I started a new job yesterday and was talking to my manager about NS. He made some offhand comment that all nurses act like they have worked so much harder for their two year degree. He said he just laughs it off because even though he "knows it is a challenge (he doesn't have a degree in nursing by the way), it isn't nearly as hard as a regular BS, say in Psychology or Business or whatever".
I mean, what is up with that? I explained to him that I had to take two years of pre reqs just to get into NS and will ultimately be in school for four years. I told him that "I know many nurses that would strongly disagree with you" (maybe not the right response for my first day on the job:roll ). He said, "I know, but I don't care, because I am right and they are wrong":madface: . (LOL, BAD SIGN right???:roll )
I don't have a bachelors. But what I do know is that every single academic class I have had, including Organic Chem, was by far easier than the overall stress of NS. Maybe not easier than each individual class, but by far, NS has been harder for me and more stressful than even my toughest semester of "normal" college.
After seeing how much information nurses are expected to know and internalize and understand at the core, I am really suprised at the people who still don't think they are as smart as someone with a bachelors in psych. A bachelors in psych would seem like a vacation for me right now...:roll After being in nursing school, I will forever bow down to nurses who have completed their degree. Their level of knowlege is staggering!:bowingpur
I'd like your opinion on this from those of you that have previous bachelors degrees and have completed nursing school....
I think the reaon, for me, why my biology degree as more difficult is that nursing was an exposure to content that I was constantly building on and therefore, becoming more familiar with understanding.
But when it comes to advanced physics and things like deriviatives, those are concepts that were still somewhat foreign to me, even after studying them.
I think it's the application phase of nursing that made things 'click' more.
But I agree, comparing other degrees with nursing is like comparing apples to oranges.
i think science degrees would be extremly difficult and draining... I got the impression people were comparing liberal arts bachelors degrees to the ADN. There is no question in my mind that the difficulty of the material in a chem, physics or math degree is phenomenal. Kudos to those who have those degrees. (personally i would like to have a chance at a minor in microbiology, but i would need to move and uproot our family and business etc.. so i'll just enjoy reading more and learning more on my own.)
I have a BS in Psych and a MA in counseling. The BS was challenging but i was also in a different place. I was 18-21 yrs old, living in a sorority house, had no problems and still did reasonably well. (graduated w a 3.0) Now statistics and physics were 2 classes in undergrad i remember that were extremely hard. The Ma was a joke (I hate to say it) I took so many classes basically teaching (and I use the term teaching loosely) us how to twist peoples words around and play mind games with people once a week for an hour. NOT my kind of job. Now on to the ADN. I found anat (prerequ) and micro pretty hard. I do find nursing school difficult. Ihave never studied more in my life and I have never learned so much either. I think people may go on and on about how hard it is bc of the long early clinicals, etc/ and there is so much riding on it. Also, so many of us now have children, mortages, etc. so there's added stress = makes it harder.
I have a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Spanish. I just recently graduated from a Associate Degree Nursing program. Although my first degree was no piece of cake, nursing was much harder. It is definitely more time consuming. I did not have to work full time and attend school with my first degree but I still believe that nursing school was much more demanding then my undergrad in Psyc.:)
scary, that's exactly what i have (Bs in psych. mnr in spn) and I couldn't have said it better --- not easy , but not as challenging as the adn program.
Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.
My philosophy for my last sem of Biology: "D" = diploma.
~faith,
Timothy.
glad you posted this because it is another point that beginning nursing students and pre nursing students may not understand.
SOME programs are more lenient with grades...and nursing is NOT one of them. Here is our grading scale
93-100 A
85-92 B
77 and below Failing...no exceptions
*for very good reason
and with nursing if you fail a semester, chances are you may not be allowed to repeat and you will be forced to go to a different school or pick another major. My best friend failed a previous semester with a 72 and they did not let her come back because they were full for the next two semesters...so they directed her to the LPN program where she is doing excellent. This is a tough thing to swallow for some because like with my friend she had 2 1/2 yrs of courses, predominately going towards a nursing degree, and was *lucky* to be accepted to the LPN program which had two slots left AFTER she sat out a whole semester.
