new student, not what it seems.

[ddr436]

I am 9 weeks into an accelerated bsn program. we just finished all of our skills checkoffs and start clinical rotations soon. So far i have taken 4 theory tests and did 9 check offs, above average. I do not study that much. I am definetely not one of those students who just gets good grades without studying, my school has one of the best reps in the state with a ridiculously high nclex pass rate. and yet i do not think nursing school is as hard as everyone makes it seem. I think people exagerate a lot.

however, i do wonder if ill be one of those students who freaks out during clinicals when we replace the mannaquins with real patients..i hope not lol

i would love some feedback on your block 1 experience. i love my class but i dont want to share this with them.

[beachbutterfly]

I felt the same way up unit my last semester of nursing school and it was then that I realized that there is nothing easy about nursing school.You really have to understand chemistry,physics,biology science in general and apply it to nursing in order to understand the diseases processes and nursing practice.You must master the physical assesment and learn all the nursing procedures (and there are many of them) in order to be be a SAFE nurse (that is why the instructors stress the importance of developing a good physical assessment skills.Just imagine when you graduate your patients will trust you with their lives and you will need to prove that you have all it takes to be a competent nurse so there is nothing really easy about nursing.

[Leesha]

Hi,

I suggest taking all of the basic classes first. My program actually makes you take those classes first before you can even get accepted into the program. I think it's a smarter way to do it. I am currently taking Micro now which is the last class I have to take before I petition in June for the nursing clinicals. I'm glad that I will just have to focus only on the nursing classes themselves.

Good Luck,

Leesha

[allthemadmen]

I get good grades- high As - and I work very hard. I have children, I homeschool a high-schooler, and my spouse travels. My youngest is a preschooler. I have lots of problems just like everyone else. I take tests well, but I also understand and remember what I read and can apply it in clinical. I do well in clinicals, too. But when you start seeing your class shrink every semester, you'll realize that your fellow students are not exaggerating. And it can happen to you- we've had students with baccalaureate degrees in sciences flunk out.

I also recognize how very much harder I *could* be working- if I had more time, or fewer responsibilities outside of school, I could study so much more and deepen my knowledge on all levels. There isn't enough time in the day to do so. If you find the program easy so far, I suggest you buckle down and work harder; it can only benefit you and your patients.

A lot of what's hard is the stress- and that's not always academic stress, though the head-game test questions are exhausting. But a good deal of the stress comes from seeing so many seriously ill patients and taking care of them. Feeling awkward giving that first bed bath to a man who smells like a homeless person on the D train. Cleaning up people who can't control their bowels and are old and ashamed of being a burden. Knowing elderly patients aren't going to get the rehab they need for their injuries because their insurance won't cover it. Feeling overwhelmed with love and your own inadequacy when a young guy who's permanently damaged himself with heroin and cocaine thanks you tenderly for that heparin shot even though he doesn't know what you're giving him. Seeing jaded nurses and doctors and nurse-practitioners hurt people physically or emotionally, and seeing those nurses and doctors who are so wonderful you want to emulate them in every way. Putting an NG tube into an unconscious patient and they start retching and you don't know if you're doing it right. Watching someone die. All while being frightened you're doing something wrong or might forget to put the bed back down and get yourself expelled over something stupid.

This is heavy. Take it seriously.

[yetanotheramanda]

allthemadmen:

I wish I could send you a million "thanks." That was beautiful.