishes.

Inori, BSN, RN · May 13, 2012

Well ultimately question is, "Do you want to be a nurse?" Why? how badly do you want it? If yes then you do whatever it takes to get there, jump through hoops, self study, unhelpful & rude people? deal with it. Becomes best friends with the A student to learn some of her study tricks.

Nursing Exams - Everything on your test has got to be somewhere inside your textbook. You're expected to read the chapters, study guides, lecture slides, practice case studies, do questions practice on your own. Also these tests are to prepare you for the nclex my actual exam was much harder than my medsug class tests where everyone was complaining about how hard prof's questions were.

I've had professors who just read from powerpoint slides and that was lecture and some who could break down concepts and make you understand. Qualities: Good guesser and self teaching isn't that what you'll be doing outside? pt shows up in pain and you dunno whats going on so you look at what you go take a guess treat it and then look it up the rest of it. My experience in nursing school was that whatever prof didn't do well I went ahead and did extra work to fill in for her lackings.

Ah well good luck, though spend some time thinking through your decision because once you submit that letter that's it nursing classes generally do not transfer. Personally I'd stay, do whatever I have to do finish and move on

allnurses Guide · May 13, 2012

I assume this is an accelerated program? Self-teaching is a necessary evil in non-traditional programs.

If your cohort is going from 100 to 40 there is something wrong with the program. What's the NCLEX pass rate for graduates of that program? I would think about transferring out if the pass rat is less than 100.

NCLEX questions are NCLEX questions; they are applied knowledge questions and in the top tier they will likely be on material you haven't explicitly learned. You need to be able to understand one pathological process and apply it to one you might not know. You can't pass purely on memorizing things, you really need to understand things. This is the same though all nursing programs.

PT is no cake walk either. I would really investigate before joining a program at your current school given the reservations you have. Why not transfer nursing credits to another program?

ImThatGuy, BSN, RN · May 13, 2012

It's sounds like a mirror image of my school. We did get "rationales" for our missed questions in what the instructors called "content review," but they never could explain any of it other than saying "that's just the way it is." I don't know how many times I've heard that now. I recall asking once if there was a rate for intermittent suction, i.e. how often the machine sucks, and my reply was "intermittent suction just does it intermittently and not all the time." That's the same kind of deer in the headlights look and answer I got with every question to the point of in the second year I just didn't ask questions anymore because I know they can't answer them. I understand that a person can't know everything, but don't become an instructor of something when you don't know anymore than I know about what you're teaching. The program was poorly managed. Nothing was ever scheduled close to being remotely correct. I agree one should know how to modify and adjust, but...everyday? I was going to be a career changer, but not now. I managed people and elements of an organization. I can't think of any business or other organization that could survive with the moronic nature of our nursing program. My program too has also sucked out any interest I had in being a RN. To me the RN thing is just an ugly requirement of becoming something else. I have a cynical and jaded approach to nursing and want little to nothing to do with it. I thought about dropping out of the BSN program several times over the two years, but I stuck with it because I'd already invested in it and saw it through. Thankfully, my first B.S. degree included all of the prereqs so I didn't waste any other life or expense in pursing that "coveted" BSN. By the time I graduated (May 4th), the chaos and cattiness of the instructors had divided them into factions with one of our final instructors showing a sincere degree of disdain for my cohort and I and literally tattling on anything any student did so that it could be taken out of context and used against the cohort. Eventually, one faculty member belonging to an appeals committee told her to stop worrying about us. My program started out with 24 people, dropped to 14 going into the second semester, and 13 of those survived that. The third semester dropped two more so we went into the end of course exam with 11 people. Of that, I think six passed and five failed. On the retake, two of the five passed. I still have know nothing about what comes next. I have no idea with the NCLEX is scheduled or how I'll be alerted to scheduling it. I have no idea what I'm going to do with it. At some point, I'm going to need 2,000 clinical work hours as a nurse to continue on with graduate school for the specialty courses, but I have no idea where I'm going to find that and halfway don't want to. I really have no respect for it or interest in it anymore.

mpr123 · May 13, 2012

i too am quiting my nursing program. With only one semester to go, im really over the bs and trickery..all they teach us to do is clean stuff. i dont think i need to go to school for 5 years to learn how to suction someones nose or some other dumb "skill"

rgodfrey · May 14, 2012

A lot of times Nursing Credits arent transferable, however I have looked into a BSN program..... I have heard people rave about one particular private school

No its a 2 year A.A.S program, not an accelerated, yeah 100 from level 1 to 40 by level 4....

