Can I hear some positive things about nursing school?

rosstat2 · May 23, 2006

Hi,

Stay positive. Don't get hung up on everyone comparing grades. Seek out an instructor you can talk to when you are feeling overwhelmed and ask how they were able to get through schooling.

I am also an older student and I just finished 2nd semester, Yeah!

I am precepting this summer in Recovery. Today was my first day. It was so exciting.

Study, study, study and stay positive. Good luck. It really is great out there.

rosstat2

neenarae · May 25, 2006

okay-i have read a lot of the replies. i am a 49 yr old rn that did a 3 semester accelerated second degree bsn program. i started it at 48 as an empty nester because i originally wanted to be a nurse when i was little kid of 8. my parents talked me out of it. so i ended up as a teacher. i loved teaching the little kids, but the rest of it was very boring. i love being a pediatric nurse. as for school, my husband says that it was harder than it looked and harder than it appeared but it was all worth it because he wanted me to realize my dream. i still pinch myself when i am on the unit. i have dreamed of this for so many years. school was hard, but you need to find yourself a good study buddy and make the time to study together. you will feel like you have no life, and that your ten ton books are all you have, but the important thing to remember is that this too shall pass. you will make it. the other thing is, do those nclex practice questions. i liked saunders the best. my school believed in beginning to test like the nclex from the first semester. i had a really hard time adjusting, but i finally got it. just do the questions over and over again. you will make it. i passed the nclex the first time and i was certain that i had flunked it---you will make it and as an older more experienced student, you will be much sought after. good luck.

:balloons: congratulations:balloons:

on graudation...wow..that message truly is an inspiration;)

i start my ursing in august 2006. although, i'm not an empty nester (still have 2 at home 15 n 4) i really desire to be a nurse. unlike you it was not a burning desire from childhood. i became a nursing assistians some 13 years ago because i have always had a heart towards the elderly and being a nursing assistant was one way i could be with them and love on them as well as meet their needs. i have recently thought that i might like to (in my 50'ties maybe) teach those nursing assistiants in the way my instructor taught me.. mrs judy.... ill never forget her! anyway, only god knows what direction i will end up going for now i will simply follow.. and right now, "i gotta make it through nursing":rolleyes: ..

again congratulations to you on your success! :yelclap: :balloons:

neenarae

NkeBaby · May 30, 2006

Hi everyone,

I am so so freakin' excited about starting Nursing school this Week coming up on Tuesday. Oh my gosh, I am also very nervous...only b/c I've waited forever. I will be graduating in April of Next year!!!! Yea.....:roll

gila · May 30, 2006

hi. i just finished the practical nursing program and plan to go on in fall. my best advice for you as unrealistic as it sounds is to eliminate as many distractions as possible. i also think flying under the radar as far as instructors go is excellent advice. avoiding drama and time mgmt are key to getting through. good luck!

Renee4christ · Jul 15, 2006

I just had to respond to your post! YOu are so helpful!!! I was looking for students or alumni that attended FAU's nursing program. If you don't mind, i just wanted a few questions answered. I will be applying to the school this Friday and love the layout of the school and everything about it. Ok, here's my questions: When did you apply to the program and when did you receive acceptance? What in your opinion are they looking for being that i was told they only accept 40 students in May? What were your hours and school days like? I think that's about it. Let me know any other information that you think will be helpful. Thank You. Renee

