It seems that some students are not a good fit for nursing.

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This post is just a bit of a rant so please take it with a grain of salt: I am finding MOST "pre-nursing" students I come across are not cut out for the gauntlet that is nursing school. It may be a maturity issue or an ignorance issue, I do not know. What I am seeing is a total lack of competition in my prerequs. I may just be an over competitive young man wanting to provide for his family, but I don't see anyone in my classes who is on another level kind of smart. Has anyone had this experience? I have a desire in my heart to know EVERYTHING so I am kind of constantly studying everything that has to do with nursing all the time, and I don't see anyone, really, that is knowledgeable at an elite level. It makes me sad because smart people motivate me to be better and I'm not getting any of that in my experience. please feel free to comment negatively or positively to this thread. I would love some feedback.

Thank you

I don't think that's what he meant. It's probably difficult to see his peers have a cavalier attitude towards something he takes very seriously.

I never worried about my peers in pre-nursing. Who cares? I had my own goals. An adult keeps their eye on the prize.

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Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.

I have to say, if I am honest, I was probably one of the top in my nursing class as far as book smarts. (Though I never thought the rest weren't good enough to be nursing students.)

I graduated middle of the pack and many of my classmates graduated with 4.0 GPAs because they worked their little butts off.

I believe I am a good nurse today but I have no doubt that many of my former classmates as just as good or better nurses than I am.

Being a good nurse takes many different skills. It isn't JUST academic talent.

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
I'm sure I will help people more positively and skillfully than you ever did. And that's all that matters to me. I don't care about feeling warm and fuzzy myself, I want sick people to feel better in everyway.

In that way, I believe I am better. And 40 years from now you will be dead so I can't talk to you when I am seasoned, sorry.

Quick piece of advice...you know that phrase "you're digging yourself into a hole?" You're digging yourself into the Mariana Trench.

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Thank you!

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Even if the OP meant that, not everyone shows their emotions differently, and cope differently.

People who constantly are competitive and want to know grades, etc (not saying the OP is doing this), in my experience, would NEVER know what grades I received, because I was in competition with only myself-I had a goal to achieve, and I did so; like direw0lf, I would be one who would crack jokes, etc; if there would be a discussion about schoolwork, I would let my answers show I knew the material, but wouldn't divulge my grades-it wasn't anyone's business, while making my way through school and graduating.

Of course. I was just thinking back to when I was running through my gen eds and pre reqs. I was 27 and felt like it was my one and only chance to make something of myself. Having had a poor academic history, I had to pull a 180 and learn how to be a student. I put everything I had at stake. The students were in varying stages of their lives. Some of the younger ones weren't always serious about the classes, and I found that annoying at the time. In retrospect, I had no business thinking that because I was exactly like them at that age. While I wasn't a partier, I was definitely aimless. Others had kids and full-time jobs, and other things that demanded their time and attention, and I hope the OP takes it into account that we don't know what's going on when they leave the classroom.

You're exactly right about the competitiveness in pre-nursing. It's like its own subculture. Everyone wants to know each other's grades, what program they're gunning for, when they're due to apply, etc. I kept my grades to myself, but I was similar to you in that it was clear I knew the content. That's what I needed to do at the time and didn't affect how I treated classmates. While I set high standards for myself, it didn't mean I wanted anyone to fail, as if it was the only way I would succeed. I was just giving the benefit of the doubt that it might be similar to what the OP was experiencing now.

I've mellowed out quite a bit in nursing school. I was always friendly before, but having had some personal traumas between taking my gen eds and starting the program, I'm more aware that I can't control much of anything. So, I help my fellow students when I can, have become a little less rigid with my grades (they really aren't the best indicator of who will be good nurses), am empathetic when they don't do as well as they'd like, and understand I have no control over the kind of nurses they'll become.

On an different note not directed at anyone in particular, this thread got super nasty.

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On an different note not directed at anyone in particular, this thread got super nasty.

Right!!!