The Board Scores are have declined the past 3 years coming from 95% 4 yrs ago to 84%, 82%, and 85% respectively.....the department actually lied to us until I looked on our state education website..... the scores they told us were about 15 percentage pts lower lol

As far as the NCLEX questions, the funny thing is, yes you will be tested on things you have not learned, but there is still a knowledge component to the questions, and a memorization component........ but its hilarious that the questions on my exams are harder than the ones in the NCLEX review books and my textbooks....

PT is no cakewalk,...but i know its not has hard and subjective as Nursing Education

.....id be afraid to find out what med-school is like

rgodfrey · May 14, 2012

Believe me, i do all of that, read, read and did i mention read..... yes you guess in the field however, what you can also do in the field is justify your "guess"....and it kind of is a joke when you cant challenge exam questions

And if self-teaching is all im gonna be doing on the outside ....ok fine, let it be self-taught, but then answer me this: Why do I need to show up to class and listen to B. S lecture irrelevant to anything i need to know for my patient and my exams when I have to teach it to myself anyways? Someone in a post said it well......dont teach me when you dont know anymore or anybetter than me.

Personally all im saying is i firmly believe some aspects of Nursing Education need to change.

THELIVINGWORST, ASN, RN · May 14, 2012

IMHO it sounds like y'all just don't like the work. Quit then. But don't talk down on the field just because its not your cup of tea. You need to do your research and not just apply to whatever program is the easiest to get into. It is YOUR SCHOOL that sucks. I have NONE of these problems at my school. But of course I researched all schools in the state before i even started prereqs. And PT requires a Masters degree unless you are gonna be a PTA so thats many moons away before you finish that. Really sit and think whether it is worth it. And if I were you I would be glad that the exams are harder than NCLEX questions because that means the NCLEX will be easy peasy for you.

Im not trying to be rude, I hope I don't come off that way. But you guys seem to not understand what is really important. Self teaching is just a fact of life. And don't be bitter because then you truly will have wasted your life because you will never enjoy what you do if you don't take away anything good from the experience.

ldiva0808 · May 14, 2012

I will just have to say, dont enter nursing fustrated. if you dont feel its for youright now, then go for something else. I went to school for 4 years to be a nurse, and through it I wasnt thinking and really studying what this job really implied, like there is so much oat stake, your mentality, your emotiions, you physical, social health. it's all a blur. I was in school, and to me I was like Im doing what you do after hs. going to college. reckless f me. Now Im a new nurse, and when I say this job isn't for me its personally not for me. Im emotionallydifferent, socially different, mentally different, working out Jus think abotu what you want first before yuou make any decisions.

tarotale · May 14, 2012

so you're going to quit just like that? you know sorry to break it to you, but when something seems like a bs and really tough, that normally means it's tough for everybody, not just you; i feel empathy for you. nursing school is a load of bs. they have test questions that sometimes are just awful, professors won't accept argument and stand their ground no matter how ridiculous the question was, everything is damn application type... well, that's how a good nurse is made; if your school is tough, that probably means it's a good school. quitting is very general habit in american culture, so i guess if you're going to quit let me tell you this. there's a saying quitters always quit. i don't know if you can get through pt school if you quit this just b/c it's a bit tough. old wisdoms do hold their old truth; unless your school forces you to do something totally against your belief, like forcing you to worship a demon as a requirement for taking a class, don't quit.