How to explain how hard you have to work in nursing school

Nursing Students General Students

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How can you convince your family, friends, significant others how much time and effort you have to spend to get through nursing school? How can you get them to give their support and make them understand why you can't always be available to them? What can you say? What can you show them? How can you convince them you are not just whining? Is there something your school could do or is doing to help?

At a certain point you have to stop explaining. I haven't spoken to my mother in 4 months, my kids are at turns deliriously happy to see me, and absolute twerps when I get home, most conversations w/ my DH have been via cell because I had to leave @ 5 am to get to the clinical site by 6:30, and I miss all of them terribly. Three semesters into this roller coaster, I have finally gotten people to start leaning on each other instead of me.

Saying no was also a big plus. There are only so many ways that you can slice & dice any 24 hour period. What are your priorities? What kind of family do you have? These all play into coping skills and the like. FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION! for me. I want this so bad it keeps me awake at night plotting out ways to maximize study and clinical time. Apply the nursing process :), it's great practice at problem solving.

Finally, in the end it's a temporary situation. Don't waste your time trying to convince people of how hard it is. Your time is precious & shouldn't be wasted on those who don't want to listen!

RenSoul

Specializes in OB, HH, ADMIN, IC, ED, QI.

Remind families of past requirements that nursing students live at hospitals while receiving their education, and were not allowed to marry and/ or have children before graduating(really, that was how it was until the '70s.....). We had 10 P.M. curfews and needed to get weekend passes (allowed only if our grades and current work was OK). No friends (especially boys) were allowed past the lobby of the nurse's residence and we had a "house mother" to oversee that rules were kept!

Only a lawyer who went into "training" at our hospital, was allowed to be married. (I guess they didn't want to argue with a lawyer!) They did stipulate that their "no children policy" would still be applied and she'd be kicked out if she got pregnant (as would anyone else, was left unsaid).

I'm not suggesting that those measures are necessary now, and I believe more nurses to be have dropped out of school after hospitals closed their nursing schools. A divorce rate of 30% isn't as bad as the national average of 50%. There must be lots of supportive families out there..... It's not the school's role to make them be that way, though.

First off, good luck with your chosen career path and congratulations that you've been accepted into a nursing program!

Like many nurses have stated already, do not waste too much of your energy or time trying to convince anyone just how big of a role nursing school plays in your life currently. Actions do speak louder than words.

I used to volunteer to bake and participate in every activity in all 3 of my children's schools prior to nursing school. Unfortunately that had to stop when I entered nursing school. Some may say that your life doesn't have to stop just because you're in nursing school. However, for most that is true. There will always be those who skate on through anything they set their mind to. Nursing school is all consuming. IT JUST IS! You will have vacations that you can return into your former self and devote to your neglected family and friends. Some may not still be there for you. That sucks. They probably don't deserve your love and attention if they can't support you in your time of need.

When I started nursing school there was a 1 credit course that attempted to prepare nursing students for being in their program. I learned to start saying "No" to people who attempted to take time or attention away from my goal; of becoming a nurse. It was hard at first; saying no. I had always said yes, seeing how I was a stay at home mom and girl scout leader. I learned how to rely on others more...even though they weren't doing things exactly how I would have done them.

Don't get me wrong, I still refolded the towels and clothing. Some things never change!

As for support, I was very lucky and had the full support of all of my family. They all supported me and I made sure I studied, graduated and eventually passed the NCLEX. It was not easy. I did not study at home, not with three children (7yrs, 12yrs and 15yrs) at home. I went to school early, stayed late and studied all day every Sunday...at college or my mother's home (when she wasn't there). I made sure that I didn't have access to a computer. Too much temptation to check my e-mail or facebook.

I TOTALLY disagree with anyone who says "If it takes that much work, it's not the right career path!" I absolutely love my career, and it was the most challenging, mentally and physically exhausting thing my whole family has ever gone through. One person doesn't go through nursing school, your whole family goes through it. Whether that family be the ones you live with, are blood related to, or the ones you're temporarily thrust into nursing school with.

Good luck and study your butt off!

I have just a few weeks left until I begin my new career as an RN. It has been a hard but rewarding time. I do not regret any of the times that I stopped studying for an hour or so to celebrate birthdays, grieve at funerals, stop in to see a new baby, go to a few weddings, two of which were my own kids :-) Taking time for life is really important to me as I am older and I see how quickly life passes by.

