Ok, a little history.. 1. I'm a second degree nursing student. 2. I'm 35 and male. 3. I was a teacher in a former "life".
Ok, is it just me, or is this whole thing about nursing school being "hard" and "difficult" and "the hardest thing you've ever done", just a buncha folks trying to scare me? I've had first tests in every class ( taking 10 hrs, working 30 outside medical field) and they've all been high B's or low A's. In the past, I've done horribly on first tests and then had to work all semester to bring my grades up. It seems like if this is the "hard" stuff, that the rest should be pretty easy or at least not as hard as the rest. Am I totally wrong on this? Let me know!
Ok, a little history.. 1. I'm a second degree nursing student. 2. I'm 35 and male. 3. I was a teacher in a former "life".
Ok, is it just me, or is this whole thing about nursing school being "hard" and "difficult" and "the hardest thing you've ever done", just a buncha folks trying to scare me? I've had first tests in every class ( taking 10 hrs, working 30 outside medical field) and they've all been high B's or low A's. In the past, I've done horribly on first tests and then had to work all semester to bring my grades up. It seems like if this is the "hard" stuff, that the rest should be pretty easy or at least not as hard as the rest. Am I totally wrong on this? Let me know!
Thanks for reading....
Richard
Richard: not to be cheeky- just seriously wondering where you go to school? I don't think the material is super difficult, but it is not easy- the difficult aspect is the enormous amount of (somewhat unnecessary) paperwork, no? ALL of my classmates complain, I don't know any one who is breezing through it.
Richard: not to be cheeky- just seriously wondering where you go to school? I don't think the material is super difficult, but it is not easy- the difficult aspect is the enormous amount of (somewhat unnecessary) paperwork, no? ALL of my classmates complain, I don't know any one who is breezing through it.
I go to a medium sized univ in Arkansas, and it's known in the area to be one of the "hardest" around. We rarely have "unnecessary" paperwork, but I feel I am learning A LOT. Anyway, let me know if you have other questions.
I wouldn't say really, easy - but it is kind of easy. It takes more time management skills than brains due to clinicals, long classes, picking patients, etc - not to mention externship, children, household husbandly duties, etc. Some of my fellow students are stressing in study groups, reading every chapter, and doing pretty miserable in their classes. I find that if I listen in class, spend an hour or so reviewing in each class at the end of the week, and stay away from study groups, I don't have to put in much study time nor even read the books. Finals are comprehensive, and I do put in a bit of time, there, as I don't retain material well over the long-haul and need to review. This stuff ain't rocket science.
Care plans were a tad bit time consuming - but once you really learn how to use the text book (Ackley) the answers and everything are basically in there and by recycling old bits and pieces of previous care plans, I can whip them out really fast. Just typing out my care plans puts me ahead of some of my classmates - when a new clinical instructor sees a neat care plan, they just skim 'em and go for blood on the messy ones. Image is everything and if you are professional and enthusiastic, I find clinical instructors leave me alone and focus on the troublemakers.
Having read several of your postings, the consensus seems to be that you find nursing school NOT SERIOUSLY academically difficult.
I am a senior nursing student in a BSN program. Out of a total 4 males, one of them excells in everything. I have been meaning to ask him why he is not in medical school instead. I don't thing he is as challenged in nursing. He says he has a photographic memory. The other 3 of us make about the same grades which is slightly above the class average and sometimes higher. Personally, I find nursing school an academic struggle. Nevertheless, I am happy to have been given the chance (according to allnurses.com there were 4,000 qualified applicants turned away from nursing school because schools have topped off their enrollment).
I am convinced that my success so far has been because of the following reasons:
*My faith in a higher power
*Networking with other students (study groups, calling other students at home to discuss strategies in exam prep)
*Time management (not trying to burn the candles at both ends... by working full time and full time school)
*We are our own teachers (old fashion spoon-feeding you don't get here).
There is at a minimal lecturing, and often times the exam questions for the most part are not from the lecture, test preparation guidelines often can be incomplete and misguiding, and you have to find your own study resources.
*Determination and setting your priorities(school comes before work)
*Creativity in study methods (index cards, mindmapping, whatever works for me to remember important concepts)
*Practice, Practice, and Practice of NCLEX style questions. Exams are all NCLEX application style questions.
Well I am justi n my first semester so maybe things will change, but I am not finding nursing school academically hard either. I've had no problems making A's and B's.
The only thing that can he hard at times is the amount of work we have to do some weeks, but that just comes down to time management which I am pretty good with....I'm also good at cramming before tests...LOL
I work and thrive under pressure which I think helps.
CametoitlateTexan
100 Posts
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Thank you for finally stating the obvious! Fabulous!