Does nursing school seem not so bad to anyone else?

maggiesdream · Feb 5, 2009

Enjoy your calm before the storm. LOL

NamasteNurse, BSN, RN · Feb 6, 2009

I think it depends on your point of view. I have a BA in education, so compared to college, nursing school is about the same. maybe I'm a dork, but I love it! I don't mind the work, and I love learning so, that's me.

NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN · Feb 6, 2009

Nursing school isn't that bad to me either. Yes, sometimes I get overwhelmed, stressed, and frustrated but that to be expected. I find that when I go over the material over and over and over again that helps me to feel less overwhelmed.

diane227, LPN, RN · Feb 6, 2009

I graduated from nursing school 30 years ago. I never did much required reading. I took good notes in class and I would skim over them before a test. I was a B to C student in class work but A in clinical. Houston was hurting for nurses at the time and I knew I could get a job. I also had a part time job as a CNA during the time I was in school. No one cared what your GPA was.

WhoNeedsaShot? · Feb 6, 2009

I am doing an excelerated class, First 10 wks were tough, but now that I am 6 months into it... Its cake.

BubbysMa · Feb 6, 2009

I graduated in Dec, and the past two years weren't that bad. It was just the time management. At the time, I thought the world was going to end, I was going to die of failure, etc. I was on a rant! But it really wasn't the material, but the time needed to put into it going fulltime, and being a single mom.

blt3535 · Feb 6, 2009

Yeah, I definitely agree, I have a bachelors as well, and i guess, school is school, and if you have good study skills, you can make it through anything!!

ZanatuBelmont · Feb 7, 2009

Hi everyone! This is my first post, been lurking on this site for a while, and I must say, its awesome!
I just started ADN evening program last week, then classes were canceled for 3 days due to the huge winter storm...does anyone else wish they were here? :onbch:
So my question is this: I am taking a basic intro to nursing and an entry level anatomy and physiology (which I just took last semester, but they won't let me test out), and it all seems not so bad compared to some of the horror stories I've read on here, does anyone else feel the same way with their program?
I realize that Im not doing an accelerated program or full time, but the content so far is pretty easy...which I guess I should relish in and take advantage of this quarter, b/c it won't be like this next quarter!
Hope everyone's semester is going great!!

First semester started off like that for me, but then as it went on got hectic, but I can't say I found it extremely hard, just time consuming. I spent on average two hours on each subject per day, then sometimes I would spend an entire day studying Med-Surg in 15-minute intervals. Each time I walked away I would think about what I had just learned. I basically married all my books last semester, rarely did I study off the notes.

Learn this stuff to provide good patient care, not to pass a test. You'll be great because of it!! :-)

CloudySue · Feb 8, 2009

I've been SOO lucky with my instructors, even the least favorite ones I've had have been cake compared to the demons from hell I've heard about here. Our "main" professor is so wonderful both in lecture and clinical. I wish she were my mom. During breaks, she sits w/us and chats about personal lives, both hers and ours, and she's so non-threatening and kind that I want to do backflips for her. I once expressed my appreciation for her demeanor as an instructor, that I feel so comfortable in her class that I believe I learn better because I am so relaxed. She told me that she's had her share of battleaxes during her own schooling and it's part of her teaching philosophy to be approachable and helpful. She realizes that if you are made to fear asking questions or admitting not knowing something, then less learning takes place.

As far as work goes, it's a fast, fast pace, and there's tons of info, but like the other poster, I've been to college before so it's a familiar experience for me. Matter of fact, now that I'm older I took a lesson from my previous college mistakes and I'm doing much better this time. Just remember, your instructors WANT you to succeed. They look bad when too many people drop out, and even worse when graduates fail the NCLEX. You get more chances to pass, but their first time percentage of pass/fails will stick. Our instructors frankly tell us how last year's class has done so far, and they are pushing us harder to prepare for NCLEX even now, not even halfway through the program.

ladymahoghany · Feb 9, 2009

I wish we had an instructor such as yours, just by you describing her I had a visual of her, and felt warm and fuzzy inside. The learning environment is very important, and it all depends on the instructor how you are understanding the material.

Jasel, BSN, RN · Feb 13, 2009

Well I just finished my 6th week. So far so good. I'm amazed how much free time I have to myself after all the horror stories I've heard yet I'm doing well on the quizzes which I also expected to be devastating. I got a 78%, on the first one but a 96%, 90%, and 94% on the ones after that. We have midterms on Tuesday and I'm not nervous at all.

At the same time however I try to keep things in perspective. I'm not working and don't have kids. We also haven't started clinicals yet and I know the frequent breaks and hour 1/2 lunch breaks we get where I do a lot of my studying are going to dissapear. And as the load increases I'll have to manage my time much better.

But the way things are going? I'm no longer stressing the way I used to. I think I have an idea of how hard things are going to get but I think the key will be "time management". And if I can keep up with that I know I'll do fine.