had it with nursing school already!

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I need some feedback on how to deal with some of the issues that I am facing now in week 5 of school. Its really gotten old. We have lots of instructors that do not communicate well with each other, countless hours of busy work, confusing assignments, and students who instead of supporting each other are contstantly trying to show each other up:( I can litterally feel the knots forming in my shoulders and neck right now. I manage time well and dont procrastinate.... so how do I learn to enjoy school again?

Specializes in Medical/Oncology, Family Practice.

I know what you are going through and I would love to say it gets better, that there is less busy work, but unfortunately I cannot. I am in my senior (!) year of a BSN program, so I'm be done in May. I transferred in at the summer after the sophomore level so I missed out on the first two years and thought I would be totally behind and not know anything- but guess what? I am doing well and in the top quarter of my class, I feel like I know what I am doing, I understand the material, and I spend over 30 hrs a week doing nursing stuff (either time in the library, class, clinicals, or studying). But the end is in sight!

Specializes in Med-Surg, Cardiac.
... and students who instead of supporting each other are contstantly trying to show each other up...quote]

I've seen this comment in other threads too. Maybe I'm too new in school (just finished week 6) but I don't understand how we can "show each other up". It isn't like the top half of the class passes and the bottom fails. In our school the grade is based on the % of total points one gets on the exams, not on a curve. So I guess it's theoretically possible for us all to get A's, at least in the early classes, and it's entirely up to us. I suppose it may be more subjective in the later mostly clinical sections.

It's to the school's advantage to see that everybody learns the stuff well, passes, and earns their RN on the 1st try. Looks good on their retention rate and 1st time NCLEX pass statistics. I don't view myself as competing with anybody in class but myself.

Dear First Year Student: It's great to strive for all "A's". However, when you graduate you take the same board that everyone does, and I've never applied for a position where they asked my grade point. I heard an old saying once - "What do they call an RN with a "C" average?" The answer: An RN. The good grades will always hold you in good stead, hopefully you will remember it all, but a lot of great nurses had lower averages in school and great in hands on clinicals.

Specializes in ICU.

You don't know joy until you've been through the horrors of nursing school and then finally at the end pass boards and become an RN. The sun shines brighter and the flowers smell sweeter. :) I absolutely loved nursing school and I hated it more than anything I have ever done in my life. I did an accelerated BSN and it was excruciating. We had amazing teachers and a terrible terrible department. You are definitely not alone. Just remember that it is so worth it and it feels soooo good when it is over.

We have to keep in mind that shortage of nursing faculty is part of what is driving the overall nursing shortage. So, hang in there - and then go on and get enough training to qualify to teach - we need people who recognize the difference between good and poor teaching settings.

Nursing school is very hard, but if it were easy, then we wouldn't have a nursing shortage. Since the beginning of this semester, we have been through 5 instructors. As soon as we get used to one instructors style of test giving, then we are thrown another one. It has been very frustrating, but I just keep my eye on the prize. As far as the other students go, I feel that I a very fortunate with the group that we have. We all stick together, and offer to help each other in clinicals with anything that is needed. I think that all of the stress has made us a closer knit group. In your situation, just concentrate on doing the assignments the way that each instructor wants you to. Every person has a different way of doing things, so figure out which way your instructors want things done. As far as the other classmates go, just worry about your own problems. You will finish school, and it will all be worth it.

Ok, I am a student also, but if you think yu have stress, try being deployed into combat.

Nothing like a dose of fear for your life in a 12 month prescription to rearrange the stressors.

You will be ok.

Brad

Specializes in ed, icu, detox, ccu.

i cannot offer false platitudes. what you are experiencing occurs worldwide and is constant.

you will continue to experience it when you are an rn in the workforce.

i dont see the sense in telling people to "hang in there" just because we have a nursing shortage. the nursing education boards world-wide need to see that students are dropping out because what they learn is a far distance from what they practice.

nursing is unique in that we are both a trade and a profession and we need to have 60% hands on learning. provide intense university courses for post-graduate studies.

ward work is the busiest and most thankless of all. that is the reality. dont waste your time doing a nursing degree if it's not for you - other professions have better working conditions and higher rates of pay.

nursing has always been between a rock and a hard place. look after your own needs first. the nursing shortage will become a crisis but we have to let that happen sooner rather than later. and we all have to remember not to sacrifice ourselves on the cross of martyrdom. "no i cannot do extra shifts - i am exhausted. bye for now."

and we have to stop bitching about each other. every allied-profession will say that nurses are number 1 for bitching, winging and back-stabbing.

cheers,

kaeri

I know exactly what you mean. I am in my first year and having been out of the school experience for so long, I see the "clicks" and the "backstabbing" all too much.