Hi,
I just graduated from the nursing program at Florida Atlantic University on 5/5/2006 and I like you had been chasing this dream for some time. I am 30 years old and have been trying to get into a nursing program since 1996! It wasn't until God decided the time was right for me that I finally got into the FAU program in 2004. And even THEN I was placed on a waiting list for a month and got my acceptance to the program 1 week before classes started. So I KNOW the excitement you feel about the journey you are about to take. My life's dream is to become a nurse-midwife and I feel so blessed to have completed phase 1 (nursing school). There were 3 men in my nursing class and about 10 in the class coming up behind us. So I am VERY pleased about the promised growth in male nurses. There were also a lot more nursing students age 30-55 in my 80+ graduating class.
The nursing program for me, a 30 yo single person-no kids who sold her home to move back in with her parents for 2 years to complete this full time program, was both challenging and exciting. Challenging because I had to humble myself and become a dependent 30 yo (savings go quickly in nursing school), and also because the information learned in nursing school was not difficult per say, but it was A LOT! Organization is the key. You also have to shut down your personal and social life for the entire program because you just truly live, eat, sleep and breath nursing school. Many a mornings did I wake up reciting dosage calculation formulas or pathophysiology terms. I really commend all the students in this program who had families and small children because I don't know how they managed.
It was exciting because this has been my dream for so long that I truly absorbed all the new and exciting things that I learned. I overcame personal fears and feelings about death during my Hospice rotation, I learned more about the "person" behind the AIDS diagnosis during my Palliative and Long Term Rehab rotation. I marveled at life during my Acute Care rotation when I saw my first surgery in the OR. It was an open heart surgery to replace a stenotic mitral valve and the surgeon allowed me to stand on a stool at the head of the bed (where the anesthesiologist is) as he performed the surgery from start to finish, explaining his procedure to me every step of the way. I will never forget the sight of the human heart beating in a chest. (Drs like to teach by the way. You let them know you're a nursing student and they'll teach all day :) ) I conquered my fear of dealing with 2 year olds during my Community Nursing rotation when I had to create a teaching program for the 2 yo class I was assigned to in the Day Care. I taught them how to brush their teeth by creating a cute song to the tune of Row Your Boat. It was truly a joy to see them take off with the song and mimic the routine of dental hygiene. I fell in love with Maternity all over again when I witnessed my first lady partsl delivery by a nurse-midwife and respected Obstetricians more when I witnessed my first emergency c-section and saw a doctor bring a blue baby born with the cord wrapped 2x around it's neck AND a true knot IN the umbilical cord under the umbilical cord membranes (not where the cord itself was knotted but UNDER the membranes- it was wild!) back to life during my OB rotation. I really truly realized that Psychiatric Nursing wasn't for me when a severely schizophrenic and psychotic patient almost physically attacked one of my fellow nursing students when we partnered on that ward during my Psych rotation - but it was exciting to see all the text-book cases in reality.
All in all, I must say that the thing I most enjoyed during these last 2 years was seeing myself and all of the other nursing students grow in attitude, personhood and disposition during the program as we dealt with various patients. We all helped each other through the program, giving extra study help to those who really needed it and giving encouragement when times were hard (like when we had to take our HESI nurse exit exam - and students with A's like me had to take it 3 and 4 times before actually passing the stupid thing). We also really stuck together (despite our differences) when a few of the clinical instructors tried to get 2 students kicked out of the program for foolishness. We all rallied together on those students behalf because we ALL worked really hard to get into the program and we ALL worked really hard during the program and we ALL had this dream of becoming a nurse to help people in need and we ALL didn't want to see anyone get left behind because they did what they were told.
YOu are embarking on a career path that will change your life FOREVER! YOu will meet new people whom you thought that you'd never come across, you'll respect humanity, you'll learn about the walls that people put up and you'll help them take them down. YOu'll have struggles with your classes and classmates cause we ALL did. YOu'll make lasting relationships with a couple of people in your nursing class, but you'll remember ALLLLLL of your nursing classmates because you'll be together - joined at the hip- for the next 2 years! YOu'll have FUN, FUN, FUN and you'll want to come home and share all of your experiences with your family and friends because you'll be THAT excited about what you've seen and learned. Just remember not to break any HIPPA laws in all your excitement! And most of all you'll feel GRATIFIED because you helped someone in some major or minute way every week during clinicals.
Recommendations for you:
1. Leave your opinions at home and open your mind to learning new things and new ways of understanding (Causes less stress and arguments during class!
2. Purchase the latest edition of the Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN Examination by Linda Anne Silvestri - tab the pages by content (Fundamentals, Maternity, Pediatric,etc.) and read those sections when you are learning that area that semester. IE: When you are learning your Peds nursing, read the Peds section. There are WAYYYY too many things to learn in nursing school and wayyy too many pages to read in the text books. This book gives a GREAT content review hitting all the major things that NCLEX needs you to know. That way when you read the textbooks and hear the lectures, it'll be clearer and you'll better decipher a "good to know" from a "need to know". THIS BOOK WAS A BLESSING indeed!
3. If your school requires you to take a HESI exit nursing exam, purchase the HESI review book. Myself and classmates found that the rationales for HESI are slightly different than the rationales for NCLEX. So when studying for HESI, read the HESI review book and practice the HESI CD only! (That's why I had to take it 3 times before passing. I kept studying my NCLEX stuff for HESI and wasn't getting the majority of my answers correct- and my GPA is a 3.8. After using the HESI reveiw book when preparing for my 3rd retake I passed the test with a 950 out of 1000. )
Good Luck and Be Blessed!
-Carrie Campbell, GN
Florida Atlantic University - Christine E. Lynn School of Nursing

circanw · Jul 17, 2006

I'm so glad to hear so much positive feedback, and especially from the "mature" students! I'm moving cross-country to attend Drexel's ACE program this fall. At this stage of my life it is no small sacrifice, but I'm confident it will be worth it......I'm thrilled and terrified at the same time!

