Is nursing school really "that" bad?

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I start nursing school in January. I will be attending the 2 year ADN program. I am going to quit my job and take out loans because I don't want the stress of work and school. If I am strictly doing nursing and nothing else (I am single with no kids), will I still really have no life? I honestly have had a few nightmares about nursing school because of everyone's horror stories. I have a 4.0 and know I can do it, but I am so scared of the unknown. To the ones who did the ADN (and BSN students can chime in too) How was your nursing school experience? Did you really have no life? It's honestly depressing to think about me "never going out to eat" "never having time to wash my hair" (yes I've heard that)

One nurse told me everyone wants to act like their experience was traumatic because it makes them look better and smarter. Please encourage me, nurses!

Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.

Nursing school wasn't easy, but that could be said of any (most?) college degree. I think what might be different about nursing is that along with the classes, assignments, and tests, there are also clinicals which you have to prep for and then go to...which is an extra thing to schedule into your week.

Also (and this was the hardest part for me), nursing school puts a big emphasis on learning the seriousness of healthcare and the importance of professionalism. (In my experience), students in other majors seemed to be 'allowed' to enjoy life more. All the nursing majors had this weight hanging over them all the time... that they had to be absolutely devoted to the goal of becoming a nurse and that if it wasn't your every waking thought, then you were a disgrace to the program.

A lot of my classmates studies their butts off, like litereally every evening was a study group. They may have had a slightly higher GPA than I did but I graduated above a 3.5 without giving myself grey hairs. And nobody has ever asked me what my GPA was in an interview. ;)

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Nursing school isn't difficult. It is time consuming. Having a job or a kid will become a barrier to success.

I made it through the majority of my BSN without having to work, so I was fortunate enough to have the time to make things look easy. I didn't find the academic portion of it challenging. My placements weren't that difficult either. I was mostly appalled at the "save the world" attitude of some of my classmates who might have raised the bar for our grad class.

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Specializes in Allergy/ENT, Occ Health, LTC/Skilled.

I have not found it impossible. I gave birth to my 3rd child last November too, took my pharm final 2 weeks later and scored an A. The first two years, I worked full time, went PT school in the evening, have two kids, pregnant with a third, husband works full time, and I hold a 4.0 at a big university. I am PRN now just because I literally lost 50 lbs (which was good but it came off fast) and my health was starting to suffer because I just went 100 MPH for so long. I do not have a life though and because I am not naturally gifted with a academic brain (you know the kind of people who never have to study but get a 4.0) I do study for hours outside of class to maintain those grades. I have been stressed, I have cried, I have even puked! But it's never been bad enough that I wanted to quit. Then again I am stubborn ***** so I wouldn't quit anyway but its not impossible at all.

edited to say: even with all that i still have time to watch my favorite tv shows, do fun things with all three of my kids, do my nails, and keep up on my personal hygiene. If you want it, you can do it.

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Specializes in Pschiatry.

Yes it's that bad!

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Specializes in Oncology.

I didn't have a huge social life in nursing school, but some semesters were worse than others. Nursing was my first career and I went into a BSN program right from high school. I went to a rigorous public high school, one of the best in my state. I took several AP classes in high school- which with a huge stress saver with relieving some of the burden of pre req classes. I was told all along that college was harder than high school. So it never seemed bad to me. I had nothing to compare it to. It was pretty much exactly what I was expecting. I went to clinicals, I was expected to be prepared for clinicals, I studied, did care plans, did assignments, did presentations, took tests, read a lot, and got through it one day at a time- like everyone else. The people that didn't succeed, it was pretty clear from day 1 that they weren't sufficiently motivated.

It wasn't until long after I graduated that I started talking to other adults and hearing their reminiscining about college and being involved with sports, and working, and dating, and partying, and volunteering, and being in clubs, and such that I realized my experiences were not traditional in college and I may have missed out on some parts due to needing to be more academically focused. But I had a job lined up when I graduated, and many people didn't.

Some semesters were very stressful with extremely heavy academic loads. Others weren't as bad. I didn't date in nursing school. I befriended many nursing classmates, but made no new friends from outside the program. I worked part time some semesters and didn't others. I ALWAYS had time to wash my hair, eat, and sleep though.

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To OP, take all the positive responses and remember, I mean REMEMBER them on your toughest days in nursing school. I promise, recalling from your post, you have many advantages that many of us didn't have in nursing school (No full time work, no kids,). As a nursing student who did have many disadvantages (being non-traditional, older, with a family to support, working full time) I made it through nursing school. I now work as a registered nurse in an oncology clinic. You definitely got this no doubt. Good luck.

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I worked on the weekends, two 12 hour shifts. We had to be clinicals at 0500 on T,W,TH. We had care plans due on Fridays. We had theory on Mondays and Fridays. We had 7 to 10 chapter tests on Mondays and Fridays as well. I didn't have a "social life" during school. I was a Cum Laude graduate. Some students did go out and have fun on the weekends. I was working.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

I graduated in May. I think it depends on where you go to school/what your schools requirements are. My school (BSN) required a 70% average on tests (upped to 75% our second year, but we were grandfathered in so we still only needed a 70%). The ADN school in the same town, however, requires an 80% test average, so they thought they had it worse. Their tests are based off powerpoints, while ours are based off textbook readings. Some of my classmates struggled and studied an insane amount, some of them were able to get through with a normal amount of stress.

As for me personally, I have a slightly photographic memory and remember facts very well, especially with "hints" (like multiple choice tests - the answer is there, you don't have to pull it out of nowhere). I got through nursing school with just enough studying to get a 3.6 GPA - and wasn't bothered by it. I worked PRN, went out with my fiancé on the weekends, and enjoyed life. I was stressed at times, sure, but who isn't? I also quit my job my last semester, but that was to fit my capstone preceptor's schedule. Did some things fall by the wayside? Yes. Was it the end of my life? No. Do I miss it? Definitely not. :)

Edited to say: I had three friends outside the program. My best friend, who I met my freshman year. She was also crazy busy with her major, so we worked around each other's schedules and made time for each other. I lived with the other two, my fiancé and a best friend of ours. They were both no longer in college, so much of our time together was spent at home while I studied and they played video games or whatever. I also raised a puppy for the last year and a half. So I never really felt like I missed out on social stuff.

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I already had a college degree and was familiar with college-level courses, so nursing school was just more of the same.

I worked part time on weekends and in the evenings so I was able to pay for all of my tuition, books, insurances and other expenses. It helped that I was young, single and lived with my parents.

There was time for a social life for me. I learned social dancing, met my future husband and spent a fair bit of time on my social life. For my happiness, it was important to have something in my life outside of school and work.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

It must be a fairly new concept for a young person without a spouse or children to think he/she cannot work and go to school simultaneously.

Believe it or not, the vast majority of people in my nursing program worked (some full-time!) and go to school AND have a spouse and kids AND managed to graduate. At one point, I was working two PT jobs. I graduated debt-free, magna status, passed NCLEX on the first try (with 75 questions!) and am now a nurse.

You can work and go to nursing school. I think it is crazy to take out student loans just so you can be out of the workforce for a few years if you are single with no children.

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Specializes in Nsg. Ed, Infusion, Pediatrics, LTC.

I worked and had newborn twins and a two year old. Was it easy? No. Doable? Yes!

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses

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Specializes in kids.

I got pregnant my 3rd year of my BSN program, got married and had my son I took a few courses the spring of what should have been my senior year, a few seminars for credit my small (very CATHOLIC) college worked with me. I finished up a year later. The 2 1/2 years prior to my getting pregnant I certainly lived like a college girl in a Navy town!

It is hard, and easier done when single and not working, but attainable either way.

Good Luck!

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