To the teacher who originally posted I would like to say..thanks for even asking!

My instructors the first years were awesome. I could tell that they cared because they did not offer stupid platitudes when we were concerned about our grades and played by the same rules they set. This last year has been filled with screwed up schedules,tests on material not covered ( from other editions, not the one we are using) instructors who berate students during clinicals and who act as though we are the dumb ones when 93% of the class fails a test. If you want to help your students, keep YOUR word on tests, be on time for class if you are going to punish us for being late. Accept papers past the due date... if it was a snow day on the day it was due. ( DUH) Listen to a student when they say they are not getting a concept, just don't keep going. Offer a downtime hour once a week to discuss subjects that are tough for students and concerns they are having in clinicals. Listen! Provide a counselor who can listen to the students spout off without fear of recrimination. I watched my fellow students decline when our counselor was let go.. per this thread...who can really understand the stress students go through?

Last but not least... be organized.

Well, I fell better! :-)

Specializes in Hemodialysis.
wow....harder than mine. Mine's at 75!!!

Mines 80

I just wish I could explain this to pre-nursing students without getting the rolled eyes, etc. IMO, the prerequisite classes are a good time to practice the habits they'll need in professional programs, but way too many of my students do not read, or study on their own, or even review things I flat out say will be on the test. There are way too many students who are playing the GPA game then hoping for luck in a lottery for nursing school, rather than trying to learn the material. OTOH, I always have a few hard workers who do well and go on to programs of their choice.

For those of you in nursing school, please know that there are people who understand how hard you work, and how tough it is. If your family is not in that group, I hope they come around. When you're done, all that hard work will have molded you into a professional worthy of everyone's respect! :nurse:

I have 10 hours of Fundamentals, 5 hours of pharmacology, 4 hours of skills lab, 8 hours of clinical, and 20 after class lab hours to complete each semester (approximately 1-2 hours a week), and 2-3 hours of studying/reading a day. All of this while being a young, single mother of a 3-year-old. It is impossible to make someone understand the amount of stress and sleep deprivation I am experiencing, so I don't even try.

Specializes in Geriatrics.

I don't think you can explain it, nor would they understand. The only people who understand are the ones who have experienced it themselves.

I want you to know I personally had no Idea how hard you study, the sacrifices you make personally, socially and emotionally. Nothing prepared me for what my Daughter went through, her having to make a decision to move back home was very hard on her. It shocked and amazed me she had the diligence, courage, stamina and commitment to do it and make it. Unless you have the opportunity to actually see all this there is no way to actually tell them, they really have not the slightest idea.I wish I had an answer for you, but just know there are a lot of us on the sidelines you don't even know rooting for you, including me.

Smiling with tears in my eyes. Thank you.

I know how u feel I have asked myself the same question over and over, because my family dose not understand the importance of the course,,they dont understand that this course is intense that I need all the free time that I could use to study,, I have an 11 month old baby boy, + 18 yrs old , 10 yrs old,, I dont know what was I thinking when I signed up for school,,lol,,but I cant turn back now, already 6months into the lpn prgram 6 more to go,,just hang in there keep telling your family over and over hopefully they will support you,,good luck,,,:nurse:

My mother graduated from a hospital nursing program in the early 40s. Hers was the first class NOT required to work in the hospital laundry and she was never permitted to draw blood. As a Navy nurse just after World War II, the day she married my father was the day she was booted out of the service and never practiced again. At 93, she listens to her nurses' stories in utter awe.

Heloooo!,

Need your advice

I am a grey, NESB, studying nursing in Australia. I cannot convince my relatives that I can achieve my life's goal, that is to be a nurse and working in Australia hospital within my near retirement years (suppose... 10 yrs left, when graduated), 4 of them have been working as nurses up to at least 6 yrs, except that my hubby. I have been in my 3 years (for other units) but already failed twice the second clinical pract due to my communication problem, e.g. cann't open my 'mouth' naturally! say to say a ...necessary talk to pts (males), buddy nurses, while my clinical skills (theory), I believe or told OK. I am fascinate to learn everything and happy to sacrify myself my life for my study but clinical pract scares me enough to think to withdraw my nursing program this semester, sadddddd is it? It is my life's goal.

I definitely need your advice, if I have been wasting my time already.

BIG thank you.

Nguyen

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