How smart are you?

JenNJFLCA · Oct 16, 2006

I would say the key to nursing school is time management. I was an average student until I went to nursing school and ended up graduating with a 3.7. What a far cry from my 2.4 for my 1st Bachelors. I don't consider myself smart, but I managed my time well and stuck with it when I wanted to quit. :)

hogan4736, BSN, RN · Oct 16, 2006

I too have a BS in psychology, and a 3.15 GPA...I went back for my BSN, and maintained a 3.2 GPA thru nursing school...It was hard, but very do-able...Go for it!

Tweety, BSN, RN · Oct 16, 2006

Nursing school takes hard work and dedication and is very time consuming. I made A's but had to work at it. It didn't come easy. I would think if you have the discipline to get those other degrees, you already have some study habits that will help you succeed in nursing.

To me the hard part of about nursing school was the sheer volume of work and material, that the difficulty of that material.

Good luck.

gr8rnpjt, RN · Oct 16, 2006

I did not do well in high school, or my SAT's. I guess I did well enough in the NLN test prior to starting school, but I think the thing that helps most is the fact that you already had college courses. Everyone knows that good study skills are so important when you go to college and I did not apply myself in high school at all. I only did well at Nursing school after I almost failed. I had to learn to study while I was in nursing school, because I never did have good study habits in high school.

I would not say I was ever the brightest bulb in the bunch, but after I learned how to study and take notes in class, I felt nursing school was easy.

barbie90210 · Oct 16, 2006

there is a lot of science and analytical reasoning. clinicals can be quite stressful as well depending on the instructor. nursing school is demanding generally. i did well in my bsn program because i am a fairly good writer and we had to write lots of papers in accordance with apa format. it depends mostly on being responsible and prepared. instructors aren't likely to give you any slack if you have problems with math related to medication administration. i don't think it has to do with being "smart". a person with an average iq can do it if they are willing to work hard. :blushkiss

CoolhandHutch, MSN, RN · Oct 16, 2006

I thought nursing school was easy academically but challenging in the time management respects. Much of it depends on your personal situation. I was single and only needed to be concerned for myself. In retrospect, if I had the wife & kids to tend to, school would have been much more difficult.

ICRN2008, BSN, RN · Oct 16, 2006

I earned a 3.4 gpa for my first degree, and in nursing school I have (so far) maintained close to a 4.0 gpa. The science courses aren't as difficult as they are for many other health professions, but there is quite a bit more writing. I had to really work to improve my writing skills in the beginning of the program. Now, I struggle with the fact that it takes me eight hours to write a ten-page paper. Sometimes I feel like I work at a snail's pace, but in the end I earn good grades so I guess speed isn't everything.

I think that nursing school is a matter of working hard and managing your time. If you do that, you shouldn't have a problem getting through with decent grades.

BSNtobe2009 · Oct 16, 2006

I'm an A- student on my best day, but for some reason do better on technical aspects than theory. I study alot, but have a slight learning disability that was diagnosed in college to where my retention level is well below others. So classes that are reading intensive are very challenging.

Jo Dirt · Oct 16, 2006

I'm of very average intelligence, actually a little "thick" when it comes to certain sujects, especially math, physics and chemistry.

Well, actually, if you could measure my aptitude for these subject in IQ points, let's just say I'd be in a wheelchair with my mouth hanging open....

But as for nursing school, I did okay. B average, a couple of A's and one C. Of course, I was working and/or caring for small children, but I won't try to use that as an excuse for my averageness because I read all the time about people burning the candle at both ends and coming out on top.

So, yes, you sure can get through nursing school without being best of the best or cream of the crop or whatever. Just be prepared to work hard. Nursing is one of those professions where all that is required is grunt work (nobody get all riled up, I don't mean cleaning bedpans and wiping rears) but if you are willing to work at it you can do it.

allnurses Guide · Oct 16, 2006

In order to do well in nursing school, you have to be willing to do a LOT of reading and a LOT of writing! You have to really be willing to put a lot of time towards school. You have to have good time management skills. All things that have already been said.

My belief however, is that you DON'T have to be of above average intelligence, by any means, to be a nurse, or be a GOOD nurse. The most important things are, again, to have good time management skills; but also it really helps to be someone who has good intuition and common sense. It helps to be someone who immediately can say, in a situation, "Oh well, this is what needs to be done" or "This is what I need to do" and then be able to DO it without too much hesitation.

My downfall as a nurse has always been that I THINK way too much and worry too much that in a situation, I might not know what to do or might not be doing the right thing. Not that some critical thinking isn't important in every situation that you encounter as a nurse, don't get me wrong!!! But I've seen nurses that seem to be able to think rather quickly and "on their toes", and be able to respond quickly and confidently in emergent situations, and that has always been a problem for me. It's the reason why I had to choose a slower paced type of nursing, with fewer emergent situations. :)

jaylynn67 · Oct 16, 2006

I just started nursing school about a month ago. I was terrified because of all the horror stories I have heard about it. So far, I agree with what everyone else has been posting. The material is not that hard, no harder than the pre-req's I took to get here. It is just the amount of work that is overwhelming. Time management is definitely key. I am a straight A student, but I think I have to say I studied more for A & P than I have so far for nursing school.

Don't be scared away, I'm sure you can do it. It just takes a committment and discipline. You do not have to be super smart.