Do Not Underestimate the Difficulty Level of Nursing School

It's easy to become complacent about the difficulty level of a nursing program, especially if you have been doing well in your pre-reqs. However, realize that it's not anything like you have ever done in other classes. Do not underestimate it, expect it to be hard, and most importantly, be prepared. Nursing Students Pre-Nursing Article

As I am almost done with my first year of my ADN nursing program, I decided to write this article with some thoughts about where I was a year ago.

I know I am being overly dramatic here, but hey what the hell may as well put my Composition II skills to use. :up:

I started my journey April 2010, after having mulled over my choices for a career change for an extended period of time and deciding I needed to sign up before anything was going to change.

I spent the first 3 semesters taking classes on another degree I was picking at whilst I tried to finalize what I wanted to be when I grew up. I finally decided my greatest asset was my empathy with people and how much I was willing to give of myself for them. This eventually led me to Nursing.

I have always been a natural student. 4.0GPA without opening books, first one done with tests a few minutes after they were handed out, finishing homework before I even left class. I prided myself on all of this and eventually just expected it.

Pride cometh before the fall.

After signing up for the Pre-Nursing program in 2011, I overloaded my schedule to finish the 40+ hours of pre-reqs as soon as I could. All As, no problem.

In the Spring of 2012, I added the CNA license course to my schedule as it became a requirement for the nursing program. I don't know that I even paid much attention to the course, but I did find that I had an excellent connection with the patients. It made me feel like I was on the right track. It also made me feel like nursing was not a big deal, thinking being a CNA was pretty much like being a nurse, right? Sigh.

I bought all of my supplies, uniforms, and books...all ready to go. In my mind taking the courses were merely a formality at this point.

Then came Fall of 2012.

Like anyone else, I was nervous and apprehensive about doing something new, but quickly found that Fundamentals was a piece of cake, labs were no problem, quizzes were a joke...why the hell doesn't everyone take this class, right?

As the instructor handed out our first real exam, it was just another test after the hundreds of other tests I have taken in my life, no problem.

I got a 56.

Now you can imagine the utter shock and nausea I felt when I saw that lonely number on the paper. I panicked, big time. I can only imagine the inner voice of my instructor "muwahahahha my plan is working perrrrrfectly."

I knew then that I was in trouble, and I needed to pull my head out of my place-that-shall-not-be-named and shift my entire paradigm of thinking. It wasn't easy.

I quit my $20 an hour job, spend 12 hours a day studying, and gave up all notion of having a life/girlfriend/friends/fun/food not from McDonald's. And I am still barely passing. It's not a great feeling getting 79% on everything when you have to have a 77% or higher on pretty much everything in order to proceed. In fact it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I was able to feel like I was going to make it. And I know I am going to have to continue studying 12 hours a day and basically not have a life for another 16 months.

I worry about what kind of nurse I will be when I can barely pass my classes. But I DO know I will be the best nurse I can.

Here are some of the things I wish I had known last year

  • Commit totally, or find something else to be when you grow up.
  • Nurses heavily use and are tested using critical thinking skills. I cannot stress that enough CRITICAL THINKING. If you do not have that particular skill, go buy a self-help book to figure out how. Do it now, trust me just go get it. Stop reading I will wait.
  • If you have any thought whatsoever that nursing school is going to be a walk in the park, slap yourself as hard as you can and wake up. Talk to some 2nd year students to get a good idea of what being a 1st year student is like. Find your school's nursing club, they will be more than happy to share their horror stories.
  • Go get some books on nurse's stories, there are quite a few but they will give you a great idea of what being a nurse is REALLY like. One of my favorites is a "A Nurse's Story" by Tilda Shalof.
  • Do your research, make sure that being a nurse is really what you want. Based on what I have seen in clinicals, it's hard work, it's gut wrenching, it's sometimes menial thankless tasks that go on for hours. It's NOT Grey's Anatomy, ER, or any medical drama you have ever seen.
  • Continuing with the last point, go shadow a nurse, or volunteer at an LTC or hospital, get educated.
  • When you get actually started in your nursing program READ. ALL. ASSIGNED. CHAPTERS. Then read them again. Once you are done you should probably read them again.
  • Study groups are for everything but studying.
  • Working and kids and family and social life...forget about it. Make sure everyone is on board with what you are about to undertake. You will not be available, you will be studying. When you are available, you will be sleeping. If you are able to have a life and go to nursing school, I salute and secretly hate you.
  • Finally, after all is said and done TRY to relax and enjoy and take it all in...this truly is (at least for me) the most rewarding thing you can do in life. The first time I kept someone from choking to death swept away all of my doubts and fears and all the dumb stuff I did before I got to that point.