Just realise that women are catty and its their nature to be catty. (Sorry but its true and you all know it..)

You will have good days and bad days, just remember that it wont always be this way and you just have to get thru it. Cope as best you can in the meantime. I remind myself everyday why I am in nursing school and the silly petty stuff just dissolves.

I kind of feel bad for the instructors, remember there is an instructor shortage big time so their lack of communication is to be expected as they are often over-extended by their teaching responsibility. They realise how this impacts the students too so dont beat yourself up over it. They see the students that show up the other students too, no one likes a smart-@ss, expecially them.

I think TRauma's post was good advice. Hang in there, my RN to be !!!

I see you are going to the same school I graduated from! I can only advise that you take this difficulty as an opportunity to reevaluate your desire to be a nurse. If you feel strongly that this is the career you want to devote your future to, then I believe it is worth the uphill climb that nursing school is for us all.

Think of it as trial by fire. The struggle makes the victory that much more glorious. The easier things come to us, the easier they go, the less they mean. So after graduating, you will truly feel a sense of accomplishment, as well as a relief so sweet that you will actually feel a breeze and sunlight upon your face as the last second of the last day of school ticks by.

And if nursing is probably not the thing you want to do, nursing school will be the thing you definitely do not want to do. You will only find yourself, in the end, with only a pyrrhic victory.

Specializes in Ortho, Case Management, blabla.

3rd semester student checking in here, and I'm sorry to say that it probably won't get much better. Everything else will probably stay the same you'll just get much better at coping with it. Either that or you'll burn out and fall down to earth (if that makes any sense). I was a nervous wreck too but I think I've since disassociated myself from that...hard to explain.

Here's a nice inspirational anecdote for you though-

A lot of the biggest "competitors" from my class are all basically the ones that are struggling the hardest in 3rd semester. Two never made it past first semester, and another got held back last semester.

I remember one very smug woman from my first semester group who would give you an earful all about how she was, "Going back to school" and already had a Bachelors degree in business or something, and studying/test taking wasn't a problem etc etc. Guess what? She couldn't hack it, dropped out, and disappeared never to be seen again.

So yea, keep your chin up.

hahaha here check out this post I made back in February. Classic example of stress getting to me! I made it through everything though alright, and its all just a trial.

https://allnurses.com/forums/f50/im-becoming-nervous-wreck-141691.html

I graduated from a two year nursing school 29 years ago and it was one of the hardest experiences I have ever been through. I had 3 small children at the time--7 mos., 3 & 6 yrs. old and no one in my family would help me with them. I had a hard time finding baby sitters. But, my wonderful husband helped all he could along with a wonderful woman at our church and I was able to get through school. The key word is "determined". I am, by nature a stubborn person and I found out when attending nursing school that this was a good trait to have because at every turn, it seemed, that someone was trying to thwart my attempts to finish. Most of my instructors were encouraging but there were at least two that were set on failing everyone if they could and one of them I swear was an escaped psychiatric pt. My motto was: "If you can dish it out I can take it." The advice that everyone has given you is good sound advice. First, make sure you want to be a nurse because when you begin to work there will be other people who will try to make your life miserable, believe me-co-workers, drs, administrators, etc. I always kept my sights on what I needed to do and to ignore anyone who was negative. I remember what one of my instructors said when we complained about the two terrible instructors: She said: "sometimes this is done to weed out those who can't take stress, because believe me if you can't take the stress in nursing school you won't make it when you start to work." I would tell you if you really are sure you want to be a nurse then concentrate on your courses, find a few friends, and talk to the instructors if you are unclear on what they said. Keep your eyes on what you want--your RN degree and don't let anyone deter you or frustrate you into quitting. There were a couple of times when I felt like quitting but I hung in there. It will be worth it in the end!

One of the terrible instructors favorite tricks was to tell you something in class and then when she gave a test and you got the question wrong, based on what she had said in class, she would deny that she said that. We even showed her our notes and she denied saying it. This instructor would also make fun of people during class. Like I said, I could have sworn she was an escaped psych. pt.

Good luck. Keep us informed.

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