possible rant: the real reason for the nursing shortage

Nursing Students General Students

Published

This kinda goes hand in hand with flowery's last thread. The real reason there is a nursing shortage is nursing school. it's hell and no one wants to go through it. I don't know about other schools, but for the one i'm going to- the teachers and administrators make you feel like s#$^ every chance they get. there is so much pressure to be perfect all the time.

For example- today i failed a performance exam on parenteral injections. yes, i realize what i did wrong. I realize that i could've killed a patient had it happened in real life. I feel like s*** for making such a stupid mistake. I'm sorry!!!! I always choke under pressure when someone is watching me. but my instructor- she comes up to me - SMILING - and says: "i think i'm going to fail you."

OMG

I hate bashing people behind their backs- but she's ugly and has a freaking beard (i'm not kidding) and she smiles at the thought of failing students. the two other instructors were ok and passing people (don't get me wrong- they weren't lax, they just don't make you so nervous) but she's the only person failing people. Don't you think someone somewhere would notice that and say "hey, what's going on here?"

Another thing is my school- administrative wise- is so disorganized!!! They keep changing people for student advisors (i've had 4 different advisors in the past 1 1/2 years) and don't even try to sign up for classes because they don't know what they're doing. I've heard students from other schools come to the school of nursing and they all say that it's crap when it comes to administration. you don't find out where you'll be for clinicals until the night before.

If lots of nursing schools are like this then no wonder nurses aren't well respected and no one wants to be one!!! I understand we have to be put up to these difficult standards because we are dealing with people's lives, but making people hate their lives and themselves isn't going to solve the problem!!!

this week is going to be the week from hell for this month (there is one or two every month). Spring Break is not going to be enough to recover, especially if my parents make me travel to see family......

P.S.- sorry for long post and ranting- i'm just uber-stressed!!! does anyone have any suggestions on blowing off teachers without getting into trouble? lol!;)

I forgot I intended to address the 78% issue, thank you for doing it 'not now.'

Some programs only require 70% for theory, others require 75%, but the absolute best are the ones that require 78%. Why? Because you must pass your NCLEX with a 78%. So if you've made it through nursing school always achieving a 78%, you're pretty certain you'll be able to pass your boards.

My school also required you get a C (not a C-), but at least a C on any other coursework required for the nursing program-same reasons.

My school requires 80% to make sure we will be ready for NCLEX. I love the classroom time and enjoyed my clinicals until i got to the floor we are on now, It is a med floor and the unit clerk, aides and some of the nurses are just mean. The aides say we dont respect thenm cause they are aides, it is a lie but their manager will believe them, not us. I am also an aide, and having to do clinicals at a hospital where the staff does not want us there and makes it so obvious is hell, they are trying to get us kicked out and got one classmate to fail. I wont let them win, this makes me prepare even more for my clinical and it is almost over, 2 weeks till spring break and then a new unit.

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

My statements will probably be construed as controversial, but here goes.

There is no nursing shortage. There are over 2.5 million registered nurses in America in addition to the 700,000 licensed practical/vocational nurses. Therefore, there are more than enough currently licensed nurses in this country to solve the so-called 'nursing shortage'.

Here are the problems. A huge portion of these licensed nurses are not working. Many of these licensed nurses abandon the nursing field altogether due to burnout, poor working conditions, and other issues that deserve some sociological research. Additionally, our greatest healthcare needs are at the bedside, but there are too many nurses in management and not enough who are willing to do the 'dirty work' at the bedside. In other words, there are too many 'chiefs' and not enough 'indians'.

There is no shortage of nurses; rather, there's a shortage of nurses who will put up with the crap at the bedside. There's also a shortage of master's-educated nursing instructors. In addition, nursing pay rates will drop if nursing schools admit and graduate a whole flood of new nurses to fill this so-called 'shortage'.

Specializes in MSN, FNP-BC.

It beats what my friend is going through in medical school!!!

Specializes in Ortho, Case Management, blabla.

There are always going to be some instructors that are going to be more picky than others.

In our first semester there were four instructors.

A)One was really picky/anal/finetooth combed/whatever you want to call it. B)One was very lax and easygoing.

C)One had the "tough love" approach.

D)another that was just there doing what she had to do.

Which one do you think failed the most students? A. She claimed it was related to making everyone else better nurses. Has it? Not that I have seen. The failure rate has been about the same across the board except maybe she weeded out a few earlier than the others did.

well all i can say is this nursing school has its good points and bad points...i had an instructor make me cry during checkoffs but then i did clinicals with her and i absolutely love her now you just have to get to know your instructors because a lot of them are different away from checkoffs

Specializes in Med-Surg so far.
doesn't anyone have anything good to say about nursing school? I am starting in April and I am so excited. I would hate that they are just sitting there like wolves waiting to fail us? What would be the point in trying? The school I will be attending requires a 78% passing rate...am I wrong? Won't I only be judged pass or fail by that ? Or are they really just looking for reasons to fail everyone. I hope some will join in and say that nursing school really isn't HELL.

I feel that the instructors at my school want us to succeed. I am having to put a lot of work into school obviously, but it's clear what is expected of me and the professors DO care if you are having problems keeping up or understanding something. There are some skills lab professors that students consider "hard asses" when checking off on skills, but I don't think any of them berate you or make you feel stupid if you get it wrong. That is why you are in school, TO LEARN. It makes me sad to hear that not all programs are this way.

A 78% passing rate probably refers to your lecture class (my school is 75%). Clinicals and skills lab courses are generally pass/fail with no letter grade given.

