Is this an exaggeration?

Nvr2Old · Dec 17, 2005

I'm probably gonna get shot for saying this but better to be honest. I am one of those wierd students that did not find school very difficult. I made very good grades- though in my last year I slipped and made a B in community health, because I could just care less. My biggest issue was that I worked full time and went to school full time and was so busy. Sometimes I felt very sleepy in class. Now I was not married- so, who knows. My best buddy was however, and somehow managed to have 2 kids, be married,work part time, and be inducted into Sigma Theta Tau during her years in school. It just wasn't that difficult I guess for her.
I'll agree with the above poster- one reason I did so well was that I read the book. Usually the weekend before the exam, I tried to read the chapters covered and note anything particularly important. As I studied I made note cards- flash cards and I carried these around with me- so when I was in line for lunch, or at the bank or in a traffic jam- I'd pull them out. I saved these cards to study for the finals- and then I actually used some of them to study for boards. I do remember one time though when a solid C student asked me how did I make good grades- I told her about the index cards and she looked me straight in the face and said, "OH.. thats too much work, I'd rather not get good grades if I have to work that hard"
So, I did work hard, but I never found it to be particularly difficult- just a lot of work- when I went for my MPH- now that was crazy difficult and involved a lot of tears and stress.
Oh yes and before someone makes a comment about students who are booksmart and not bedside smart- these people do exist, but are not as common as people indicate. I have been a successful ICU nurse in 2 specialty ICU's, a successful Supervisor of 2 overseas projects in Africa, and a very successful Emergency Nurse...

Okay. I feel better now. Thank You. I'm only in a community college right now and I'm pulling in the A's because I make school a priority. But hey, I'm 43, I'm focused, my kids are big, my husband's understanding...I've got alot of things going for me.:) But....I'm applying for a BSN program that had 275 applicants last year and they only accepted 36. My GPA is 3.84 (I'm waiting on finals...3 A's that I know of..that darn Stats could bring a B), it could change... I'm scared,though, that I'm going to get thrown into a school full of "Me"'s and I won't be able to keep up. :uhoh3: Ah hell...."I SAID I FELT BETTER":...angryfire :uhoh3: :angryfire

Catys_With_Me · Dec 17, 2005

I have honestly always been together and on top of everything, but nursing school has absolutely kicked my butt. I have never been more stressed, overwhelmed, or anxious on a continuous, long-term basis in my life.

I'm getting ready to start my last semester and can say that since school began I have used every ounce of dedication, determination, courage, and will just to get to this point. That's left very little energy to take care of myself on other levels. I've gained weight, forgotten how to cook, dealt with an infection that took 3 rounds of antibiotics to shake off, and am currently battling not to descend into a significant depression.

My breaks have been spent studying for the tests they like to level at us our first week back and studying for boards. When I'm studying for school, I feel guilty about my family. When I'm with my family, I feel guilty about school. Disorganization and poor communication have been par for the course at my school and up until this year bullying techniques and threats of failure were also liberally thrown in for good measure. I have a 4.00 gpa in this program and yet always feel as though I'm on the verge of failure. I rarely relax even an iota until I discover I need only something like a 7% on the final to survive the course.

The running joke in our program is that most of the class is on some kind of anti-anxiety or anti-depressant medication, and that the rest of us should be. I'm one of the ones who is not, but as I'm sure you've been able to tell from this post thus far, there's probably not a sane doctor within a thousand miles of me that would not walk me to the nearest pharmacy and hand me the Ativan himself.

In the past, posts like mine would inspire my resolve to never, ever become like THAT person, to vow to do whatever I needed to do to keep that from happening to me. I have no doubt that you will have a similar reaction. More power to you. I sure wish I could get a piece of that person back myself.

schoolgirl05 · Dec 17, 2005

I think nursing school sucked but It wasn't THAT bad.. There were definitely times when I got like 4 hours a night of sleep for 3 days in a row and was a stressed out zombie.. but there were also times when I would get lots of sleep and had time to spare.. I think it is do-able and if you have good time management, it is fine.. I have a family and my hubby works very long hours (he is in the military) so I do most of the caretaking.. I think the balance between home and school was the hard part.. It was like I was always thinking of the OTHER thing...

