I was wondering if some of you nursing students can answer my questions.

itsmyturn · Feb 25, 2009

You should start off by volunteering in the environment. You need your diploma and I would get that. And, nursing school is dreadful but any schooling can be dreadful regardless. It requires dedication and telling yourself on a daily basis, sometimes 3-4 times a day that you want it, you need it and your gonna get that nursing degree. There will be times where even the smartest person will be down on their hands and knees crying for someone to please make it all go away. There will be days where your so happy that the worst news could pass your ears and you could still jump Mt Everest and never look back. It sucks all of your time and then some. But, with determination you can do whatever you desire.

It depends on what type of degree your looking at for the education. You can start on a year certificate program and get your LPN at the technical center or you can get your AS degree and become and RN. You should talk to your guidance counselor about which path would be best for you.

In nursing school, you will learn about the body systems, the diseases that go along with them and the drugs used to treat them. You will learn skills to use on the job. You will learn about different specialty areas. I am sure if you search through the many threads you can get a good idea. It is not as hard as med school but they do expect you to know a lot of info and will really make you show that you want this career. Do not doubt yourself because if you want this you can pass and become the nurse you think you may want to be. You can call the hospital and see about volunteering a few hrs a week and that way you can also watch and see if it is something your interested in. Some even allow job shadowing for those who are interested in becoming a nurse. Explain to them and see if they can help you out!

Laurinq · Feb 26, 2009

-First off, NO it does not define you as dumb.

-I am a junior in my first year of nursing school. First semester is crazy rough and akward. You are learning a whole new language and trying to put it together but it just doesnt fit- then one day something so small makes sense to you and you are so excited and reassured. You don't have much of a life in nursing school, at least during my year so far. The putting it all together is what gets you> In one class you learn what the disease is (Pathophysiology) then another class (health assessment) you learn how to assess the patient with the disease and then another class (fundamentals of nursing) your learning how to actually do the procedures to fix the symptoms that the patient gets because of the disease. But it doesnt always work out perfect that each class talks about that certain disease or system at the same time- so you are all over the place.

-You are learning: disease, symptoms, how it affects other body systems (i.e. if you have a kidney problem how it effects your heart), how to take care of those symptoms, drugs to treat the symptoms and disease etc.

-Don't know if it's harder than med school- but its defiently a tough one > but well worth it (I will never forget how crazy excited I was at the beginning of the semester when I got to give my first shot to a patient- it was amazing!)

-Students in the program w/ me right now who are CNAs do have a little of a leg up on us who aren't - makes me jealous sometimes b/c they are so comfortable and I just feel akward sometimes. CNAs- job wise on a med-surg floor take vital signs, monitor the patients intake and output, bathe patient, change linens, some do fingersticks, help patient move around, etc. Length of program is different for every state. I think you need to be 18/have your diploma, but I dont know.

-Itsmyturn was perfect in saying to go to your guidance counselor, definelty follow through with that this year before school gets out so you can have the summer to look more into it and plan it out!

Best of luck : )

ParkerBC,MSN,RN, PhD, RN · Feb 27, 2009

First, are there any courses you do better in than others (it doesn’t matter the courses)? For me, I am stronger in sciences and math. The reason I do well in those areas is because I am interested in them and I enjoy learning the content matter of those subjects. This is true with nursing school. I am intrigued with the subject matter, so it comes easier for me than most of my fellow classmates. This should not suggest that those classmates aren’t interested in studying nursing nor will they not become good nurses. It simply means that I don’t have to put forth the amount of effort that most do.

Nursing school is a lot more than memorizing pathologies (diseases). Critical thinking skills are essential to being successful in nursing school. The profession is highly technical. You have to have a strong Anatomy and Physiology background as well as Chemistry. If you haven’t taken those courses yet in high school, I would encourage you to do so. I must warn you though. The competition to get into nursing school is fierce. You have to be prepared to work hard.

