How is the Nursing School Different form Pre-Reqs?

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jan 12, 2009

You will be learning about medical diseases how the physicians determine them, treat them, their signs and symptoms and what the nursing treatments for them are. You will learn about critical thinking which is the rational scientific method we use to solve problems. We nurses use the nursing process to accomplish that. It is difficult for some people to acclimate to because in past classes they skipped through depending on luck and good fortune and never really learned good study habits. There is also a lot of new information to learn. If you haven't developed good study habits in the past, having to discover what works best for you at the beginning of nursing school is not exactly the best time to be experimenting.

VenaKavaRN · Jan 12, 2009

You will hit the ground running your first day of nursing school and stop only for Christmas and summer breaks. Nursing school is mostly about time management - fitting in the demanding amount of reading, writing, studying, and clinicals. There's really no point at which you're truly "done". There's always another chart to look at, another disease process to understand, another lab value to memorize, another NCLEX question to practice. This is the part that's hard on a lot of people, and can burn you out fast.

However, being prepared and going in with both eyes open (as you will be), is a lot of the battle. I went in completely expecting to get my rear end handed to me, and I've managed to do fairly well because I set the bar high for myself with my studying habits. Those that expected it to be the same as the prereqs spent the orientation day hyperventilating and dropped the class.

I don't want to sound negative. Personally, I love being in nursing school, despite the intense amount of effort it takes to stay there. But, believe me when I say that there is nothing else like it

futuredream · Jan 12, 2009

thank you very much all of you guys! i am trying to be optimistic, but the reality is different sometimes. i am mother of two boys, working part-time , and going to school. although i cannot compete with english speakers, i am trying to do my best in achieving my goal of becoming a good nurse. i hope i will be able to graduate, get a job and support my family. thank you all

happilymarried · Jan 12, 2009

I wish you all the best! I work full time and have 2 teenaged daughters and go to nursing school full time so working while in school is possible. It keeps you busy but it can certainly be done. With english being your second language things may be more difficult for you. I would advise you to team up with some other students early on to study with. Good luck with it! I hope you get in!!!

Jules A, MSN · Jan 12, 2009

For me it was just so much more volume of material. I didn't find the work difficult just that it was new/different and so much! Stay on top of it and you will do great.