Good luck!

Specializes in Med/Surg, ICU, ER, Peds ER-CPEN.

I'm sorry your schooling experience isn't what you thought it would be but think of it this way, you're lying on the bed in the ER, do you want a nurse who scraped by or was given the benefit of the doubt in skills check off or one who got it right step by step even if they had to do it twice? We have to finish out our courses with an 80% to move on, however every exam you score less than 85% on you have to sit down with the instructor and go over it with them question by question so you understand what you got wrong and why, it may seem redundant but because we're such a small class size school they have had a 100% pass rate on the NCLEX-RN for the past 2 years and judging by the class ahead of mine they'll make 3 this June. So while this has by far been the most challenging time in my life (and it'll only get harder and more stressfull), heck army basic training was easier than this but people's lives weren't in the balance there, I wouldn't trade one minute of it for anything in the world

[quote

Our current instructor for respiratory could do stand-up comedy if she wanted. And let me tell ya, laughing while you're learning is great.

Which prof is this?

Specializes in 2 years as CNA.
It beats what my friend is going through in medical school!!!

My thought exactly! When I was taking A&P (took it in the summer) everyone was complaining about how hard it was and how much info there was to remember. I agree it was alot of info to cram in at once but just think of what medical school entails.

I had an advisor when I was doing my pre-reqs tell me that I was crazy to take A&P2 and Micro in the same semester and I told her well doctor's take alot of hard courses at once...if they can do it so can I. It just depends on what you know you can handle. I am not trying to brag or anything but I know if I wanted to go to medical school I could do it....I choose nursing because I want to have more time with my family. I plan to be a NP and they are averaging 120K where as a Family Practice M.D. is averaging 140K. I also love that nursing is more patient centered whereas physician's are more cure centered. To me nursing is just more holistic and caring.

Sorry about the rant on medical school vs nursing school. I just feel that it could be worse. Don't get me wrong...nursing school is no walk in the park and is very stressful but so are alot of other fields. I think that nursing is the best field there is and most of us want it so bad we will put up with any torture!

Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.
doesn't anyone have anything good to say about nursing school? I am starting in April and I am so excited. I would hate that they are just sitting there like wolves waiting to fail us? What would be the point in trying? The school I will be attending requires a 78% passing rate...am I wrong? Won't I only be judged pass or fail by that ? Or are they really just looking for reasons to fail everyone. I hope some will join in and say that nursing school really isn't HELL.

I love my nursing school. We have some really amazing instructors. Some really aren't good at lectures...there's no doubt there but they know their stuff. Most on the instructors are just nice people and you can have fun with them. There is one that we suspect is bi-polar and she abused 2 students but she wasn't reported so she's still there.

The school is hard but I really just love the instructors so far. Some I wish were more reasonable and more fair with questions but oh well. There is also some stuff they are teaching that is wrong...and they teach it like it's the bible and I know for a FACT it's not done that way everywhere so I know it's wrong. Oh well. I told them about one of the things and they were shocked. They had no idea that it was done. They wouldn't change the answer on the test because they taught it one specific way and despite the fact that they were wrong people got it right because they only heard it from the instructors where I had been doing it for months and it's how it is done at the top Children's Hospital in the country.

But overall I really like my school

Specializes in Med/Surg <1; Epic Certified <1.
There is also some stuff they are teaching that is wrong...and they teach it like it's the bible and I know for a FACT it's not done that way everywhere so I know it's wrong. Oh well. I told them about one of the things and they were shocked. They had no idea that it was done. They wouldn't change the answer on the test because they taught it one specific way and despite the fact that they were wrong people got it right because they only heard it from the instructors where I had been doing it for months and it's how it is done at the top Children's Hospital in the country.

My school is also fine. It's no walk in the park, but it's not the horror-filled college that I seem to read about on here quite a bit.

As for the difference in what's being taught and what's actually being done in the medical settings, I think this is quite common when someone is being taught "theory" and you find out in real practice things are done quite differently. My husband's a chiropractor and he found that difference between schooling and the real world. When I got my business degree, I found that also to be true once I graduated. After finishing my second semester in NS, I took an internship this summer in a local hospital and many, many skills I learned in school are done a whole lot differently in the hospital. (I joke that these nurses wouldn't pass skills checkoffs in my school!!) The fundamentals of what we learned are basically the same though.

Basically, there's an awful lot being taught that's dead on. And rather than concern ourselves with what is or isn't actually done in practice, it's more important to learn what you are taught, graduate, pass the NCLEX, then do things the way you are taught according to a hospital's policy. Makes life simpler, IMO!!

Good luck to all the new students this fall!!

doesn't anyone have anything good to say about nursing school? I am starting in April and I am so excited. I would hate that they are just sitting there like wolves waiting to fail us? What would be the point in trying? The school I will be attending requires a 78% passing rate...am I wrong? Won't I only be judged pass or fail by that ? Or are they really just looking for reasons to fail everyone. I hope some will join in and say that nursing school really isn't HELL.

No, I don't believe they're looking for a reason to fail you (not all of them anyway), although they do at times try to put the fear of God in you. They want you to KNOW just how serious this nursing business is. It's isn't a place for errors and they know because they've been there. It's hell because it's VERY important that the students understand and they will make sure that you do. It's scary to think of someone's life is in your care, but it's true. I've loathed some of my instructors, but once the semester was over I respected them because they made me learn and learn I did! :uhoh21: You'll do just fine. Work hard and play hard...that's my motto.

+ Add a Comment