First Semester Nursing Student

[mohoganyblu]

I'm feeling discouraged about my first semester of nursing school. All the reading, concept maps, skills labs, check-offs and the embarrassing moments in front of the whole class. The long nights up trying to get all the reading done before class and making notes. The instructors are not very helpful. Anything you ask they all respond with "you tell me"! If I knew the answer I would not ask. Can someone give me some words of encouragement....Its only been 2 months I'm just..........

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

When they say "you tell me," what they are wanting to see is the beginning of your critical thinking skills. It's sort of like getting partial credit for a math problem that you got the final answer to wrong. Sometimes they will give you points along the way when they see you got some of the steps right (of course by the time you are in nursing school, you don't get partial credit for math problems, that's just an illustration).

So when you ask a question, be prepared to at least verbalize some thoughts about how you'd go about figuring out the answer yourself, rather than just asking to be spoon fed an answer. As you start to do this, they will likely jump in and direct you in steps towards finding an answer.

[cupcakeluver]

It's hard in the beginning. It's hard in the middle. I'm assuming it will be hard in the few months before I graduate in May. Nursing school is hard. The good news is that you get better. You learn. You figure out a good study schedule. You get a routine. While it's still hard, it's not so overwhelming.

When you get a good grade on a test (or even just pass a test), it makes the hard work worth it. It's those little successes that make up for the miserable times. I'm looking forward to my graduation as being the ultimate reward for all my hard work and dedication. They say it's worth it.....I hope so. So far, I've been amazed by how far I've come. If nursing is for you, you will feel that wonder as well. Eventually. Good luck.