Elysium_Won · Jul 17, 2006

I have to get back to studying (haha) so I didn't have a chance to read all the replies in this thread, but I have two positive things that jump to mind immediately.

#1 - This is especially true the evening or day after a clinical: I am so thankful for what I have - health, family, etc. Seeing patients who have poor health and then nobody to visit on top of that, it's heartbreaking. When you see those eyes light up with gratitude over "just" a sip of water or a fluffed-up pillow, it puts so much in perspective. I go home & cherish the big and little things and count my blessings.

#2 - Nobody here will argue if I say this is one of the most difficult and challenging things we've ever done. There are a couple of classmates that I've been through the good and the bad with and we have a bond now that will last a lifetime. We've known each other 11 months (almost) but it feels like a lifetime. We can encourage & support each other in ways that other friends & families can't, because "we know".

There are plenty of other positive experiences that come from this endeavor as well, as I'm sure the other posts will prove. Whatever way our paths go after this, we are all changed for the better.

CARCAM75 · Jul 3, 2008

I just had to respond to your post! YOu are so helpful!!! I was looking for students or alumni that attended FAU's nursing program. If you don't mind, i just wanted a few questions answered. I will be applying to the school this Friday and love the layout of the school and everything about it. Ok, here's my questions: When did you apply to the program and when did you receive acceptance? What in your opinion are they looking for being that i was told they only accept 40 students in May? What were your hours and school days like? I think that's about it. Let me know any other information that you think will be helpful. Thank You. Renee

Renee, I am so sorry. I can't recall if I ever got back to you and I am just now seeing that you requested info from me in your note above. Please forgive me. I truly hope that you got into the nursing program @ FAU and that you share my sentiment written here. Please send me a line on here to let me know that you made it!

-Carrie

Lericalpoet · Jul 5, 2008

Thank God for this thread. I just got my course schedule and it is starting to feel real to me now. I start a two year program in September. I'm excited and I scared as hell. I beleive I've got the chops and the dedication to pull it off. It's great to hear some positive things about NS school. I'm also grateful for the honesty about NS not being easy. I want to be prepared and know what to expect. Thanks

Biol20fan · Jul 6, 2008

Thank God for this thread. I just got my course schedule and it is starting to feel real to me now. I start a two year program in September. I'm excited and I scared as hell. I beleive I've got the chops and the dedication to pull it off. It's great to hear some positive things about NS school. I'm also grateful for the honesty about NS not being easy. I want to be prepared and know what to expect. Thanks

Oh my word, yes, NS is very hard. :banghead:

The good thing: not a whole lot of what you are being taught is difficult. The bad thing: there is just a whole ton of it to learn!

I'm about four weeks away from finishing my first semester, and I already feel like I've learned so much. Here's my advice for you:

-Get organized as soon as possible, and stay that way. You will get tons of paperwork, both in lecture and clinicals.

-You won't find anyone else who will understand what you are going through like your fellow students. Supporting each other is key to keeping your sanity.

-GET SOME SLEEP! Honestly, staying up until 1 a.m. studying and then getting back up at 4:30 a.m. to study some more won't do you one bit of good (unless you are one of those people who can survive on very little sleep...I wish I was one of those). If you are overly exhausted, it won't matter how much you've studied.

-Take a break now and then. Sometimes I lay down for 20 minutes just so my brain can have a rest.

-Aim for an A, but be content with a C. Don't be too hard on yourself if you don't get the perfect grade.

-When you go to clinicals, be as pleasant as possible to everyone you meet. That includes the RNs, CNAs, doctors, unit clerks, pts, families, cafeteria workers, housekeeping...everyone.

-Give up on the idea of having a clean house. If you can't do it, then others will need to pitch in. Otherwise, it will all have to wait.

-And be on time to class and clinicals! I won't go too much into detail, but seriously, the instructors won't be inclined to be as pleasant or helpful if you are late all the time (this isn't me; I'm early to everything, but certain people wonder why the teacher is always breathing down their necks...um, maybe it's because they feel they can't rely on you???) :no:

-For me, one of the best things is knowing that others are proud of me for making it this far, and that makes me proud of myself. BE PROUD OF WHAT YOU ARE ACCOMPLISHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So many others are desperate to be where you are. Be grateful, and be happy that you have (hopefully) found your career.

*sigh* Back to studying now. :yawn:

goofygreyhound · Jul 7, 2008

I'll be 32 in a few months, and start my senior year in Aug. If I make it through, it will have honed me

momelly05 · Jul 7, 2008

Yes, Nursing School is very challenging, but very rewarding! My top recommendation is to be ORGANIZED! it will make a huge difference on how it goes. The best part of NS, the amazing people I met. Also, I started NS at 19 and it really helped me mature and learn how to discipline myself.