Do you guys see a lot of people saying they are nursing students....

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or go to nursing school and than find out they are still in the Pre Req phase? I swear I have seen a good number of people do this, and than when I say, "Oh what semester are you in, I am in this semester" they are like, Oh well I am not actually in yet but I start pre reqs soon, or I just started pre reqs. I wonder why that is. Before I started the actual program I would say if asked that I was doing Pre Reqs to get into the nursing program. Or I am on the waitlist for the nursing program.

Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
September 2008 - "I'm taking a class at CC to see if I am capable of being a student again."

June 2009 - "I'm half-way done with pre-reqs for nursing and I'm taking 2 lab courses at the same time. I'm hoping to apply to nursing school next year."

September 2009 - "I took a CNA class over the summer and I'm applying for nursing school next year."

December 2009 - "All done with pre-reqs, now all I have to do is knock out a couple of writing classes and a PE class"

February 2010- "Oh my gosh, writing 2 research papers and another bunch of papers for my reading class, I wish I was still doing my science classes."

March 2010 - "I applied for nursing school."

May 2010 - "Yay, I got in."

June 2010 - "I'm a nursing student."

September 2010 - "Just waiting for class to start."

Yes, I don't know why anyone would want to embellish but it's certainly a lot simpler to say.

Yes, my mother-in-law told me that her sister's daughter-in-law was going to nursing school. Well, it was medical transcriptionist school. Slight difference.

I have a family member and her daughter is going into dental hygiene school. She is fresh out of HS and did no college courses through HS. So anyway, her mom is telling me about her program and how in 2 years she will have her dental degree and nursing degree :confused:. I was like, oh really, how does that work? She couldn't explain it but she was dead set on the fact that her daughter will have her RN degree and Dental degree after 2 years in this program. Well I later find out that it's some medical assisting course with dental assisting or something like that. Her mom is like MA/RN same difference. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

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I've noticed it but it doesn't bother me. I think it's cute. :nurse: Lol. Boy, do I remember the days when I was a CNA working in the hospital and the nursing students would come onto the floor. I was so envious of those ugly smocks and the way they were automatically accepted into the "inner" circle. They actually got to sit in the nurse's station and things were explained to them and they got to do "cool" stuff. When I started my pre-reqs I was so proud to tell all the nurses at my job that I was in nursing school and that I was going to be a nurse too....never mind that I was in my first semester of school.

Honestly, I didn't understand that I was being deceptive. This was my first go round over ten years ago and I was young then and didn't have a firm grasp of the admissions process for nursing school. So I assumed that I was "in" and that it was just a matter of finishing my pre-reqs. I went to a CC and THEY are actually the ones who are deceptive. Most CC don't explain a thing to prospective students about how nursing school admissions work. So if the average CC student has an experience like mine they went thru the admissions process for the college and started taking classes before they ever got to speak to anyone in the nursing dept. I think that people might be mis-informed but I doubt that they are being purposefully deceptive.

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People talk about stuff that doesn't affect them all the time. It's human nature. Almost no one on here is being mean.

We work really hard to get into our respective programs and are very proud to say we are nursing students. I don't get annoyed when pre-nursing gets confused with nursing students, because it's not as clear cut as some other programs.

I once had a friend tell me his wife had just started dental school. With more questions it was revealed that she had started a dental hygienist program. Big difference.

It's really just a pet peeve I guess.

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.

So many interesting points but I want to add soemthing. I just got my acceptance letter to start next semester a few weeks ago. I have been working towards this for a very long time and was so excited taht i actually cried when I got my acceptance letter. Now the obvious, what do you do next right? Tell everyone!!!

So I go to my in-laws family reunion so super excited to tell everyone my good news and what happens when I do. My brothers very loud attention loving wife declares "oh yes me too, I am also a nursing student!" Now she has just all of teh sudden decided this is the career for her although she cannot stand teh sight of blood. She doesn't even know which school she is going to apply to and is just taking general classes at the community college by her. It was so very frustrating to me and what could I say without sounding mean or petty???? Nothing :crying2: Oh well my immediate family and friends know the difference but still it is sooooo annoying.

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I'm in nursing school and my mother told a bunch of extended family that I was in medical school. Oh my God. So embarrassing.

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Specializes in Infusion.

People ask about my schooling all the time so I try to be as transparent as possible because I know a few of them (moms with young ones) want to go back again or try college for the first time. It doesn't bother me for people to call themselves nursing students. That is their interest. That is their motivation. That is their goal. That's awesome !!! I am interested in whatever part of the path they are on, especially if they are just trying to investigate whether they can do the program.

