Is anyone actually happy with their program?

Nursing Students General Students

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Everyone at my school bi+ches about our program, and all along I've tried to be tolerant and not dog on it too much. I just thought, they are just letting off steam or whatever, there are "things" about every school that people complain about. But tonight I'm kind of frustrated too, after sitting back and thinking about several things that have me pretty peeved when taken all together. Most of the instruction itself is good, it's mainly other program issues/ instuctor issues/ peripheral/ administration type things, but not always minor (at least to me).

So anyway, I'm just wondering, on a scale of 1-10, how happy with your nursing program would you say you are? If not happy, why?

Specializes in ICU, CM, Geriatrics, Management.
... Ok.. I need a drink!

Hahahahahaha! :)

Hang in there!

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Specializes in ICU, CM, Geriatrics, Management.
... Hopefully the therapy bills won't be too much once I'm done. :uhoh3:

Funny! :)

Good luck!

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Specializes in ICU, CM, Geriatrics, Management.
... Hopefully the therapy bills won't be too much once I'm done. :uhoh3:

Funny! :)

Good luck!

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i have this 1 unit class, only 1 hour per week, and it feels like its a 3 unit class.

Me too! That class is my biggest complaint, and I have to take it each semester...AND, we MUST pass it with an 80% or better or we're dropped from the program! I can't believe the workload we get for one credit hour....research papers, health fair presentations, huge class presentations, article summeries, etc. :uhoh3:

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i have this 1 unit class, only 1 hour per week, and it feels like its a 3 unit class.

Me too! That class is my biggest complaint, and I have to take it each semester...AND, we MUST pass it with an 80% or better or we're dropped from the program! I can't believe the workload we get for one credit hour....research papers, health fair presentations, huge class presentations, article summeries, etc. :uhoh3:

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Who knew we all went to the same school? :chuckle

I forgot the WORST part of all.. going to the hospital the night before to pick your patients. Dealing with the grumpy nurses who feel like you're getting in the way. Finally selecting a few patients. Going home and spending hours and hours on careplans. Arriving the next morning at 5:30 am to find that patient #1 was sent to the ICU, patient #2 was discharged unexpectedly and patient #3 refuses to have a student. All three careplans in the trash. Three new patients picked. Instructor demands to know why you chose such "uninteresting" patients and your careplans aren't complete two hours after shift begins. Hypothetical? It happened to be last week..

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Who knew we all went to the same school? :chuckle

I forgot the WORST part of all.. going to the hospital the night before to pick your patients. Dealing with the grumpy nurses who feel like you're getting in the way. Finally selecting a few patients. Going home and spending hours and hours on careplans. Arriving the next morning at 5:30 am to find that patient #1 was sent to the ICU, patient #2 was discharged unexpectedly and patient #3 refuses to have a student. All three careplans in the trash. Three new patients picked. Instructor demands to know why you chose such "uninteresting" patients and your careplans aren't complete two hours after shift begins. Hypothetical? It happened to be last week..

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.
Who knew we all went to the same school? :chuckle

I forgot the WORST part of all.. going to the hospital the night before to pick your patients. Dealing with the grumpy nurses who feel like you're getting in the way. Finally selecting a few patients. Going home and spending hours and hours on careplans. Arriving the next morning at 5:30 am to find that patient #1 was sent to the ICU, patient #2 was discharged unexpectedly and patient #3 refuses to have a student. All three careplans in the trash. Three new patients picked. Instructor demands to know why you chose such "uninteresting" patients and your careplans aren't complete two hours after shift begins. Hypothetical? It happened to be last week..

Geeezz ... this doesn't exactly sound like the greatest system.