My point is that it is a package deal. Not just a class here and a class there that you have the slack to do poorly in and just repeat, or take a semester off and come back and pick up where you left off.
Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.
I suppose that it does depend on the degree, but I have to say that nursing school was a HECK of a lot more difficult than art school. =) (I have a BA)
I can see how a science degree.......like the poster who mentioned the Kreb's cycle.........would be super complicated. I guess, to me, it is easier to study one concept forever to "get it". It took me a lot of work to get through organic chem back in the day but I just studied that ONE topic. I guess, in NS, it is not the academics that is as hard..the actual studying........but all the other crap. 12 hours for a careplan, the stress of check offs, researching all the drugs and patho, relating to pts..etc. It is all of it combined that makes me think it is so hard, like others have mentioned here. Having to study one thing..........lets say it was the human body, and know it inside and out but have to not do all the other crap would seem like a cakewalk to me right now. Organic Chem, looking back, seems now like a cakewalk compared to NS! But, like the saying goes, "the grass isn't always greener".
Oh well. If nursing doesn't work out I'll likely get a Bachelors in CLS or Micro. I always liked that stuff, even if it was hard!:rotfl:
Congrats to everyone who has made it through an ADN or a bachelors program. I know both are challenging, and in different ways for sure. I do agree that my new boss seems to be an ass. :chuckle
Nursing school has by FAR been harder than my previous Bachelor's degree!! I definintely was one of those who "partied" my way through college the first time AND I had two part-time jobs!! I have had absolutely no social life in nursing school and I could not imagine working one job, let alone two! No one can understand the difficulty of nursing school unless they actually experience it for themselves!
I have a previous degree in Psychology and I have always told other people this: In my opinion, my BA in psych was a pIECE OF CAKE compared to my nursing BSN! You don't have the stress of possibly inadvertently hurting another person's health if you do something wrong in psychology undergraduate work. You don't have clinicals and care plans on top of exams and papers to do. You also don't have the added stress of attaining all this knowledge in the face of having to study for and go through a licensing exam.
Anyway that's my humble OPINION, and I'm sticking to it! :p
Totally agree. During my psychology studies, there would be many times when I would skip class, and I could still get As. Wouldn't even think about it nursing school, unless I was deathly ill. The handful of times that I missed classes during nursing school was due to complete exhaustion from school itself!!
My first BS is a dual major of Biology & Marine Science, and I got a minor in Chemistry. I am now getting my BSN (done in May!! ). My experience has been that nursing school is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Not only is it challenging academically, but also emotionally. I have been on a roller coaster of emotions since I started this program. I work my butt off (I worked FT till Tuesday too--had to quit cause I was losing my sanity) and struggle every day. My 1st degree was hard, don't get me wrong, but I think we are comparing apples to oranges here. The fish that I studied are a lot different than the people I care for now. Nursing involves a lot more emotional energy!!
I have two B.S. degrees (one being a BSN). I have a Master's degree. The Master's degree was the least difficult, IMO.
Nursing school was by far the hardest learning experience - right up there with "learning" to parent (and my four kids are 11, 17, 19, 29). And I am science/medicine "crazy" - meaning I LOVE medicine and have a minor in biology.
I'd like to make this comment:
IF nursing WERE easy - why is there a nursing shortage?
Not all can hack it.
I think after my nursing school experience I could sail through medical school.
:chuckle
:p
ZASHAGALKA, RN
3,322 Posts
I think the reaon, for me, why my biology degree as more difficult is that nursing was an exposure to content that I was constantly building on and therefore, becoming more familiar with understanding.
But when it comes to advanced physics and things like deriviatives, those are concepts that were still somewhat foreign to me, even after studying them.
I think it's the application phase of nursing that made things 'click' more.
But I agree, comparing other degrees with nursing is like comparing apples to oranges.
~faith,
Timothy.