In summary, I don’t think there is any job that is easy. Even the employees who work for Wal-Mart and McDonald’s work hard. They have to deal with complaining customers all day, which is stressful. The same is true for nurses. Rather than making your career choice based upon which program is easy, choose a career you are passionate about. If you do that, you will be plenty smart enough to tackle the program. Good luck to you!

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Feb 27, 2009

i heard nursing school is very overwhelming, hard, & stressful. why you consider it hard?

i think the primary reasons people find it hard for them is because most of the information they are learning is new to them and they are getting it at a rapid pace. when you are in grade and high school most of what you learn is given to you in building blocks--information that is built upon previous information that you learned. that is not true of nursing school.

also, what do you typically learn in nursing school, (e.x. do you have to be some what like a doctore..and know every single symptom in the book, and know every diseas in the book, and know that these symptoms lead to that disease?) whats it like, give me some insight on what you learn

we learn about the different medical diseases (the major ones), their signs and symptoms, how the doctors diagnose them, how and what the doctors do to treat them, and the nursing care for them. as nurses we learn about everyone's activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, walking around, eating, going to the bathroom, grooming, how individuals function within their homes, workplaces, and social environments. how people complete their domestic tasks, such as driving, cleaning, cooking, and shopping, as well as other less physically demanding tasks such as operating electronic appliances, handling budgets and perhaps even performing a job, such as strength, endurance, manual dexterity, and pain management. we learn about how patients respond to the disease or medical condition that they have and how we can assist them to go about their daily lives. this is different from what doctors do for patients. doctors treat their disease;

nurses help patients cope with their disease

.

i also heard nursing school is as hard as med school or harder. i find this very very hard to believe, but is it true?

the word "hard" is a judgmental term. your attitude plays a great part in this. if you are a serious student then it may not be as "hard" for you as it might be for someone else. studying is a skill that sometimes takes many years to master. it requires learning how you learn best and what methods work best for you. if you are serious about any career, then you need to get serious about your study habits:

http://www.accd.edu/sac/history/keller/accditg/ssindex.htm
- strategies for success
http://www.studygs.net/
- study guides and strategies
http://www.howtostudy.org/

im not super smart...i dont take those honors / ap classes all i take is some general ed and some academics, does this define me as being too "dumb" to make it through? basically, im just an average joe in highschool, nothing spectacular, but definatley nothing bad.

see the banner under my post? if you don't try, someone will take the opportunity you miss. i thought for many years that i wasn't good enough to be a nurse. i don't remember why i finally decided i should give it a try, but i did. i discovered that i was more than smart enough to get through the classes. i think my reasoning at the time was that if thousands before me could do it, why couldn't i? i've been an

rn

for 30 years and during that time became a manager and supervisor as well! my mother used to tell me i was a terrible babysitter and would amount to nothing. shows you what she knew.

also, i want to become a cna, so i can work close with a nurse and kinda get a feel of the job, how do i do this, can istill be 17 with no diploma yet and still work as a cna? if yes, how do i go about doing this and how long does it take?

you need to find out how to become a cna in your state. each state has a cna registry and has online information on how to get your cna. what state are you in? unfortunately, when you are hired for a job they expect you to work, so the chances of working very closely with a nurse may not be that good since the nurse will have her duties and as a cna you will have yours.

limonada · Feb 27, 2009

If I were you I would find the nearest school with a nursing program and go talk to the director. That's what I did, because I was unsure if I wanted to be a nurse or not. Nurses do not have to know every single disease, and every single symptom. But you do have to know a lot of them. You will probably have to take a couple of math classes, biology, microbiology, chemistry, human anatomy and physiology, and if you are getting a bachelor's or associate's degree, you'll have to take some history, art, and english classes too.

Don't be discouraged about being "too dumb." I think a lot of how well you do in school has to do with how interested you are in what you are learning. I almost failed a few classes in high school, and got quite a few C's, very few A's. Because I wasn't interested in high school. After high school I got my bachelor's, graduated with honors. Now I'm in nursing school and getting all A's. How you do in high school does not necessarily predict how well you will do in college. You just have to be dedicated, and like what you are doing. Good luck!:wink2: