Is nursing school REALLY that hard?

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Members are discussing the difficulty of nursing school, with some expressing that it is exhausting due to the workload, constant busywork, and testing. Some members find it challenging due to the amount of studying and prioritization required, while others believe it is not as hard as perceived. The discussion also touches on entrance exams, grammar improvement, and the importance of loving the field of nursing to succeed.

I just started the 2 year ADN program at my community college about a week ago. I am actually the youngest in my program at 18, and I have no nursing experience. Before I started, I obsessed over blogs and spent a lot of nights wondering if I could even make it through nursing school. I graduated high school in the top 5% of my class with a good ACT score, and I'm generally a hard worker. I am just wondering, was nursing school as hard as you thought it would be and if so, why?

Specializes in ICU Stepdown.
sarose611 said:
Yes. A recent study reported it was the most difficult degree to obtain.

That is clearly a myth

It's hard. Well it was for me.. But hey guess what I got through it with a great GPA and passed y NCLEX first shot. So it's do able :)

You have to be dedicated. I cut my social life to barely existent! I cut my work hours. I studied my ass off. Anything I struggled with I talked to my professors, and we figured out ways to get better.

The testing was tricky... But I got through it, and time management will be your bff

It was harder than my BA in Psych.

I worked 35 hours a week and had a social life the whole time. I don't remember it consuming me.

It's the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I tried an ADN program at 18 and didn't make it. Tried again at 50 and was one of only 7 out of original 30 that graduated without failing a class. My BSN was easier. Now my Masters is daunting in a completely different way. Good luck! Study hard and just think about passing and doing the best that you can do.

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
sarose611 said:
Yes. A recent study reported it was the most difficult degree to obtain.

Nursing is a difficult degree for many to obtain because the profession has traditionally attracted more than its fair share of dreamers: those who are in love with the idea of being a nurse, but lack the academic skills to complete nursing school. Few other college majors attract a higher number of hopeless dreamers.

However, nursing school is not all that academically difficult, nor is it the 'hardest' college major.

It is hard for all the reasons previously stated but do able. I'd like to add enjoy your school breaks. Plan to see your friends you might not see during the semester, go to a movie or whatever fun things you like to do. It will help if you can unwind a little between terms. And for the SATA questions I look at each choice as a T/F in relation to the question.

Specializes in Rodeo Nursing (Neuro).

I worked a lot harder (and a lot smarter) getting my ASN than I did flunking out of Physics when I was 20. I'm not sure how directly the two experiences compare. Maybe, in the end, it's just the difference between hanging out in the student union, staring at pretty girls versus going to class and staring at pretty girls. But it also seems to me it's a matter of depth versus breadth. It doesn't seem like there were many, or even any, concepts in nursing that were hard to comprehend. It's just that there were so many of them to get, in a short period of time. There's a lot of memorization, too, which is not my favorite way to learn. But it's do-able. I will say, since graduating, I haven't met any dumb nurses. And not a lot of lazy ones. But there are some pretty sharp nurses practicing who weren't straight A students, because they are a different kind of smart, and they didn't mind working hard.

Yes, and no. I was an older student, returning to university at age 40! I also had a family, a part time job, a critically ill parent, and a disabled child. The ill parent and disabled child helped get me through a lot of classes (oh, you want me to study SCIs, well, I have one of those at home, no sweat, I know more than enough no need to study that one). I will say, going to every single class no matter what was what paid off. Attend your lectures, have a good relationship with your professors, and study. Form or get in on a study group. It's better if it's not 'friends', but rather 'colleagues' so you won't get off track.

It was tough, but it was doable. I attended a traditional 4 year BSN program at a private university. I was one of the few commuters and the oldest in my class.

IF I could do it, I think most anyone can!

Specializes in Med-Tele; ED; ICU.
MaternityMadness said:
If you work hard, study, apply yourself, and are in it for the right reasons then you should do well.

The *right* reasons are whatever reasons that cause someone to work hard, study, and apply themselves.... be those reasons a desire to help or serve, the search for a stable job, or the opportunity to earn $70/hr with benefits.

Specializes in Med-Tele; ED; ICU.
sarose611 said:
A recent study reported it was the most difficult degree to obtain.

I would love to read this study. Could please share the author, title, or publication?

Is it hard? It depends. You will learn very quickly that nothing is black and white in nursing...nursing school being hard included.

It is time consuming. At my school they tell us to warn our families we won't be attending all functions, helping around the house, etc etc as much. They also tell us not to get pregnant (or get someone pregnant). School is the priority. It's true. Many people had breakups/divorces during school because it really tests relationships of all kinds.

You need to be independent in your education. Yes, the professors and classmates will help you, but no one will hold your hand. It is a lot of information, and assignments, to do. Plan to do 20-40 hours a week of schoolwork/studying, along with your classes and clinicals.

You need to learn an entirely different way to study. No more learning items just for the 1 test. You need to learn the item and then understand it (really well) because they will be adding on to it down the road. The NCLEX (and your college, should) won't be asking you to regurgitate information, like in every class you have had before. Instead of asking how the blood flows through the body they will ask if there is an issue with the blood flow in the body how will that affect the digestive tract? or you will have to know that if you have a issue involving eyesight and one of the answers includes something about bloodflow and oxygen, it's probably the right one.

Also, most questions will have 3-4 right answers. Only one of them is the "most right."

So, is nursing school hard? It all depends on you.

I have the same questions, so this thread helped me too! I won't start until summer, but I already have a Bachelor's that I finished in three years, taking 5 4-credit hour courses per semester and taking some odds and ends in the summers. While working at least one job at least part time (my first semester I had two part time, my last semester I had a full time and part time job) The program I'm entering is a part time program, so only 3-4 classes per semester and I'll be working full time. I'm expecting to be way over faced at first but getting used to it. I'm hoping I've prepared myself for the rigor of nursing school by pushing myself in my first degree. Thanks for posting this- it's really helped!

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