What is nursing school like?

foxyhill21 · Dec 16, 2005

An example of my shed.

Mon class 9-4

Tues class 9-12 after that go to the hospital and pick patient (about 1hr)

Wed clinicals 6:30am-3:00pm

Thurs clincials 3pm-11pm

Friday, Satur, Sunday Study!!!

Hoozdo, ADN · Dec 16, 2005

I agree with all of what has been posted. One more important thing you need is a supportive family. You won't have time any more to cook nice dinners, clean the house, spend much quality time with your spouse, etc. You will doing huge reading assignments, studying for tests, and care plans instead!

Good luck to you,

Lu Ann

adinamarie · Dec 16, 2005

I have to agree with the poster who said your GPA will go down and your jean size will go up!! Amen to that!! I just finished my last day of Fall semester for the RN program and I am really looking forward to the break!!

As for nursing school you have to be 100% committed!! I am an older student(34) and have an eight year old boy and I am a single parent. It has been a tough road and my son has missed out on a lot, I only hope I can make it up to him in the long run. It is a full-time job and if you don't have to work while doing it....DON"T!! I have been blessed in that sense.

I liked the comment that someone made about making ALL your instuctors think you like them. It does help. A LOT!!

The best advice I can give is....make sure it is truly what you want to do and that you are willing to make all the sacrifices to get thru. Then once you are there don't try to be the perfect A student, you will put yourself in the psych ward if you do that. Just do your best.....we have a saying at the colllege where I go.....75 to stay alive!! 75% is passing.!!

Good luck with everything.

maxcat · Dec 16, 2005

Just wondering what exactly it is about nursing school that is so hard?? I don't mean that in a snotty way, ;-) I am considering going back also, to get an ADN. I am currently 32, a SAHM to 2 toddlers, and have a biology degree plus a MS in environmental science. So I've certainly been challenged academically before and am just wondering how a nursing program would compare. I am probably going to a local community college program in a rural area (only one nearby, and it's cheap too!). I've gotten A's in my prereqs so far (taken through the cc). Is it the actual working with the patients part? Is it like on ER when the med students are being humiliated in front of everyone for not knowing an answer? Are the classes themselves tough? the schedule? For those who thought it was the toughest experience ever-was this your first college experience? Thanks!

nurse4theplanet, RN · Dec 16, 2005

Just wondering what exactly it is about nursing school that is so hard?? I don't mean that in a snotty way, ;-) I am considering going back also, to get an ADN. I am currently 32, a SAHM to 2 toddlers, and have a biology degree plus a MS in environmental science. So I've certainly been challenged academically before and am just wondering how a nursing program would compare. I am probably going to a local community college program in a rural area (only one nearby, and it's cheap too!). I've gotten A's in my prereqs so far (taken through the cc). Is it the actual working with the patients part? Is it like on ER when the med students are being humiliated in front of everyone for not knowing an answer? Are the classes themselves tough? the schedule? For those who thought it was the toughest experience ever-was this your first college experience? Thanks!

I don't have a previous college degree, but I had two years of pre-req's under my belt when I started my ADN program a year ago. I find nursing school extremely challenging as a whole in comparison to my other classes. Academically I do well....Mostly A's and a B here and there. It is hard to explain how stressful it can be to someone who is not in a program. Each program is different, and each person's life is different.

For me, it is just knowing that anything, and I mean ANYTHING, can fail you whether it's one check off, a mistake in clinical, or a few points on your final. I have seen students work their behinds off and still not make the cut, despite their dedication. It requires more than just class time and clinical time....you literally eat, sleep, and breath nursing school. Off time is spent gathering pt info for clinicals, studying enormous amounts of information that will be crammed into a test, hours spent on careplans, along with juggling personal life and other courses. Some things that pertain to my particular program include: if you fail, you are not guaranteed a spot to jump in and repeat the class next semester; it is the program director's discretion to allow you to repeat, or just kick you out of the program for good (happened to my BEST friend who is now an LPN); and you are required to be full time and if you have to drop a class (even if it is aerobics, etc.) and fall under 12 hours then you are out of the program even if you have an A.

Testing is quite different from any class I have taken as well and it takes a lot of application/critical thinking. Just open up an NCLEX review and you will see what I mean......4 RIGHT answers but which is BEST? or which should be done FIRST?

I have faired well, feel well prepared, and have no doubt that I will be an RN in a year.....but I still find it stressful and challenging, not a walk in the park by any means.

Curious1alwys, BSN, RN · Dec 18, 2005

agree that the stress of NS is hard to explain to someone who has yet to be in a program.

Academically, it is not THAT hard. Yes, you are responsible for loads and loads of info but it is not hard to grasp. It is everything put together........the 12 hours of careplan work the night before clinical.........the stress of hands on skills (with the pt AND your instructor), dealing with all the mean docs and nurses in clinicals and getting used to being made to feel like pond scum:rotfl: , feeling like pond scum....but stupid.....like you will never learn it all, CHECK OFFS are HORRID!!. Some people deal with anxiety better. Some aren't so good at it.

The biggest difference is...........for other subjects....even a hard degree, like science or math....you have to know ONE subject through and through. In nursing, it is like doing a million things at once and having to learn many subjects all at once. Hard to explain. I know that after one block of nursing school I feel like once I am done I should have a MD not an ADN, LOL.

It also depends on the program, if you get an easier instructor, etc. One program could be horrid while another one could be a cakewalk. Then factor in how each person perceives it... See what I mean??

Don't let the posts here scare you from pursuing a nursing degree. You may have an easier time than others. It is most likely going to be harder than a previous Bachelors, however. Just be prepared..........and forewarned. To me clinicals were harder than anything...and the paper that went with it!!!:stone

Works2xs · Dec 18, 2005

Good question.

Imagine you are on your hands and knees, with your face about 4 inches in front of the large outlet on a standard fire hydrant. Now, imagine that the hydrant is flowing at full capacity with you still parked in that spot. Got the image?

Nursing school doesn't require you to drink every drop rushing out. However, you'd better be familiar with how every drop tastes 'cause you will be responsible for the knowledge on your exams (not to mention actual clinical practice).

OK... I'm in an accelerated program, so my viewpoint is a tad skewed toward the "demanding" end of the scale.

On the serious side... you will be challenged to brush up on your study habits and strategies. Be flexible and network with your classmates for mutual support. Like others have noted, it's not so much that the material is too complex and/or difficult. It's the range and depth of information you have to cover. It's certainly tough, but definately do-able. Good luck and enjoy.