I am 31 preparing for Nursing school, next fall( school forgot to attach my transcripts to app this fall ). The program is 21 months( understand, I sit out this year ). However, I am torn. You have 1 evening 4 hour lecture , then one day of clinicals per week. So Two days a week( 1 lecture evening, 1 clinical ). I am also on a partial scholarship( will get to that part ). The whole Idea of Nursing is to go into NP school, Mental Health.
I also can go to a Health Information Management Degree, Bachelors program, and finish in the same amount of time as nursing( actually one year sooner, no micro biology, one year prep needed etc ). I am torn. I have taken Medical Term, A&P 1 and 2, Human growth and development, but that was 5 years ago.
I also have a short story, well how can I say this...I have an Ileostomy. That was not easy to type publicly. I also weight train. I will train over 700lbs on legs etc. --- My road was never easy. Coming out of Highschool, I wanted to go for Nurse Anesthetist, however, I had to fight an opponent that I never seen coming, which changed plans. I also have a Type " A " personality. It helps in a lot of areas, but hinders in others. The great part( I guess ) is I have no Kids, No room mates, not married( lol...After typing this, I had to laugh ). However, I have to train an 1hr n half and eat 5 meals a day- which goes against the grain. I also get frustrated if I don't get an A( the type A ).
I have to make a decision, and soon. If I choose Nursing, then I need/will to take chemistry, Algebra, Micro, Human Physiology( at the Junior Level...have no clue why as Ap 1 and 2, needed more Physiology?, and nutrition. I would be taking this with my time off, so all sciences are knocked out....which allows the format above. I have read horror stories on here....I don't expect nursing to be easy but have to ask you guys and gals.....
So for those of us who have not taken and embarked on this journey yet what makes nursing school so hard? Again, I see horror stories about Nursing on here.Is it the amount of material to know? The fast pace? Also, would you choose this Career again if you had to? The Ap I took, we learned about the human heart, all it's chambers, blood flow, and how to read an EKG, then two days later, next system.
So for those of us who have not taken and embarked on this journey yet what makes nursing school so hard?
It really wasn't that hard. The material isn't conceptually difficult and is taught at a fairly superficial level.
Perhaps the most challenging part of nursing school was attending to the voluminous busy work like care plans which were an utter waste of time.
Again, I see horror stories about Nursing on here.Is it the amount of material to know?
The field is very broad but relatively superficial. Another challenge is the mixture of hard science and soft or pseudoscience that makes up much of nursing. Despite earning fantastic marks, I did find it difficult at times to blend the soft science with the hard science.
The fast pace?
The pace *was* unrelenting... and unforgiving. A failed exam put you in danger of failing the class which, in our program, meant disenrollment so the stakes for each exam or activity were very high. Of course, mine was an accelerated program so the pace may have been more extreme than a traditional program.
Also, would you choose this Career again if you had to?
Yep. It's a solid job with excellent stability. I was 45 when I graduated and left another profession and multiple courses of study in order to become a nurse. It was, by far, the best decision of my life.
The Ap I took, we learned about the human heart, all it's chambers, blood flow, and how to read an EKG, then two days later, next system.
I did have students in my class that gave up their social life for school. They would study at all hours of the day and went above and beyond.
I wasn't that case, i was a lazy student. I did pay attention and take notes in class, but i never even opened my text book or did any assigned reading.
It all depends on what type of student you are and if you have any previous health care knowledge.
I know someone who become a Respiratory therapist, they indicated they didn't really read much, but paid attention in class. Congrats on your R.N. Thanks for the reply. I have to ask a question that is off the topic. Do you( or anyone) have to and how long do you have to do precept work( working under a preceptor ) after getting your degree and R.N license?
Nursing school is extremely hard. Hours in the library studying, papers, projects, not to mention hours of clinical times. In school I have cried, I have screamed, I have felt like giving up. But the moment you pass a class, the moment you make your patient laugh when they are in pain, the moment when your professor pats you on the back, are going to be the moments that make it all worth it. So, would I do it all again? In a heartbeat. Don't give up, accept the fear you have and let it be your motivator to prove to yourself that you can do this.
I was 31 when i started, a 4.5 year BSN..i am now on my last semester. I am married and a mom of 3 in a crazy tough nyc program. I had no one to help with the kids apart from my husband who works really long hours. Yes its super hard cause of the volume of material in a short frame of time but had no idea how hard it was, ignorance was bliss in my case, so i just put my head down and worked freaking hard with a tunnel vision of achieving my goal. Taking your circumstanced into account i believe you can totally do it!!! A types thrive in nursing, i know cause i am one!! Good luck with everything!!
I think the biggest factor in answering the question, "How hard is it really?" depends on the particular school you chose.
Some schools accept lots of students (almost everyone who applies who meets some minimal pre-req requirments and who is willing to pay the bills) -- and then put them through a VERY difficult process of weeding out those who are unlikely to pass the NCLEX licensing exam. Those schools are often the hardest ones to get through -- but they are often not the best quality of school. The school puts up lots of hurdles that you have to get over, but they don't necessarily teach you any more.
Then there are other schools that are more selective in their admissions standards -- and who are therefore more confident in their students' ability to pass the NCLEX. Such schools aren't trying so hard to "weed the week ones out." They are more supportive and are trying to help everyone pass because they have confidence in the students' underlying worthiness from the start.
