i am half way done with nursing school and i am to the point where i cannot stand half of my class. i am a pretty average student, not the best and not the worst. i’ve never worked in the healthcare field and the first time i stepped into a hospital was my first day of clinical. i just wanted to share my annoyances…as the student who didn’t have a heads up of what to expect. i wish i was forewarned about the social aspect of nursing school because in reality you would be spending about 2 years with the same people and you are going to have to learn to tolerate them.
i have categorized my “annoyances” from most annoying to least annoying, although some people fall in several categories. (i really do feel like the stressors of nursing school are taken a toll on me causing me to be annoyed about everyone and everything but hey, here it goes)
1. the very competitive nursing students.
you may have been the smartest student in your anatomy class but now there are about 50 of you sitting in that classroom. each and everyone striving to be at the top of their class. a few of them are going to shine brighter than you. it is a very annoying feeling. you will develop some negative feelings towards them and try to find a few aspects of life that you are better at than them. well don't. befriend them, if anything they are a great resource
2. the students who study less but get better test scores.
i sat down to take my very first test in nursing school and i was stressed. i studied every single day since the lecture, i felt like i knew everything. the girl who sat next to me was also stressing but only because she crammed the night before. i got a 70% and she got a 95%. how is this fair? several people have told me that not everyone is a good test taker, i’d rather have a nurse that studies a lot then crams, etc, etc. umm no. she clearly knows what she is doing and her test scores prove it till this day.
3. the complainers. your instructors are people too, with their own personal lives, kids, hobbies, friends and some are still completing some sort of upper division courses for higher education.
teachers don’t get paid well; they don’t do this for money. they obviously love nursing and teaching. they are the most compassionate bunch of nurses you will ever meet. and guess what? at some point they have all been nursing students. it has recently become a pet peeve of mine, when i noticed a trend of several students constantly complaining about how much they dislike their teacher. if you don’t like something, tell the teacher! it's as simple as that. 99% of the time there is a fair rationale as to why they put that question on the test or why they gave you projects back to back or why your clinical schedule is so crappy. and the other 1% of the time? well, human error, don’t hold a grudge. and please don’t complain about teachers to other teachers, so incredibly unprofessional. they are collegues.
4. know-it-all's.
there will be at least one. the know-it-alls are in a completely different category as the competitive people or the people that get better test scores than you. if you state that you are unclear about something they will pull you aside and explain it to you in their own individual way. i know it sounds like they are trying to be helpful...but it won’t feel like that. it will feel like they have officially taken on the role of a teacher without anyone asking them to do so. when coming to class you almost expect them to jump up there and start lecturing. they correct the teacher, they interrupt lectures but most of all they think they are better than everyone. there were a handful of them in my class and it got to the point that when they would start talking i would deliberately ignore every single word they were saying, important or not. and the whole entire time, the only thing i wanted to remind them is that we are in the same classroom, learning the same subject; at the same level of nursing school so please do not act like you are above all. so if i could go back and do it again knowing this what would i do differently? i would ignore their behavior because two semesters later, they have been put in place several times by instructors and one of them failed a semester. (disclaimer: i am by no means happy that they failed out i am just trying to stress the point that even if people act like they know it all, they clearly don’t know it all)
5. those who don’t have to work while in nursing school.
you may come across a few people who constantly talk about how they are so grateful that their significant other is able to support them while they go to school. they can’t bare the thought of having to work while completing their education. and they will verbalize this every single day, after every single test. and here you are working full time because that is the only way you can support yourself. some call them fortunate, i call them annoying.
6. the ones who already work in the health care field.
it’s a tough economy out there. in case you haven’t heard….not many places are hiring new grads. the only worry in my mind at this point is passing nursing school. sooooo with that said….why is it so important to tell everyone, everyday that you have a job lined up for you because the clinical manager loves you oh so very much. if you say it once, that’s great j if you say it again after you are asked, that is awesome. but if you announce this to the whole class during the discussion of what they will do after they graduate… then that’s just boastful. not a single person would say, “hey good for you, look at how fortunate you are” and if they do they are lying.
anyway…well this is my little rant. whether you are in nursing school or waiting to enroll in a nursing program…this is what you should expect. i promise…there will be at least one person in your class that falls in each category…can’t wait to graduate so that i never have to see these people again!
how about everyone else? what is your annoyance with the social aspect of nursing school? i’d love to hear that i am not the only “annoyed beyond belief” one out there.
Specializes in My goal is to be an Oncology Nurse.....
Thanks for the story, it was interesting...
I was just accepted yesterday to my schools nursing program. I have busted my butt and I am in the catagory of being a Know It All.... I dont' go around bragging bout my skills or flaunting my grades, but I do have a VERY GOOD GRASP on my subjects and my 4.0 proves that. If these small irriating things are drving you nuts now, what is going to happen in the real world? patients are a bear deal with and so is the public. yes I agree that some people and students are over the top but WAY TO MANY ILL PREPARED STUDENTS get into nursing and they are the ones that can potentially hurt some one because they were not serious in the pre reqs. I am not the star student, but a darn good one and yes i have aspirations of being the top of my class and yes I will be the one that is VERY WELL Educated and will pass my NCLEX..... If I were you, teaming up with these people could be very valuable to your education and being rude in class makes you look bad especially if the instructor hears you doing so. Just because this is school, doesn't mean you can't treat it like your job......:)
I was just accepted yesterday to my schools nursing program. I have busted my butt and I am in the catagory of being a Know It All.... I dont' go around bragging bout my skills or flaunting my grades, but I do have a VERY GOOD GRASP on my subjects and my 4.0 proves that. If these small irriating things are drving you nuts now, what is going to happen in the real world? patients are a bear deal with and so is the public. yes I agree that some people and students are over the top but WAY TO MANY ILL PREPARED STUDENTS get into nursing and they are the ones that can potentially hurt some one because they were not serious in the pre reqs. I am not the star student, but a darn good one and yes i have aspirations of being the top of my class and yes I will be the one that is VERY WELL Educated and will pass my NCLEX..... If I were you, teaming up with these people could be very valuable to your education and being rude in class makes you look bad especially if the instructor hears you doing so. Just because this is school, doesn't mean you can't treat it like your job......:)
Good luck to you...
Pre-req classes are very different from nursing school, just so ya know. While I'm sure you are confident in your abilities now, the nursing program has a way of showing you that you do not know everything, regardless of your endless studying or current GPA. Most of us in the program HAD a 4.0 going in...but that has dropped for all of us now. Inevitably, if people are too cocky, something will happen during testing or clinicals that will drop them down a notch and show some humility (your instructors will assure this happens).
there's a girl in one of my classes (pre-reqs) who after each exam brags about how easy she thought it was and how she's sure she got and A and blah blah blah and she has gotten a D each time!! it is so annoying because I am sick worried about how my exam went but i'm not going to let it bother me anymore because i have gotten A minuses. it is annoying though =/
How very sad and concerned I am for you. Of all your fellow students, you are unable to see anyone that you would like to interact with once school is complete!! It will be no different when you get into the work force. There will be those who brag about everything they do and how smart they are, those who suck up to administration to get what they want and those who just slide by and still do an acceptable job everyday. You will have to deal with these folks too!
Are you going to change jobs every few years.
Grow up-, accept people for who they are and move on.
Your biggest concern should be how well you will be able to care for those entrusted to you!!!!
Specializes in My goal is to be an Oncology Nurse.....
"Pre-req classes are very different from nursing school, just so ya know. While I'm sure you are confident in your abilities now, the nursing program has a way of showing you that you do not know everything, regardless of your endless studying or current GPA. Most of us in the program HAD a 4.0 going in...but that has dropped for all of us now. Inevitably, if people are too cocky, something will happen during testing or clinicals that will drop them down a notch and show some humility (your instructors will assure this happens). "
Thank 's for the "pleasant" response......... and helpful advice from one Nursing Student to another......
