How hard is nursing school? Another question...

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How hard is nursing school? My passion is to be an RN and I want some real answers lol. I read a post talking about someone contracting HIV.. That's SO scary to me and I feel so bad for that girl! My next question is.. How is the nursing life? What are the hardest parts about being a nurse? And how is working in the ICU? Because I am interested in that. How much is the salary in the first year of being an RN? Another question is... how many years it usually takes to become an RN.. with a BSN?

Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

Very hard.

Nursing school is a matter of perspective. I don't think it's bad at all. Others call it a hellacious nightmare. Still, others on this forum say it's the easiest thing they've ever done. The range is wide. If it does become difficult for you just remember to keep your composure.

Depends on how good you are and how politically correct you become :)

Specializes in Hospice.

Nursing school is hard. Very hard. Being a nurse is also hard. It is stressful. You are in charge of someone's life. You are in charge of ensuring not only that you do not make a mistake, but that the doc, the pharmacist, the cna, the patient, and multiple other ancillary staff don't make a mistake. In my area the pay for a starting nurse is $23/hour. Nursing school for an ADN took me 4 years (including my 2 years of pre-reqs), and my BSN took another 2 years. I am glad I have my BSN and am currently working on my MSN. Despite the stress of my job, I love it, I make decent money, and there is never a dull day.

Specializes in Critical Care, Nsg QA.

It's no walk in the park, but if you work hard and realize you are preparing for a profession you will succeed. IYou won't be partying like your peers, however you will be part of a great profession.

As others have said, it's a matter of perspective. When I was in high school I didn't think I was smart enough to be a nurse, although I always wanted to be one. I ended up with a business degree before I realized I should be a nurse and applied to school. Fast forward, I just earned my Masters of Science in Nursing. If you want it, you can do it.

I think it all depends on the nursing program that you get in to. For me, I am in an excellent program where the instructors care and try to help you in any way shape or form. It's not hard, per se, but it isn't for everyone. It is very time consuming, and you get out what you put into the program. You have to have dedication and determination to complete the program. You have to take it day by day, literally or you will be consumed and burn out quickly. Good grades are something to strive for, but you won't always get. You have to be ok with that, because Ive seen a lot of people freak out over it. Grades will get you into a program, but they won't make you an excellent nurse. And my last piece of advice...you have to be willing to give up your social life for the 2 years that you are in the program. Granted you can still have one, it's just hard to find a balance between the two. Overall, it's not that bad. It just takes some adjustments that some are not cut out for. And that's the dirty truth from my perspective...

Specializes in ICU/CCU.

I did not think that nursing school was that hard. Lots of time, lots of work, lots of bullsh*t, but not difficult except in a suck-it-up kind of way. Being a nurse, on the other hand, IS hard, at least if you want to be a good nurse.

Working in ICU is awesome, but it is not for everyone. You may think you'd like it and then hate it once you have a taste of what it is like. Only having two patients sounds grand until you realize that some days you can't be away from either of them for more than a few minutes and that often you are expected to chart on both of them every fifteen minutes etc...

How long it takes you to get a BSN depends on your educational background. If you are fresh out of high school, it will take at least four years. If you already have a Bachelors in something else, it could take one and a half to two years depending on how many prereqs you need and how long the accelerated BSN program will take. Some people get an ADN first (at least two years, with prereqs) and then bridge to BSN, but I don't know how long that bridge usually takes.

You salary will depend on where you work. In my part of the country, new grads make as much as nurses with 20 years experience make elsewhere. The catch is that there are pretty much NO jobs here for new grads.

On a final note--you should change your handle. It's really not cool to use "RN" in your handle if you have not passed the NCLEX.

Specializes in ICU.

Nursing school is very hard. Most will tell you law school is easier:) But if you have a passion for it, it will make it that much easier.

I started in ICU a few months into my career. I personally loved it. It's the kind of nursing where you think outside of the box, need critical thinking skills and need to act fast. It's also difficult because you need ot go with your gut alot, challenge physicians and deal with death and dying and very difficult families in very difficult situations. You will have a feeling of what is right for you when you are actually in nursing school.

Good luck!

I personally think it's not hard, as long as ur a hardworker, not lazy and focus...there's no reason why u would fail. Coz the professors are there giving u all the resources needed to succeed, all u need to do is use them.

For me I know I can make it, it's just that i'm lazy reading all the chapters and stuff...lol

So if ur not like me, u shouldn't find it hard at all.

Specializes in CVICU.

The answer to almost all of your questions is the same: It depends on who you are as a person. I saw many struggle with nursing school. I did not. I don't say that to toot my own horn or to make myself sound smart, it's just that school of any sort has never been difficult for me. You may find that you need to study for hours on end, or barely at all. However, being book smart isn't what makes a good nurse, and some of the best nurses I know failed at least one semester or didn't pass the NCLEX on their first try. I was president of my honor society, graduated magna cum laude, and I would consider some who did worse in school than I did to be much better technical nurses than I am now.

As a part of that, a typical BSN program is 4 years, but depending on the student you may be able to do it in less or more time than that.

Nursing is, to be cliched, the toughest job you'll ever love. You will often find it to be thankless, frustrating, and infuriating. It is also rewarding and interesting, and generally pays fairly decently.

I love ICU. I wouldn't work the floor in any other kind of unit. I do Informatics now, and I love that too.

Good luck to you.

Specializes in ER, Trauma.

It's hard enough to make sure that people who are going to literally have other peoples lives in their hands with each decision and calculation are willing to work like hell to make sure they want to do it right.

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