Then of course, there are many schools somewhere in between the 2 extremes.
What type of school are you going to? What percentage of the students who start the program actually graduate on their originally scheduled graduation date? How many of those students pass NCLEX on the first try?
Thanks for this reply. Loaded with a lot of info. Yes, I am going to ask them some of those questions. I was a little worried that everything would be super over loaded with one clinical and one lecture. However, I will have to touch up on some of those questions. Unfortunately since it's still summer, they are hard to get a hold of, Small office.
Getting in was a breeze for me and I really enjoyed the ride. People made me so nervous to even try to get in to nursing school because of everyone feeding me nothing but "It's hard", "it's too competitive", "it's exhausting"
No. It's 100% subjective. Was I tired sometimes? Well yeah, and there were times when I'd have rather been out having fun with friends on the weekend but instead I was doing laundry and studying for my big A&P exam. At no point was it ever hard, just time consuming. I can't wait to start nursing school in a week. I KNOW it will be worth all the work I put into it.
@ Erythropoiesis, Gl on your studies. For me I took a class that had Ap1 and 2 combined. Two labs a week...However, that was 5 years ago. I cannot remember half of it. I learned under an M.D endocrinologist, then he decided to teach. He made the class managable, given the course structure.
Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg, Psych, Geri, LTC, Tele,.
Yes, nursing school was hard. I'm a good student and am decently "smart"; yet, it was very hard!
Yes, I'd do it again. The career opportunities are almost endless in my neck of the woods. I graduated just a few months ago and have had several job offers, all of which pay well. In my opinion, in my region, nursing is a rational career choice. (Disclaimer) if you can handle pt care. If you can't, then I do not recommend nursing, in spite of the money/opportunities.
However, nursing is so broad a field that there may be a niche that suits you.
I'm currently in nursing school with one semester left to go.. Looking forward to graduation, but that's a whole new battle. (NCLEX and job applications!) I think speaking to someone whose currently in school is helpful - a lot of nurses I know jokingly compare school to childbirth; rough while its happening but you forget how bad the pain was looking back on it.
I would do it again in a heartbeat. I tear up sometimes when I think about graduating because I'm so proud of myself and can't believe it's almost over. It goes quick - you will be living test to test and the weeks fly by. I've always been a good student - getting good grades with little effort. You can't make it through nursing school without effort and time dedication. I study like crazy but I have great support, so I'm still able to balance my personal life with 4 days of school per week. It IS possible to still see your friends and family! You may not get to do everything you want to do, but you have to allow yourself to have free time so you don't go crazy.
A big question a lot of my professors ask: who here is in it for the money? We all laugh but some people enter nursing school because it is a solid job in a shaky job market. Many of those people don't make it through the first semester because they soon realize this is not the job for them. Others do grow to love it, and there's those of us who enjoy patient care. Do a little soul-searching and ask yourself what category you fall into. There's also a lot of job options for nurses.
If you want this, you will do it. I promise you. I have such a variety of people in my class, some much smarter than others, but we are all here equally in our last semester. Don't let others scare you because it's more than possible for you (for anyone!). Just know you'll be dedicating a small portion of your life for a rewarding career. I wish you all the best! Stay confident.
Nursing school is easy to pass with a B, but very hard to get 4.0 (not that it's necessary). It is fast paced. Yes I would do it again. I enjoyed the stuff I learn in nursing school.
I'm going into my last semester of nursing school and like a previous poster stated, I also have a science related bachelors where we had to do long labs, 8 page lab reports and a 580 hour mandatory internship, and nursing school is still way more challenging and complex then I thought it would be. Here are my reasons:
1. The material you have to read and know and learn is just insane. Each test covered a minimum of 8 chapters and that number could very well go up to 12 chapters per test (especially in maternity/peds) So you expecting me to learn, understand and know all of this in a couple of weeks. mmmmmmm kay. Insane I tell you!
2. The clinicals - Ok yes you need "hands on experience" but 12 hours a day multiple times per week for a couple of years can get the best of a person eventually, especially when you have to try and squeeze in study time and still have to work for actual money! LOL I enjoyed my clinicals (well some of them) but sometimes the schedule was a bit much.
3. The studying - You honestly will have no sort of social life at all. Your textbooks, your laptop, and trying to figure out which answer is the MOST CORRECT answer will be your social existence for the next couple of years.
Well that is my summary of my nursing school experience AND if I had to do it again I probably would not. Once is enough for me. Graduation is December 16 and I'm counting down.
bgxyrnf, MSN, RN
1,208 Posts
It really wasn't that hard. The material isn't conceptually difficult and is taught at a fairly superficial level.
Perhaps the most challenging part of nursing school was attending to the voluminous busy work like care plans which were an utter waste of time.
The field is very broad but relatively superficial. Another challenge is the mixture of hard science and soft or pseudoscience that makes up much of nursing. Despite earning fantastic marks, I did find it difficult at times to blend the soft science with the hard science.The pace *was* unrelenting... and unforgiving. A failed exam put you in danger of failing the class which, in our program, meant disenrollment so the stakes for each exam or activity were very high. Of course, mine was an accelerated program so the pace may have been more extreme than a traditional program.Yep. It's a solid job with excellent stability. I was 45 when I graduated and left another profession and multiple courses of study in order to become a nurse. It was, by far, the best decision of my life.That's what I mean by superficial...