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Quick piece of advice...you know that phrase "you're digging yourself into a hole?" You're digging yourself into the Mariana Trench.

Haha, well put. It was a nuclear response to a disagreement with strangers over the Internet. I'd offer that our online activity can affect our professional life, but I don't think it'd be well-received.

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Of course. I was just thinking back to when I was running through my gen eds and pre reqs. I was 27 and felt like it was my one and only chance to make something of myself. Having had a poor academic history, I had to pull a 180 and learn how to be a student. I put everything I had at stake. The students were in varying stages of their lives. Some of the younger ones weren't always serious about the classes, and I found that annoying at the time. In retrospect, I had no business thinking that because I was exactly like them at that age. While I wasn't a partier, I was definitely aimless. Others had kids and full-time jobs, and other things that demanded their time and attention, and I hope the OP takes it into account that we don't know what's going on when they leave the classroom.

You're exactly right about the competitiveness in pre-nursing. It's like its own subculture. Everyone wants to know each other's grades, what program they're gunning for, when they're due to apply, etc. I kept my grades to myself, but I was similar to you in that it was clear I knew the content. That's what I needed to do at the time and didn't affect how I treated classmates. While I set high standards for myself, it didn't mean I wanted anyone to fail, as if it was the only way I would succeed. I was just giving the benefit of the doubt that it might be similar to what the OP was experiencing now.

I've mellowed out quite a bit in nursing school. I was always friendly before, but having had some personal traumas between taking my gen eds and starting the program, I'm more aware that I can't control much of anything. So, I help my fellow students when I can, have become a little less rigid with my grades (they really aren't the best indicator of who will be good nurses), am empathetic when they don't do as well as they'd like, and understand I have no control over the kind of nurses they'll become.

On an different note not directed at anyone in particular, this thread got super nasty.

This is a great response! I really appreciate your perspective. I can relate to a lot of what you said. Thank you for taking the time to give your experience.

And in regards your side note, it has gotten a bit out of hand. I think, if you can take a step back and look at the big picture of all the input, from everyone, I think there are some really great gems to be taken away on what kind of perspective to keep in this industry.

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Your attitude towards the responses is great. Both learning from your mistakes and admitting wrongs are wonderful qualities, and I try to be accountable, myself. There certainly is constructive criticism in parts of the thread, just was jarring to have read much more than I had prior to making my first post. I still say you handled yourself well when people called you out on your frustration in a weaker moment.

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The biggest beef I had was the name "Doctor Nurse"

OP has since changed his user name after being asked to several times.

Non nurses will often portray themselves as nurses and post.

Even if it's a silly username, it's against TOS and rubs me the wrong way.

As far as his concerns with others, meh. Get over other people's grades.

How they do is no reflection on you.

I did, however, worry about grades of peers in nursing school. My study group and clinicals were students like me, give or take. Same amount of motivation, basically with grades falling in the same ballpark. We got through it together, because we all wanted the same thing.

Get into nursing school first, OP.

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The biggest beef I had was the name "Doctor Nurse"

OP has since changed his user name after being asked to several times.

Non nurses will often portray themselves as nurses and post.

Even if it's a silly username, it's against TOS and rubs me the wrong way.

I hear ya. I'd like to think it might be related to aspirations, just cuz it wouldn't make sense to portray yourself as a nurse or DNP and post about gen eds. It's never ever appropriate to present yourself differently than your actual level. I always introduce myself as a student nurse and remind patients if they call me otherwise.

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Specializes in Hospice.
I hear ya. I'd like to think it might be related to aspirations, just cuz it wouldn't make sense to portray yourself as a nurse or DNP and post about gen eds. It's never ever appropriate to present yourself differently than your actual level. I always introduce myself as a student nurse and remind patients if they call me otherwise.

It's also illegal to present yourself as a nurse without having the credentials.

So it isn't about hurt feelings, it's an actual thing. Just like you can't pass yourself off as a doctor or a cop without really being one.

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