At my school, the clinical instructors make the patient assignments, after consulting with the unit nurses. When you go to get your assignment between 4 - 8pm the night before, you have an assigned patient and an alternate. In addition to spending about an hour with the chart to get all the needed info, you're encouraged to go in and meet your patient, so if there's some major issue / personality problem, you could select the alternate patient. Occasionally something happens between the time you're there and the next morning - discharge, ICU transfer, etc., but I don't think there's really anything anybody can do about that. Then it's a scramble to look up meds for your newly assigned patient before you give them, but my instructors have been pretty understanding.

Nursing school is starting to feel like an endurance test, but I would have to say that overall I'm pretty happy with my program. And honestly, I think it should be hard - look at the responsibility you'll be entrusted with. I'm not trying to sound like a martyr - I don't like staying up until 0200 doing care plans any more than the next person. But ... gotta keep your eyes on the prize ...

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.
Who knew we all went to the same school? :chuckle

I forgot the WORST part of all.. going to the hospital the night before to pick your patients. Dealing with the grumpy nurses who feel like you're getting in the way. Finally selecting a few patients. Going home and spending hours and hours on careplans. Arriving the next morning at 5:30 am to find that patient #1 was sent to the ICU, patient #2 was discharged unexpectedly and patient #3 refuses to have a student. All three careplans in the trash. Three new patients picked. Instructor demands to know why you chose such "uninteresting" patients and your careplans aren't complete two hours after shift begins. Hypothetical? It happened to be last week..

Geeezz ... this doesn't exactly sound like the greatest system.

At my school, the clinical instructors make the patient assignments, after consulting with the unit nurses. When you go to get your assignment between 4 - 8pm the night before, you have an assigned patient and an alternate. In addition to spending about an hour with the chart to get all the needed info, you're encouraged to go in and meet your patient, so if there's some major issue / personality problem, you could select the alternate patient. Occasionally something happens between the time you're there and the next morning - discharge, ICU transfer, etc., but I don't think there's really anything anybody can do about that. Then it's a scramble to look up meds for your newly assigned patient before you give them, but my instructors have been pretty understanding.

Nursing school is starting to feel like an endurance test, but I would have to say that overall I'm pretty happy with my program. And honestly, I think it should be hard - look at the responsibility you'll be entrusted with. I'm not trying to sound like a martyr - I don't like staying up until 0200 doing care plans any more than the next person. But ... gotta keep your eyes on the prize ...

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When I was in the ADN program I grumbled, but not as much as some. Our class consisted of young people fresh out of high school and older students with some college, or previous careers, etc., so we all had varying expectations. When I went thru the RN-BSN program I began to understand the rationales behind some of what I experienced in the ADN program. Now, after working as a nurse several years, I not only understand, but agree with what the instructors were doing. So a lot has to do with perspective (and time). Just think of nursing school as an endurance test. Hang in there!! And stay away from too many negative thinkers. They bring you down.

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When I was in the ADN program I grumbled, but not as much as some. Our class consisted of young people fresh out of high school and older students with some college, or previous careers, etc., so we all had varying expectations. When I went thru the RN-BSN program I began to understand the rationales behind some of what I experienced in the ADN program. Now, after working as a nurse several years, I not only understand, but agree with what the instructors were doing. So a lot has to do with perspective (and time). Just think of nursing school as an endurance test. Hang in there!! And stay away from too many negative thinkers. They bring you down.

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I'd give my program a 7/10. It's very thorough, fast paced at times, lots of things to comprehend. There is a ton of paperwork, reports, reading, on and on as you all know. I don't mind it all actually, I've found the ones who gripe about the work are the ones who have a conflict with their social lives. Well in nursing school, it's just about impossible to have both and you really have to live, eat and breathe it to pass everything and a lot of us have outside jobs and families to juggle too. The three points off are for the inconsistencies in clinicals, I've found that many instructors are not on the same page about things and it's confusing for the students. Some are overexperienced and have no patience, some are underexperienced and are fumbling with the rest of us. I chalk it up to a learning experience for everyone and a great lesson on how to deal with many, many personalities as we will also encounter as nurses! :chuckle

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