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

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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..

2 hours ago, VetRobRN said:

Thats a fantastic idea. Im working and going to school at night for my LPN. I am field service tech so i drive a lot. I need this to allocate my studying better. Did you just a buy a recorder?

I just downloaded a free ap on my phone. I sit near the front of the class and it does fine. If you sit farther away you might need an actual recorder. I'm not an auditory learner, but it really does seem to help.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

No, nursing school is not as hard as most people make it out to be. Then again, some people thrive on drama. The hardest thing for me in nursing school was satisfying endless BS requirements like a certain number of clinical hours (that we had to arrange ourselves). Fussy administrative details I will always have trouble with, but not academic material.

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I’m currently in nursing school with 2 kids and I work 30 hours a week. I am now in my 3rd semester and I have a 4.0 all the way through. Also I have had a couple of test this semester with all A’s as usual. It’s not hard at all to me and I’ve never been in nursing school before. If I can read it and look up my definition I can pass pretty much anything. I don’t use my instructor PowerPoints nor her notes I just read.

I know that I can’t learn a certain way so I don’t ever try it that way. Majority of my classmates sit and wine how hard it is. They sit in class mad and sad after almost every test. Say they have failed and don’t really care about it ( Some not most). Then there is me not making a sound not crying about how stressed I am how overwhelmed I am. I’m usually good. Then with them seeing that they just automatically feel like I’m doing good. Not because I said it not because they asked me, but by my behavior. They see I’m not showing the same frustration.

So from there they just have been saying slick things and even though I listen to them wine and cry about how hard it is. Try to offer study groups and act like I just need to do one as well (so they won’t feel like I’m a know it all) they still not satisfied. So I just stopped talking to them all together. Their issue not mine. Then I told them that I have to read the material they get an attitude because I actually read 30 pages like what? Maybe if they read it would help them better but what do I know?

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2 hours ago, Butterflllyyyy98 said:

I’m currently in nursing school with 2 kids and I work 30 hours a week. I am now in my 3rd semester and I have a 4.0 all the way through. Also I have had a couple of test this semester with all A’s as usual. It’s not hard at all to me and I’ve never been in nursing school before. If I can read it and look up my definition I can pass pretty much anything. I don’t use my instructor PowerPoints nor her notes I just read.

I know that I can’t learn a certain way so I don’t ever try it that way. Majority of my classmates sit and wine how hard it is. They sit in class mad and sad after almost every test. Say they have failed and don’t really care about it ( Some not most). Then there is me not making a sound not crying about how stressed I am how overwhelmed I am. I’m usually good. Then with them seeing that they just automatically feel like I’m doing good. Not because I said it not because they asked me, but by my behavior. They see I’m not showing the same frustration.

So from there they just have been saying slick things and even though I listen to them wine and cry about how hard it is. Try to offer study groups and act like I just need to do one as well (so they won’t feel like I’m a know it all) they still not satisfied. So I just stopped talking to them all together. Their issue not mine. Then I told them that I have to read the material they get an attitude because I actually read 30 pages like what? Maybe if they read it would help them better but what do I know?

Just be careful ow you go about this. Not everyone is the same learner as you. I know in my program 30 pages is not even close to the amount you have to read nonetheless know. I do the same and read everything. i only take notes on powerpoints if my instructor says you will see this again. Try to be a little empathetic and understanding to their situation. you don't know what home life situation they could have or stresses they are going through. Most of the people in my class have family's and some are single moms. I have 3 kids, one is a young, only 7 months. i work 40 hours a week sometimes more and i am struggling. I have also been out of school for about 10 years. That also plays a role as well.

My advice try to help them, tell them some tips and encourage them like your patients to try and read the text instead of the powerpoint. Definitely do not gloat. Thats all you can do. Most people i talk to had trouble in school. To each his own.

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3 minutes ago, VetRobRN said:

Just be careful ow you go about this. Not everyone is the same learner as you. I know in my program 30 pages is not even close to the amount you have to read nonetheless know. I do the same and read everything. i only take notes on powerpoints if my instructor says you will see this again. Try to be a little empathetic and understanding to their situation. you don't know what home life situation they could have or stresses they are going through. Most of the people in my class have family's and some are single moms. I have 3 kids, one is a young, only 7 months. i work 40 hours a week sometimes more and i am struggling. I have also been out of school for about 10 years. That also plays a role as well.

My advice try to help them, tell them some tips and encourage them like your patients to try and read the text instead of the powerpoint. Definitely do not gloat. Thats all you can do. Most people i talk to had trouble in school. To each his own.

If you read what I said I’ve never try not to help them. They are mad at me because I don’t share my grades nor do I stress about my grades. I listen to them and even acted like I needed a study group knowing I didn’t need one. Then when we got there they asked how do I usually study if I don’t do study groups, and I said I usually read. Then from there they started being slick and talking mess saying, “You must don’t have a job!” And it was a very rude way by the tone. It was not a joke and the rolling of eyes and smacking lips. So from there I said forget them! That was the first and last time I’ll ever help anybody. Just because you’re going under pressure or stress don’t mean you disrespect the person who tries to help you. Mind you they was the one doing all the talking.

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Nursing is one of the easier sciences in college. It's not hard, but you have to be able to handle college. Are you responsible enough at this point in your life? Are you able to juggle school and raising your kids at the same time? Despite what almost every nursing instructor believes, life doesn't just stop when you decide to go back to school. And that's your biggest challenge. Learning the material and passing the tests is easy. Learning the material when you're lucky if you get just an hour to yourself at the end of the day is hard no matter what your major is.

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I’m working on prereqs and applying to direct-entry MSNs in the fall, so haven’t been to nursing school yet. But in my first life ? I went to a top law school and was a lawyer. My general experience of higher ed is people with less life experience tend to think it’s harder. People who have slogged through intense work environments, juggled family (kids), know that school is pretty manageable if you keep your head down, stay organized, work efficiently, and stick to whatever schedule you’ve set.

This is of course a generalization. Some people are just plain smarter and can retain information more easily. Some young students are mature beyond their years. But most of the time it’s maturity and perspective that make grad school seem easy.

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Specializes in Geriatircs/Rural Hospitals.

Nursing school was not the hardest thing I have ever done, but it was a close third. The most difficult part for me was going from LVN to RN and changing some of my thinking. But I think for you, the thing that made it easier is you did not let it take up your whole life. Either you are very confident person or ..... There were a lot of people who told me "I don't see how you do it." Because I was working full time, have a family, with more issues than most. But the most important thing is if you can help someone with ideas or something else do it. You never know what someone else is fighting. ?

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On 2/8/2019 at 1:51 PM, rn409 said:
On 2/8/2019 at 6:09 PM, TheAngryMan said:

Nursing school is just college. There's nothing profoundly unique about it. The test style, the learning style, that's just a science major. You think this is hard? Try physics, where they have to look at a white dot in the sky and tell you what it's made of and how big it is.

LOL! Physics is easy compared to nursing classes. I would MUCH rather take a physics test than completely master all the material for a nursing test to get tricked by 4-5 stupid NCLEX questions that weren't covered in lecture or in the textbook knocking me down to a "B" every time.... I hate the question format on nursing tests with a passion and cant wait to graduate and take regular classes again so I can remember what it feels like to get an "A".

Also clearly some people have it much easier than others... My first semester there were 60 students. 2nd semester there were 14 left... 

Count your blessings if your school is "easy" not everyone has it like that.

Also referring to the text I quoted above- STOP trying to sound smart. You sound like your trying to compensate for being secretly stupid.

 

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