Does anyone sail through nursing school?

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Taking a study break here...and posting is so much more fun!

Now, I haven't started nursing school yet, so I can't offer any personal experience, but perhaps you all can. Many people have said that nursing school is challenging, difficult, one of the hardest majors, etc., and this is definitely what I'm preparing myself for in the fall. Did any of you ever come across someone who had a relatively easy time of it? From my past experiences, there's always one genius type in the group who aces everything, seemingly effortlessly. If such a person exists in nursing school, that person must be doubly talented since one must apply her/himself in both the theory AND clinical portions of the program. Perhaps some of you are/were one of these people? I am curious to know...

Disclaimers: I know that grades do not make the nurse. I know that people usually have other responsiblities in addition to nursing school. I am not expecting to be one of the people I speculated about in my question. This is merely a point of curiosity. Thank you.

In my school, there seem to be two different types of students (of those that graduated). The first was the student who aced all the tests, but was uncomfortable and sweated clinicals. The second (of which I am one) excelled in clinicals and sweated classroom tests.

Having said that, of those who graduated with me (we lost 60% of students through the program), both groups did fine on the boards. I passed the boards first time around with 75 questions.

Specializes in MICU, neuro, orthotrauma.

How can one sail through nursing school when one has less than twenty four hours to fill out thirty pages of a care plan? Even if you don't have to study hard for the theory exams, picking a patient the night before clinical, after your lecture, absorbing all of the chart information, and writing up a thrity page care plan is very strenuous. I SWEAT those care plans. Some of my clinical instructors weren't difficult, but the ones who are, like this semester's, can make the night before clinical a nightmare. I literally don't sleep the night before, fretting over the tiniest detail, as all of it must be completed other than outcomes, before we go in there to care for out ICU patient. (final semester)

I have to study harder than I ever did for our theory exams as well. I'm not happy unless I make an A and i have to work for it, believe me. I put in about 10-15 hours before each test.

Funnily enough, in Psych, I didn't open the book and make an A. And I hated that course. It's the Med-Surg that's getting me.

I have to be honest, I am one of those students that are doing very well in regards to my prereqs. Both in A&P1 and 2, I am ranked either first or second with an over 100% average. HOWEVER, and this is a big HOWEVER, I have put in a lot of hours studying and I'm under no false illusions that I will sail through. Hopefully my high GPA now will enable me to get into a nursing program. I am very concerned about just getting through nursing school considering high dropout rate. I just want to be a good nurse.

As BMS4 mentions, there are some that will do better in theory (possibly me) and some that do better in clinic (where I hope to help without doing harm).

Kris

I would say not so much "hard" but very stressful and a lot of work.

Specializes in Obstetrics, M/S, Psych.
Funnily enough, in Psych, I didn't open the book and make an A. And I hated that course. It's the Med-Surg that's getting me.

geekgolightly

I'll bet you rank high in common sense then.

Oh, and I love your name.

:cool:

Specializes in MICU, neuro, orthotrauma.

sbic56,

thanks! my bf might disagree with that assessment, but im much appreciative. :D

i'm an online geek girl and i love holly golightly, so therein lies the formula for the name. i really love this message board. im so happy to finally be on a board where im with my own people, so to speak. hi. :roll

I wouldn't say that I sailed through, but I found that I never needed to study much for tests...going to class and taking notes burned the information into my memory fairly well...I studied 1-2 nights before a test, by re-writing notes from my textbooks to refresh my memory...then I would give myself mock tests to see what I still needed to cram in. It worked pretty well; the lowest mark I received was a C. However, I have comprehensive exams coming up, and will really have to refresh my memory for those!

I'd have to say though that the information learned in classes and regurgitated on tests is not the most important...clinical is the main area where the gears in your head really start to turn, and you can see all that knowledge culminating and being put to use. Clinical placements have been the most enjoyable part for me-it seems to fit like a glove. Regardless of grades, that's where you realize how much you really have learned.

Specializes in Obstetrics, M/S, Psych.

geekgolightly

You are so right about this board being a place with "your own people"...very cool...you're going to have alot of fun here! Welcome!

Specializes in Emergency.

I got A's and one C in cardiac, but I don't think anyone in my class sailed through school. I also took my pre-reqs with my clinicals, so that was sorta difficult. I studied more for A&P than I did nursing.

The endless papers were a killer, so much time.

Best of luck!

xo

Jen

I can remember this one "cocky" girl in our class...she didn't seem to worry about anything..never studied..showed up at the last second and was filling out her care plans during the morning lectures before clinicals...she seemed to breeze through every test with little if any effort.....gawd..we ALL hated her..haha...but when the actual applications of what we learned were tested, we saw she wasn't so darn smart...and came to find out this wasn't her first try at nursing..although she failed to mention that to all of us struggling our butts off......sooooo, if you come across someone who seems to accel without much effort, just remember you may not know the WHOLE story with them....just keep 'doin ya thang' :)

The top people in my class (at times I do great) all study hard to get their grades. If you study and put the time in, you can do well. When you realize that in order to be a safe nurse and that someone's life depends on you learning this diffucult material, I think, at least for me, that you put your whole heart and mind into mastering the information. I am proud of my gpa in nursing as well as my clinical performance.I know others who are just as proud with the C+'s because they worked hard for it and feel that they mastered the information as best they could. What's important is to have common sense and dedication to what you are doing and you won't ever fail. And that's my two cents :)

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