Is Nursing as Stressful as Nursing School?

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Okay, I have a question. I am a nursing student. School is very stressful and it doesn't seem like it needs to be unless they are trying to teach us the stress of actual nursing practice. So, skilled nurses, please answer my question. Is nursing as stressful as nursing school? :)

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Well, I am a critical care nurse and nursing for me is MORE stressful than nursing school. It's alot of pressure. In clinicals for nursing school, I wasn't the one ultimately responsible for that pt and I got to leave after 8 hrs. Now I'm there for 12 hrs and I am the one who has to answer for what has/hasn't been done.

Don't get me wrong though, I LOVE my job!! I guess it's really just a different type of stress.

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Specializes in Correctional Nursing, Orthopediacs.

More so at nursing school not responsible for pt. And hard to get out in time; trying to keep multiple pt.s healthy when to call or not. Are all decisions you make and host of others all night long

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It is more stressful.

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Specializes in Home Care.

Nursing school is a breeze compared to the first year or so of being a new nurse.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Welcome to AN! The largest online nursing community!

Nursing is stressful. You are dealing with people at their most vulnerable and frightened. I think the most stressful will be your first year after graduation as you begin to assimilate all the information you have learned during your education. Nursing is stressful because mistakes aren't allowed, mistakes are costly and can cost someone their life.

The stress will get easier to handle but will not go away. You will become more confident and it won't seem so over whelming. Nursing isn't for the weak at heart and your nursing education is preparing you to become the most confident, competent provider you can be. Nursing school is hard because the profession is demanding and difficult......but in the long run, worth the journey.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

My calculation is that in nursing school I learned roughly 50% of what I needed to function competently as a nurse. The other 50% I learned in the first 2 years of practice. And so my answer is definitely yes. Take the always-striving-to-learn component, add the pressure (emotional, intellectual, mental and physical) of responsibility for X number of patients for 8-12 hours and well....you get the picture.

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It is pretty darn stressful, but not the same stress as nursing school. There is more liability as a nurse and that alone is pretty weighty.

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Specializes in Pedi.

Nursing is about 1,000x more stressful than nursing school.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

Just graduated in December.

Being a real nurse is WAY WAY WAY more stressful than school. The downside of mistakes are so much more than a poor grade and embarassment.

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I thought nursing school was stressful due to the sheer volume of knowledge I had to learn. Once out of school you will specialize a little more and become more knowledgable in your one area whether it's med-surg, OB, ortho, etc so that part is more manageable. However, nursing school does not prepare you on just how stressful the actual job really is. You are solely responsible for several patients at a time. I remember in school how we'd have 1-2 patients for 4 hrs and think "I've got this! It's going to be great!" After graduating and orientation every single one of us newbies said we didn't realize how hard this would be and none of us felt truly prepared. There's just so much on the job training/learning and responsibility! This isn't to scare you-just prepare you. It will get a lot worse before it gets better and as long as you can stick it out it will get better!

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Specializes in Med/Surg,Cardiac.

The difference lies in that forgetting the correct answer on a test leads to a lower grade. In real life, it potentially leads to problems as severe as the death of a patient.

When I was an extern, one of my preceptors commented that she would love to be back in nursing school. I thought she was nuttier than a Baby Ruth for that comment. How do you get worse than school? Spending 80 hours a week and having to pay to go to clinical? There she was making money and being a real nurse.

I understand now that she was sane. I miss nursing school all the time. Real nursing is extremely stressful because you are responsible and a bad decision can mean real damage.

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