So I guess basically for ME, some times it was worse than others but overall, I did survive so I guess it wasn't THAT bad.. Oh and my DH has a bachelors and masters and his degrees weren't nearly as grueling as mine..

ortess1971 · Dec 18, 2005

For me, time management is the big issue. I don't find the actual class and clinical material difficult but sometimes it is hard to balance school with work(I work 32 hours a week). For instance, at our school, most of the clinical instructors require you to go in the day before clinical to look up your patient(meds, conditions, history etc) and this was difficult sometimes because I worked the night before clinical. Worked out in the end though...

peds4now, RN · Dec 18, 2005

I've only completed one semester. 2 As, 1-2 points short of an A on my third class (maybe I'll get it anyway!). 26 out of 40 of us were failing going into the final, if the rumors are to be believed. I don't find it so intellectually challenging. But you've got to have common sense, and yes critical thinking competencies, and strong verbal skills. Like others said, organization and time management are issues. Combining book learning with clinical is a new thing for me, but invigorating. And, my instructors have not been so great. The tests not only have the critical thinking aspect (pick the BEST answer), but half the questions have misspellings and grammar mistakes. Questions are not welcome in my class. So basically, it's self-taught from the textbook. Lecture adds NOTHING. And in my program, there are no papers, no written assignments in the lecture. Tests are everything (preparing us for the Nclex I guess). So you can actually have a good understanding of a subject, but if you miss the little nuance in the question and pick the second best answer, you're doomed.

I'd say be prepared to learn and test in a new way, but don't believe the hype. This is something most people can do. Just be ready to budget 2-3 hours daily to study and you should do fine.

ftr_bb_catchr · Dec 20, 2005

Well I have to say I love the reality and honesty of this thread. I too have (curse me) considered that maybe some of the "nursing school is UNBELIEVABLY difficult" commects were exaggerated. The fact is though, that, like anything in life, we all respond differently in a given situation. I have heard the 4.0's say it was impossible and the 3.0's say it wasn't too bad. It probably has more to do with your personal reaction to it. That being said, I'm working on a positive personal reaction to it!

JenNJFLCA · Dec 20, 2005

It has been both bad & good. The material isn't hard for me, but trying to do all my work plus work FT has been the hardest thing. I will be THRILLED when I am done in May!!

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Dec 20, 2005

I keep hearing people talking about the unbearable stress, hypertension, and general distruction of their personal/family life. Can anyone out there say they have gone through/are going through school without all the side effects? I'm not suggesting it wasn't tough, but rather was wondering if anyone was able to cope without such drastic reactions? Heck, while I'm at it, was it easy for anyone?

School is tough, but actually working at a nursing job is tougher.

christvs, DNP, RN, NP · Dec 20, 2005

I am a new RN (graduated in May 2005 with my BSN) & I won't lie to you: nursing school can be very demanding and stressful at times. I think the most stressful part of all by far is the pressure I put on myself to really learn the material so I could feel that I knew it well enough to be a safe nurse. Having said that, I also felt a lot less stressed than some of my classmates because I really took the time to read, studied all the time, and therefore felt prepared for my exams. It was tough to find time to go out with friends because of all the homework, but it was manageable at least some of the time to see my loved ones! :) I think it also depends on if you have children (I don't, but I know if you do, it definitely adds to the stress-since you're trying to take care of them and spend time with them in addition to being a student) and also how many hours you need to work. Hope that helps. Good luck! :)

-Christine

mariedoreen · Dec 20, 2005

It probably has more to do with your personal reaction to it. That being said, I'm working on a positive personal reaction to it!

Sometimes it may not be about how "positive" or "negative" minded a person is, but more about how high a person's self-expectations are (neither a good nor bad thing), how pulled in other directions (ie work, family, etc...) they are, and how loaded down they are with any number of life's other stressors.

So there's no black or white answer for you OP because your situation is unique (gray) to you. Schools are different, instructors are different, marriages are different, kids are different, learning abilities and expectations are different, commutes are different, jobs are different, support systems are different...

All of this adds up to the impression that nursing school is DARN HARD for some and not so bad for others. Most fall in between. And all are correct.

EMTandNurse2B · Dec 20, 2005

I was going to stay out of this, but I just had to post. I was one of those who didn't believe the reports that filtered out of our cc nursing program. But, now I do! I have never worked so hard at school, gotten so few hours of sleep, or been so stressed in my life before!

I got all A or A- this semester, and one of my professors told me that was the first A- she had given out in 6 years!!! Talk about hard! I studied until I fell asleep at my desk, crawled into bed for 4 hours, and left for clinicals day after day.

That vent done, I love this semester. I love nursing and would never consider doing anything else (except my paramedic). I love the school and the professors, despite the difficulty. It is just the hardest thing I have ever done. But, I made it through 1 semester, and I only have 4 more to go! End of semester break has never looked this good, though!

nurse4theplanet, RN · Dec 20, 2005

I was going to stay out of this, but I just had to post. I was one of those who didn't believe the reports that filtered out of our cc nursing program. But, now I do! I have never worked so hard at school, gotten so few hours of sleep, or been so stressed in my life before!

That was me completely! I always did well in school without any effort. I found school so easy, it was boring and I goofed off alot in my first two semesters of college before I even thought of nursing (which has come back to haunt me.) When I did get serious, I thought that nursing school would be a breeze, didn't listen to all the hype, and got a bitter taste of reality once I started a program.

I think there is a little truth to what another poster referenced to....the people who want A's, usually find it is a struggle to get one. I could have not stressed myself out as much if I hadn't been shooting for an A...I brought alot of it on, can't really blame it entirely on the program.