Is it just me or is nursing school not as difficult as everyone makes it sound?

[Nicolecn]

I am about to finish my second term of nursing school and have completed difficult classes such as pathophysiology, pharmacology, chronic illness, etc.. and I honestly haven’t found it that hard. Idk if I was just expecting it to be a lot worse because everyone talked so negatively about it or what.. I’m in the program with people who are talking about having constant meltdowns and crying and I haven’t had one mental breakdown while in school.. am I missing something? Don’t get me wrong, it’s stressful at times and you have to put in the work, but people make it sound nearly impossible and like they’re losing their minds over it.. Whenever other students talk to me about how difficult it is I feel like I have to go along with it or they’re going to be annoyed by me not thinking it’s that hard..

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

If you don't have kids, that's a HUGE dynamic that you are not having to deal with. There's no way for you to understand what a strain having kids on top of nursing school can be...

When I was in nursing school, I had a toddler, was working part time at a world renown trauma ICU, got pregnant(so I was completely exhausted all of the time), gave birth, had a husband who loved me but was extremely resentful I was taking time away from the kids to do this, etc.. My long, luscious hair began falling out by the handfuls. I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown.

I graduated with a 4.0, so it must have just been easier for me...

Actually, no. It was one of the hardest things I'd ever done, not because nursing school in and of itself was so hard, but the totality of my experiences made it so very difficult. Just keep that in mind.

[PresentPerfect]

I am about to start my first semester of nursing school. People have been telling me how difficult it would be so I am a bit worried to take a music class that I really want to take. Do you think that if you did want to take a "fun" class, did you have time and energy to take it?

[ThatChickOmi, ADN, RN]

Difficulty of anything is pretty subjective. Some people excel in the academic portion and do poorly in clinical, others it's vice versa. It doesn't mean they're not smart. They've gotta be somewhat smart since they made it into the program to begin with....

I personally found first semester to be a breeze, second semester was a little harder but still doable, third semester was pretty rough. I've heard the final semester is the "easiest" but so far, I don't know, we have a pretty substantial workload on us with the third trends/management course tacked on. Mind you, I still work 24-27 hours a week. No kids here either though, so I can't vouch for that. A lot of my nursing friends have young children (some are even pregnant now) and I feel for them.

[Piper98, ASN, RN]

It’s just you. ?

I think it just depends on the person. I’m only in my first semester, and have nearly lost my mind. The content is as hard as I imagined. I wouldn’t say it is necessarily harder than the classes of my previous degree. And DEFINITELY easier than the epidemiology and statistics class I took for that degree, but it is the TIME you have to put in to be successful. For instance, I have 14 different assignments due over the next few days, and that doesn’t include all the reading that I need to do. I also feel like I spend a lot of time trying to get organized and learning how to study and handle the NCLEX style questions (hating the select all that apply-grr!!). Add to that 3 kids, laundry, a messy house, appointments, dinner, two dogs, and a husband that works full time, it is overwhelming!!! I know many of my classmates are in the same situation.

Everyone has a different situation, and some people handle stress better than others. I recommend using your situation to help your fellow classmates. You can help them study or support them when they are freaking out about an exam, etc.

[mtnNurse., BSN]

Do you wish it were harder or are you glad it isn't? If the former, there are plenty of ways to challenge yourself and no limit to how much more you can learn. You could do so by researching online yourself or ask a professor for guidance in doing extra projects. If the latter, then I recommend getting a jumpstart on any of the hardest subjects that will come later. Read the texts more thoroughly. Or even start taking practice NCLEX questions. What if you get overconfident and then the difficult stuff sneaks up on you later and gets overwhelming? -- If that were to happen, you'd be better to get ahead of it now to make sure nursing school stays so easy for you.

[NursePatches]

I'm in an accelerated BSN program as well and kinda dumfounded with how easy its been. Haven't gotten all A's but I have a 3.7, and the majority of my classmates feel that its been quite easy and have the grades to prove it. I also work 20 hours a week live an hour away so have that commute every day, and I've been having more of a social life since I stopped working full time and started school again . I don't have any kids but 2 in my cohort do and they both have 4.0's. I think being in the accelerated track (its 10 months) helps because you really don't have any time to forget anything since we just learned it within the year. And in my clinical experiences I'd say the nurses have been rather pleased with how much information we know and how comfortable we are, even though we plague them with questions.

[MiladyMalarkey, ASN, BSN]

12 hours ago, Horseshoe said:

If you don't have kids, that's a HUGE dynamic that you are not having to deal with. There's no way for you to understand what a strain having kids on top of nursing school can be...

Agreed. Some are single (or not residing with a SO), no children & many live with a parent/s. Less time & responsibility they have to juggle. Not putting down achievements or lifestyles, I applaud doing well & getting done before commitments take hold. If I had no family responsibility I may think nursing school is not so bad. But, having extra responsibility changes ones view a bit.

Something like a 3-year-old climbing all over while attempting study tends to make productivity decline & amplify the workload & stress of NS.

It's a matter of perspective.

[Golden_RN, MSN]

Home life & family responsibilities have been discussed, but each individual's personality also plays a big part in how difficult nursing school is.

Also, the clinical instructors make a HUGE difference in the difficulty of the program. I had one that just didn't like me, and made that semester hell, even though I was doing fine in the classroom.

[berserk_angel]

I'm just doing prereqs now but I'm glad to hear SOMEONE voice this opinion. In general friends and people I know have told me that nursing school=death, misery, so on and so forth (these are young childless women like me) and it really makes me wonder!

Good to hear another opinion!

[Wuzzie]

17 hours ago, angel0309 said:

Okay, I agree that everyone's experience is going to be different. However, I don't agree with anyone that's telling you to shut up about how you perceive nursing school.

I don't recall anybody being rude enough to tell the OP to "shut up".

[Fulfilled25]

Definitely hard but I think there is a lot of hype. I’m one of those who study 20+ hours, work 30-36 hr, and have a family. I think the commitment is a struggle but I also choose to spend a lot of time studying outside of class. This is because I enjoy the material and I guess I don’t know how to study any other way. I think it’s tireding. Perhaps the challenge waxes and wanes. The hard part is going to be that learning curve once we step on the floor as real nurses. So far being one year left of my BSN the most toughest part was the 15hour care plan I had for Acute/chronic illness.

[Luchador, CNA, EMT-B]

It's hard but not crazy hard. If you put in the work it seems pretty straight-forward.

That said, year after year, in my ADN program, 30 start and only 12 or so get pinned.

But some of the students do crazy stuff-- like not reading the chapters because they think the lectures are all they need.