It's worth it, just don't underestimate it.

See you in the trenches!

Cain

I appreciate this post! I am ready for the challenge of nursing school. I realize it will be far from easy and it will be very different than my pre req classes. I volunteer at a hospital on a weekly basis and lately I have been meeting burned out nurses that HATE their job. It will not discourage me, but I take it all into consideration. This post will be filed away in that mental cabinet. Best of luck to you!

2 Votes

Thank you so much! I am going straight for my BSN and have many general ed requirements (chem, writing, etc) covered already from a previous degree so I'm HOPING it may be a little easier on me. I won't be counting on it though.

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I'm taking out time from school to be a CNA and then apply for nursing school in a few years.

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Then those who do it without neglecting their children. I don't think 1 and 3 year olds will understand that they are less important than a school.

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Many thanks to Tenjuna. The whole thread is filled with helpful advice :up:

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Specializes in Med/surg.

This is a great thread, and I love that the OP posted follow up info! I'm bookmarking this as well, and I'm buying the Critical Thinking book as I post this. And though I won't start nursing school for a few more months, I'll be buying the Saunders book soon, too. :)

Thanks-- to all of you-- for giving advice and sharing experiences to help those who have yet to enter nursing school. I hope to do the same in kind. :D

2 Votes
Specializes in Informatics, Orthopaedics.

It's been 3 years since I originally posted this, and wanted to give some updates to my journey and maybe some more helpful advice.

A few weeks ago I finished my BSN, which I took online with (.edu). I finished it in 9 months, and I followed my own previous advice with finding a balance between studying and life outside of school. I still spent 40-60 hours a week studying and doing class work, but I found by doing this time in restaurants, bars, and such outside of home I could still feel like I had a life while getting work accomplished. Not the ideal solution for everyone I know, but I didn't want to repeat sitting at the kitchen table for countless hours. I was also very lucky that the state of Iowa paid me a training stipend so that I didn't have to work during this 9 month period.

In any event, I highly recommend getting your BSN as soon as you are able. 65% of nurses do not get their BSN or higher degrees, and frankly this is going to be a mandatory thing eventually. Just do it and get it over with. The BSN portion wasn't nearly as hard as the first 2 years was, at least for me.

I have since changed course away from Orthopedics and OR nursing work and instead recently became an Informatics Nurse (deals with data analytics and electronic health record training). To that end I am starting a Masters in Informatics later this year, and then finally a Doctorate of Nursing Practice next year.

It's somewhat amusing looking back and remembering how difficult the nursing program was 3 years ago, as now it's trivial...but I do still remember the horror of that first bad exam...I learned to not underestimate anything in nursing, and that memory has helped me many time in the last 3 years.

The Critical Thinking book I linked previously is still hugely valuable to me in my daily practice. I have actually read that book many times over the years. I very highly recommend it.

Otherwise there is some great advice in the comments, I encourage you to read through them all.

I wish you all the best of luck in your nursing journey, and hopefully I will be updating this post again in 3 years as Dr. Cross. :smokin:

2 Votes
Specializes in Transition nursing and couplet care.

It is funny as I was kind of the opposite. An a/b student before nursing school, but that was with no studying really. Maybe it is become I am/was a perpetual student, but nursing school, while it was challenging, was not that difficult. I found I just had to do the reading and actually listen in class. No notes taken throughout nursing school and I made all a's and b's.

1 Votes
tenjuna said:
It's been 3 years since I originally posted this, and wanted to give some updates to my journey and maybe some more helpful advice.

