How hard is nursing school?

ajmclean · Aug 26, 2015

Nursing school is hard, to a degree. A bit hard on the ego, for one. I was going to be that straight A student despite being told not to try. Out of my four classes thus far, 2 A's and 2 B's. Of course, I wish they would all be A's. Another hard area is the differences in instructors teaching style. Some aren't prepared to teach the subject and can't intelligently answer questions posed to them. Some do a test review, some don't. My motivation is that this is what I want to do, what I am going to do: become an RN and work in the ER. One last hard area: changing my study habits. Memorization doesn't cut it in nursing school.

cracklingkraken, ASN, RN · Aug 26, 2015

Nursing school is hard in the sense that the testing style is different than other majors, for the most part. Every answer is right, but you have to pick the one that is the most right.

I don't think it's extremely challenging, but it has its moments. When you have a professor who is unable to teach, it can be frustrating because you are unable to receive clarification in class.

I'm actively researching my options for when I graduate. It reminds me that nursing school is just the beginning and that there is much more to look forward to after graduating.

I find the amount of information crammed into my 2 year program can be overwhelming sometimes. It's hard to retain the information, especially S&S of disease processes.

I have found that staying on top of readings and utilizing resources online have helped me greatly.

direw0lf, BSN · Aug 26, 2015

I have been out of nursing school for several decades, but I still remember the struggles....and back then there was no internet to help with papers, care plans, etc.
Yes nursing school was hard then and it is hard now....as are many courses of study. This thread is a good place for you to discuss what your thoughts are about school....whether you are anticipating acceptance into nursing school, are a current student, or have completed school.
How hard is nursing school?
Why do you think nursing school is hard?
What are you doing to keep motivated to finish?
What have you found to be the most difficult?
What have you found to be the most helpful?
If you are finished with school, looking back what would you do differently?

I actually find software and computer use harder..and I'm not long out of high school haha. But the softwares are helpful and taking our weekly quizzes on a laptop is good practice. Buying books online are cheaper and better for the enviro so I guess I should try that too.

I'm just starting so maybe in the future I'll add to this thread :)

But right now my motivation, besides nursing as a career itself, is where I want to move when I graduate!!! I love nature and I picked out the perfect spot but also where I can walk to work. Maybe it won't work out but I look at pics of the area I want to move to when I'm done! And a new dog to add to my pet family :)

Tumbler · Aug 26, 2015

Nursing school is difficult because it's about learning A LOT of content very quickly AND learning a whole new way to think. The grading scale for the nursing department's courses is (or at least was at my school) stricter than any other department. I mean, nobody else failed at 77.9% As an added bonus, the 78% average had to be maintained on tests, no bringing the grade up with papers or other non-test assessments. I'd say less than half the students who entered with the idea of majoring in nursing actually made it in to the program. Not all of them had GPAs below the cut-off. Some just didn't want to work as hard as the major required.

What would I do differently? I know I'm not done with school, so maybe I'd have worked in some more bio or chem classes instead of finishing a minor.

What motivated me to finish? I can't not finish something. I just can't.

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · Aug 27, 2015

Nursing school I guess is different. I have never found myself in danger of failing anything, but I put a lot more study time in than I did in my prereqs. Plus, understanding the rationale sometimes can be difficult. The first couple of times I was like, but my answer is right too!! It took me a while to understand the whole testing process and even rationale. Because you don't deal with rationales in the prereqs. Either the answer was right, or it was wrong. The blood only flows through the heart one way right? So if you get the answer wrong, it's because you messed up somewhere. Nursing school isn't like that. I think that some people struggle with the concept of testing more that others and once you understand it, life begins to get much easier. I also think that's why there are people on here who fail NCLEX so many times. They are not quite to that point of the light bulb going off quite yet.

I have several things motivating me to finish. First my son. I want him to see how I value education and what can be done once you get an education. That anything you want to do in life can be done if you try hard enough. I want to show him what a good work ethic can do for someone and that yes, despite what he thinks, moms can have a career and still be good moms at home. I'm spending a good amount of time trying to undo what his father teaches him. I never thought I would be able to obtain a college degree. I didn't believe in myself or I guess give myself credit for being smart. I wasn't the best student in high school, but then I didn't apply myself. I wanted to see what I was capable of.

I know this is going to sound weird, but showing my ex-husband that I can do this also motivates me. He never wanted me to be anything but his servant here at home. He repeatedly told me that I wasn't smart enough, or that I could never see anything through, or that my health would keep me back. He even said a couple of months ago the only reason I was finishing was because I had to. I had to eventually get a job and support me and my son. Well, no, I don't have to do anything. I could have gone back out and gotten a job in anything I had done before. Or I could have stayed married to him and been miserable and not work. I chose this path I am on right now. I chose to go to nursing school. So I guess I feel like I have something to prove there.

