Is becoming a Nurse hard?

[NA NA]

Hi, I'm new and I would like to introduce myself. I'm very interested in becoming a nurse. I'm 42 years of age, I'm a single parent with 2 teenage daughters. I never been to college and I have applied at some schools and are waiting to hear back. I have been reading some of your topics, and they are very interesting. I have so many questions and concerns, but I'll keep it to a minimum. My first question: Is becoming a nurse hard?

[NurseyBaby'05, BSN, RN]

I went to nursing school when my baby entered 1st grade. The hardest part for me was not being able to spend as much time doing fun things with my family as I had been accustomed. They didn't understand why they had to keep the noise level down when mommy was studying for a big exam. But, all in all, everything worked out and I would go back and do it all over again. Since your kids are older, they probably have their own social life which would allow you the time to study and aren't quite as dependant on you as young children are.

Something else I found interesting was that as an adult student, I actually loved classes that I hated in high school, like Anatomy & Physiology. Kinda like how you like certain foods as an adult that you hated as a kid, LOL.:rotfl: I'd made pretty good grades in high school, but made even better ones and enjoyed studying while in nursing school. Maybe it was the maturity and maybe because as a teenager, it got in the way of my busy social life. I was told by some instructors that they've found adult students do actually do better...as a whole. (This is not to discourage younger students, nor give them the idea I'm meaning all younger students.)

There are tons of nurses who become nurses as "older" adults. If you are interested in nursing, I say GO FOR IT.

Amen! In high school I was English/History/Language buff. I never thought I would study science in college, let alone get good grades. I had an epiphany last month as to why. I was really good at writing and talking (big surprise! :chuckle ), but I hated it(writing, that is. I haven't shut up since I was nine months old. Hehehehe!). I hate to write papers. That was my downfall in previous science classes, I didn't do lab reports. I actually really enjoyed the material. It's shocking how much easier things are because I WANT to do them. So, yes, to answer your question, nursing school is hard, but if you want to do it, it's worth it and it doesn't seem so bad. It's very rewarding.

[hao27]

New to the message board! I'm making a career change into nursing and was wondering if anyone out there has had any experience with accelerated, combined programs - BSN + Masters. I'm looking into a few (specifically in NYC) and know that they definitely require pre-reqs.

Without a ton of savings to fall back on I'm hoping to complete the program the shortest period of time possible to get back into the workforce. Any information on how long it took anyone who attacked this from a similar angle? Any idea how competitive these sorts of programs are and anything that could help give you an edge to get in?

Appreciate the guidance!

[mrmedical, ASN, BSN]

Just my 2c, but you can't think of nursing school, even the two year degree's, as a get rich quick scheme or even for job security. It's a commonly perpetuate myth that nurses are somehow always needed - hospitals will either use less staff or cheaper and lesser trained individuals to fill demand in a poor economy. There are many other disciplines that have less demanding coursework that will net you good pay with positive workforce growth. As healthcare costs and insurance returns diminish, even medical staff is not safe from being laid off or staff size diminished.

Consider: the number of nursing jobs at an RN level is either decreasing due to employers cutting spots or constant and the number of RN new grads is increasing coupled with older RNs going back into the workforce makes securing a job very much a competition especially in metropolitan or major cities. Rural areas are less prone to this, but not completely exempt.

Another thing, you can't go in with the idea that you'll be suddenly revered and respected either: floor nursing is very much akin to labor or a trade moreso than a profession especially on the task-oriented medsurg floors. Doctors/midlevels/patients often times view nurses as "the help".

So ask yourself why is the reason to do nursing. If it's the money or job security, I would say seriously considering something else.

The coursework isn't exactly mentally hard or conceptually challenging, but I would say it is very, VERY tedious and time consuming and unless you have a good support system their will be family time sacrifices made. It's not all hopeless, I knew several middle age women I went to school with who could juggle family and school. It's just gonna be stressful and you're going to need support.

That said, I'm trying to be as realistic as possible and not discourage you, but not to sugar coat it either.