A few weeks ago I finished my BSN, which I took online with Western Governors University (wgu.edu). I finished it in 9 months, and I followed my own previous advice with finding a balance between studying and life outside of school. I still spent 40-60 hours a week studying and doing class work, but I found by doing this time in restaurants, bars, and such outside of home I could still feel like I had a life while getting work accomplished. Not the ideal solution for everyone I know, but I didn't want to repeat sitting at the kitchen table for countless hours. I was also very lucky that the state of Iowa paid me a training stipend so that I didn't have to work during this 9 month period.

In any event, I highly recommend getting your BSN as soon as you are able. 65% of nurses do not get their BSN or higher degrees, and frankly this is going to be a mandatory thing eventually. Just do it and get it over with. The BSN portion wasn't nearly as hard as the first 2 years was, at least for me.

I have since changed course away from Orthopedics and OR nursing work and instead recently became an Informatics Nurse (deals with data analytics and electronic health record training). To that end I am starting a Masters in Informatics later this year, and then finally a Doctorate of Nursing Practice next year.

It's somewhat amusing looking back and remembering how difficult the nursing program was 3 years ago, as now it's trivial...but I do still remember the horror of that first bad exam...I learned to not underestimate anything in nursing, and that memory has helped me many time in the last 3 years.

The Critical Thinking book I linked previously is still hugely valuable to me in my daily practice. I have actually read that book many times over the years. I very highly recommend it.

Otherwise there is some great advice in the comments, I encourage you to read through them all.

I wish you all the best of luck in your nursing journey, and hopefully I will be updating this post again in 3 years as Dr. Cross. :smokin:

woohoo! Congrats. I'm almost done with an ADN program and am contemplating doing rn to bsn online. Do you recommend why or why not? What did you like or dislike about the program? Do you have any tips or info for future students who are thinking about doing rn to bsn with wgu? If you could redo your rn to bsn what would you do differently?how soon did you enroll in wgu after graduating from your nursing program?

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Specializes in Informatics, Orthopaedics.

I very highly recommend . It was cheap, it was fast, it was easy. I waited almost a whole year before starting though in hindsight I have no idea why I waited, it was very easy in comparison to the ADN.

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Specializes in Informatics, Orthopaedics.

Here I am 3 years from my last post as promised lol.

I did finish my MSN in Nursing Informatics online last year with a 4.0 GPA from University of Mary (umary.edu). Good school but pricey. I would still recommend Western Governor's if they have a program you are interested in!

I just enrolled this week for my DNP in Nursing Informatics after taking a year off. 7 years of nursing school is draining to say the least I needed a break. This program should be 22 months and then I am all done, just a little over 10 years from the day I started my journey.

What I learned from the difficulties of the ADN program have been carried with me throughout this entire journey. Do not underestimate it, make a plan to get through it, and make sure everyone around you understands that this is more important than going out or playing video games or whatever.

I do have to laugh a bit at how crazy those initials years were, I spent most of it entirely lost. I now understand that this is normal, so if you are feeling like the world is going to end, trust me it isn't. You will get through it too, just keep your eyes on the prize.

❤️

2 Votes
On 5/9/2019 at 12:04 PM, tenjuna said:

Here I am 3 years from my last post as promised lol.

I did finish my MSN in Nursing Informatics online last year with a 4.0 GPA from University of Mary (umary.edu). Good school but pricey. I would still recommend Western Governor's if they have a program you are interested in!

I just enrolled this week for my DNP in Nursing Informatics after taking a year off. 7 years of nursing school is draining to say the least I needed a break. This program should be 22 months and then I am all done, just a little over 10 years from the day I started my journey.

What I learned from the difficulties of the ADN program have been carried with me throughout this entire journey. Do not underestimate it, make a plan to get through it, and make sure everyone around you understands that this is more important than going out or playing video games or whatever.

I do have to laugh a bit at how crazy those initials years were, I spent most of it entirely lost. I now understand that this is normal, so if you are feeling like the world is going to end, trust me it isn't. You will get through it too, just keep your eyes on the prize.

❤️

Hi there! Are you doing DNP online or at an in person program? Do you recommend doing informatics online? That's so amazing you are continuing your journey after a long while break.

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