Having the support of people like my friends and family helps me get through. Having goals set for myself and what I want to do and where I want to be keeps me going. My boyfriend and I live an hour apart and the commute has been rough with me in school and him with his job. But when I graduate, we have a goal of buying a house and becoming a family with my son. Seeing that goal and knowing the job opportunities are greater where he lives helps. But even if things don't work out, the job market is not terrible here. At orientation the other day, they were saying how they really need RNs right now. They just hired 30 in the last 2 months.

Looking back, I would tell myself not to stress the small stuff. Go in and do what I need to do and not to worry about the tiny, little things that I think we all worry about in the beginning and instead see the big picture. Know that the experience will come and just get through school right now and pass NCLEX. I think I'm going to enjoy this last year of school more than I did last year or even my prereqs.

cupcakeluver · Aug 27, 2015

Nursing school is hard for me. It's not something that comes super easy. I have to put in significant amounts of time and effort to be successful. I read all the assigned chapters. I've done over 4000 practice questions. I rewrite notes. You name it, I do it. I do have decent grades...not straight A's, but I give myself plenty of cushion for that failing 79.9. Nursing school requires dedication. If you aren't dedicated, you can't pass.

I think nursing school is difficult because of the vast amount of information. I also hate clinicals due to the satisfactory/unsatisfactory component. It makes me a nervous wreck. I feel that it's very subjective in spite of the fact that we are given rubrics with certain benchmarks. I'm constantly terrified that a specific instructor is going to decide I haven't progressed enough. This causes me to stress out and worry significantly. During evaluations, I realize how needless the anxiety was but it's starts all over again when I hit the floor next semester.

My motivation is my desire to provide a better life for my family. My husband works a grueling factory job with almost no benefits. It's difficult financially. He's also not very happy. I've worked odd jobs off and on until I started school. School became my job when I got accepted to the program. I want to be able to give my kids $20 if they ask for it. I'd like to take them to the beach sometime. Right now, we're doing good to put food on the table. It's not really a choice. I have to do it for my kids.

I wouldn't do anything differently looking back. I can honestly say I've tried my hardest with nursing school. I hope it's enough. I graduate in May so I'm just trying to hang in there until then. Everyone says it's worth it. I'm praying it is.

la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN · Aug 28, 2015

Honestly, it was more of the emotional/mental adjustment that I needed to take on. Once I got the hang of critical thinking concepts, the academic part came fairly easily (THANK GOD FOR THE INTERNET!). It's the exposure to all the new things I've never seen nor done before that is very hard. Also, the competition to get a job on graduating makes this 1000x more difficult. I basically have three-four jobs at any given time with all the things I have to do to buff up my resume and make myself shine as much as I can. The hardest part, though, is the uncertainty of whether any of this is actually helping. Though I know I'm only helping my chances, it would be devastating to not have any opportunities for as hard as I've worked, and that's as certain a possibility as any other. :arghh:

ajmclean · Aug 28, 2015

Nursing school is hard for me. It's not something that comes super easy. I have to put in significant amounts of time and effort to be successful. I read all the assigned chapters. I've done over 4000 practice questions. I rewrite notes. You name it, I do it. I do have decent grades...not straight A's, but I give myself plenty of cushion for that failing 79.9. Nursing school requires dedication. If you aren't dedicated, you can't pass.
I think nursing school is difficult because of the vast amount of information. I also hate clinicals due to the satisfactory/unsatisfactory component. It makes me a nervous wreck. I feel that it's very subjective in spite of the fact that we are given rubrics with certain benchmarks. I'm constantly terrified that a specific instructor is going to decide I haven't progressed enough. This causes me to stress out and worry significantly. During evaluations, I realize how needless the anxiety was but it's starts all over again when I hit the floor next semester.
My motivation is my desire to provide a better life for my family. My husband works a grueling factory job with almost no benefits. It's difficult financially. He's also not very happy. I've worked odd jobs off and on until I started school. School became my job when I got accepted to the program. I want to be able to give my kids $20 if they ask for it. I'd like to take them to the beach sometime. Right now, we're doing good to put food on the table. It's not really a choice. I have to do it for my kids.
I wouldn't do anything differently looking back. I can honestly say I've tried my hardest with nursing school. I hope it's enough. I graduate in May so I'm just trying to hang in there until then. Everyone says it's worth it. I'm praying it is.

Our fail is