And I totally understand mothers and mother-in-laws feeling excessive pride for their progeny or the spouse of their progeny.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
I'm in nursing school and my mother told a bunch of extended family that I was in medical school. Oh my God. So embarrassing.

LOL that's funny!

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

I have not noticed it, but my school is very transparent about the process and does a good job of being congratulatory toward those who get in.

I see it on this board more than anywhere else.

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Specializes in Geriatrics.
Not eating anyone, I am always uplifting to people I know are going into nursing school. I get excited for them. Or even new nursing students. I remember how excited I was so I like to encourage them. I was just curious if people other places ever notice this.

Thank you for being nice to us nursing students. I'm a little scared of when we start our clinicals. Ive been told that the nurses will get us to do all their work (within our "student" limits) and that sometimes even the CNA's will use us. I hope that once I graduate I will keep in mind out nervous I was and help out a student when they come to my floor or where ever I'm working. And, I hope that I can build them up.:yeah:

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Specializes in Geriatrics.

I have a friend that is a CNA (nothing against CNA's I understand they are the ones that get shafted in the end) This friend made a comment on how they helped at an accident. They made a comment, Now I really feel like a nurse. At the time I got my acceptance letter to school so I was OFFICIALLY a nursing student. I didnt say anything to this person but took offense to them calling them self a nurse when they hadn't even been through official nursing school. I felt like, you are a nurse Assistant not a nurse.

Again I have nothing against CNA's personally i feel they are paid CRAP for what all they have to do!! I don't know about anywhere else but most Cna's around here only get paid like $8-$9 an hour. That is WAY to little!!!

I have told my CNA friend if once I graduate if I ever talk down or put down CNA's smack the sh*t out of me because without yall, a lot of jobs wouldn't get done.:bowingpur

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Thank you for being nice to us nursing students. I'm a little scared of when we start our clinicals. Ive been told that the nurses will get us to do all their work (within our "student" limits) and that sometimes even the CNA's will use us. I hope that once I graduate I will keep in mind out nervous I was and help out a student when they come to my floor or where ever I'm working. And, I hope that I can build them up.:yeah:

I am not a nurse *just wanted to clear that up cause it seemed like you thought I was* I am a 3rd semester student. But anyway, I think you will be helpful. You already show that just in this post. I know how excited I was, I was over the moon when I got my acceptance after waiting 3.5 years on a list. After such a long hard journey. I mean a lot of outsiders don't understand. I told everyone back in 2004 when I started my pre reqs that I was doing them for nursing school. So years go by and I think they thought I was full of it cause I wasn't in nursing school yet. Than I get done with pre reqs and have the wait. Yet took co req classes while waiting. I remember my dad once asking me was I ever going to graduate. LOL I was like, Yea it's a process I have to wait for my number to get called, I haven't even started the actual nursing program yet.

Anyway, back when I did my pre reqs the nursing students at my old school were well known in a negative way. People always said you could tell who was a nursing student by high in the air their noses were. They were never nice to students "below" them, even if they were in the program too but in a quarter behind. I vowed that I would never be one of those students when I got in. When I have had bad nurses I vowed I would never be like that. Same when I ever have to partner up with a student when I am a nurse.

I will seek out nursing students that are new or that I see are taking pre reqs and talk to them and tell them how it is, (the good stuff not scare them) that is probably how I have ran into so many students that will say they are nursing students and than when I go to talk to them about it they are like, welll ummmm.

For the record, majority of the nurses and CNA's so far in my clinicals have been really nice. I have only had it out with one CNA *which my instructor stood behind me on* and only ran into a few crabby nurses. Most were great and you get a feel of how they are and what to do.

I hope clinicals go well for you. I LOVED them!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.

As for the original question...don't really care. There's at least intent, ya know.

But, this?

Yes, my mother-in-law told me that her sister's daughter-in-law was going to nursing school. Well, it was medical transcriptionist school. Slight difference.

The only defense of your MIL is that she just doesn't know the difference herself. But, if the DIL was saying "nursing school," yes, there's a problem, but I doubt that she would. Right? (I hope.)

Laypeople can be weird with what they do and don't understand, and then how they relay info. My husband came home the other day and told me our neighbor had heart surgery. I had already talked to the neighbor a week ago, and I knew she was having her pacemaker battery replaced (same leads used).

I said, "No, she's having her pacemaker battery replaced."

He said, "Yeah, heart surgery."

"No, just the pacemaker."

"Where's the pacemaker?"

"Right here (pointing to my chest)."

"Oh. I thought it was heart surgery."

"In one day and back home again?"

"Oh, forget it!"

:lol2::lol2:

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