I don't equate a "know-it-all" as someone who is more intelligent than me. I have a 4.0 in my classes and have worked as a Patient Care Tech and probably have some interesting experiences to share, but I only share when asked. I take my classes very seriously and plan on being at the top of my class but don't need to advertise it in order to achieve it.
Once my professor told me that the important thing in nursing school is to know the information and know the skills. I agree with this philosophy because at the end of the day, when you are a working RN caring for 15 or so patients a shift, you need to know how to preform compitent care for your patient. While knowing textbook information is key; knowing the skills and critical thinking are just as if not more important. Thus weather you are a 4.0 GPA nurse or a 3.0 GPA nurse...as long as you can fulfill your duty as a nurse,give competent care, and promote overall health and wellness...I applaud you ,
Even though these colleagues irritate you I like the way you found something positive in most of these situations. That is a gift that will hold you in good stead throughout your career....look for the good and you will find it!
I'm not sure if you posted this in jest or as a vent or as a serious piece of advice. If it's serious advice, it sounds like the problem isn't the other students. There will always be someone with more free time, more money, more connections, more brains, whatever. Instead of being annoyed by them, just accept that it is what it is... and use your energy to focus on your own good traits! :)
I am not trying to be snarky, but I have a question - if someone thinks nursing school is full off too many annoying people, maybe being a professional nurse isn't the best career choice? Imagine a unit of 8+ "annoying" patients who all need something yesterday, their persistent family members, the fellow nurses, too-busy doctors, and powerful hospital admins. Use this as a teaching moment to get better at patiently listening to others, even if it's boring/annoying/self-centered.
Use this as a time to discover your own strengths. For example about income: you might see it annoying you have to work while others don't. But you've got something they don't: the work ethic, energy, and confidence that you CAN handle both school and work obligations. If you think hard, you can find the positive in every situation.
I am also half way through nursing school and I do relate to your comments however, I guess we notice these things in other because they are different to ourselves and maybe just perhaps we actually wish those things for ourselves. To get A's with minimal effort, more time up our sleeves to study and not work, (heck I am a dairy farmer and can't take a day off, not even a weekend). Imagine being the student who everyone looks up too? Does all these things make for a better person/nurse. My two cents is that people skills do. Knowing that you are capable and competant and can bend with people either way. I believe that is what counts, or at least that is what I am counting on for myself. I know I will go through the interview process without having a job waiting for me and thats ok. It will give me more experience to learn. There are jobs out there for each and everyone of us.
Wow. You sound really discontent, and as if you are focusing a LOT of emotional energy on what other people are doing. Maybe you need some help figuring out how to channel that emotion into healthier outlets...it can't be pleasant for you to go through your days with so much animosity. Some things to think about: you are truly only in competition with yourself. YOU are the only one you are answerable to at the end of the day. Are you giving your schoolwork and relationships your best effort? Are you okay with the kind of person YOU are? If so, then let the rest go...and remember, annoying people can be your very best teachers. They can show you how NOT to be.
accept people for who they are and move on. 
,
survrgrl08
68 Posts
Thanks for the story, it was interesting...
I was just accepted yesterday to my schools nursing program. I have busted my butt and I am in the catagory of being a Know It All.... I dont' go around bragging bout my skills or flaunting my grades, but I do have a VERY GOOD GRASP on my subjects and my 4.0 proves that. If these small irriating things are drving you nuts now, what is going to happen in the real world? patients are a bear deal with and so is the public. yes I agree that some people and students are over the top but WAY TO MANY ILL PREPARED STUDENTS get into nursing and they are the ones that can potentially hurt some one because they were not serious in the pre reqs. I am not the star student, but a darn good one and yes i have aspirations of being the top of my class and yes I will be the one that is VERY WELL Educated and will pass my NCLEX..... If I were you, teaming up with these people could be very valuable to your education and being rude in class makes you look bad especially if the instructor hears you doing so. Just because this is school, doesn't mean you can't treat it like your job......:)
Good luck to you...