Just how difficult is nursing school going to be?!

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Is it really THAT difficult?!! I have heard some say that the prereqs were more difficult than the nursing school and others say just the opposite. I'm curious! I start my community college nursing program in the fall and I have been taking really tough courses for my eventual transfer to a 4 year university...demanding classes like Molecular Biology and Genetics, Biology for science majors, and the full year of college level Inorganic Chemistry (I just have a semester of Organic Chemistry to go). I'm hoping that these critical thinking type of classes have prepared me well enough for what lies ahead. I keep hearing about the masses of students who fail out of nursing school? And students who got all As in their prereqs who are barely passing the nursing courses? Are most of these people trying to work while they attend school?

Specializes in Med-Surg.

Personally, I found A&P and Nursing about equal in difficulty.

Where nursing school got me was the volume of work involved and that I had to work full time, so it was mentally and physically exhausting.

The coursework wasn't all that more difficult than the co-reqs (we had no pre-reqs, but I took them all ahead of time anyway).

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
I've had these discusions with my instructor as well and the Dean and the Dean told the instrucor he is was incorrect and to give me the point. If the instuctor is saying somthing is wrong that the doctors at U.C. Davis, Berkly, etc, the instuctor will have to swallow their pride and give you the grade you earned. There not allowed to be mavericks and make something up just to be right in thier own mind, and go against all medical facts that are out there.

Absolutely true. Sometimes you have to upset the applecart.

I don't think for the most part instructors go about making up facts just so they can be right and the student wrong. I think they are human and make mistakes.

There have been many times in my life where I've would bet my life that I was right about something and then had to eat crow. It didn't mean I was making it up, only mistaken.

However, sometimes the point(s) are not worth all the drama to me. Sometimes the points make a difference. You have to choose your battles. Perhaps I surrender too easily.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
I've had these discusions with my instructor as well and the Dean and the Dean told the instrucor he is was incorrect and to give me the point. If the instuctor is saying somthing is wrong that the doctors at U.C. Davis, Berkly, etc, the instuctor will have to swallow their pride and give you the grade you earned. There not allowed to be mavericks and make something up just to be right in thier own mind, and go against all medical facts that are out there.

The chief problem here is that instructors that have to 'swallow their pride' because of you have many more opportunities down the line to 'even the score'. Too much of nursing school is the subjective evaluation of instructors for it to be good advice to make it a habit to butt heads with them.

I had my tussles with instructors. I even once went to the dean and had an instructor over-ruled --- when I thought it was absolutely essential to my continuation in the program.

I guess my point is to pick and choose your battles. How wise is it to make an enemy with someone who might control your fate and to do so over whether you make an 87 or 89 on some test?

And yet, this doesn't distract from the MAIN point: instructors write your exam, not books. Learn your instructors viewpoints about such things and learn to tell which instructor is given domain over which content on the tests.

Because, even if you CAN successfully argue a point: if you have a test and you know the BOOK answer and you know the INSTRUCTOR answer, and the two are different - how much easier is it to avoid the confrontation altogether?

Some people can't, I know. They have to answer the 'book' answer and duke it out. But then, who's not 'swallowing their pride' in THAT circumstance?

And unfortunately, this whole topic about the subjective nature of evaluation in nursing school comes up all too often.

~faith,

Timothy.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
And that goes back to what I was saying earlier about vivid memories of students arguing over a particular point for hours with an instructor.

"But the book says !!!!!"

The 'book' doesn't write and grade your exams.

~faith,

Timothy.

Yep, it's a no-brainer when there are clearly two views. If the views can't be clarified prior to the exam, I'd go with the one who writes and grades the exam.

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And that goes back to what I was saying earlier about vivid memories of students arguing over a particular point for hours with an instructor.

"But the book says !!!!!"

The 'book' doesn't write and grade your exams.

~faith,

Timothy.

this is true, but we have a modular more self paced system with a far lesser amount of lecture than normal and not all teachers are writing their tests. (this is where the problem comes in)Some are getting them from the department head. (old tests being reused). This is why I say as a current 1st year student to a future student...Ask if you need to. No arguing is necessary, what the teacher says goes but sometimes you need to clarify.

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also wanted to mention that it is NEVER a good idea to challenge the teacher in front of everyone. However when you have a test that is multiple choice and you have two "correct" answers according to the text, then that needs to be addressed. I do agree with picking your battles. "Priority" questions you most likely are never going to be able to get points back for. The priority is whatever the teacher thinks the priority is who wrote the test or whatever book the test bank questions come from. Every teacher will prioritze slightly differently so that is just something that you have to learn and deal with in each class. You do have to put on your "mind reader" hat for those.

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hi all...im new to this site....it is extremly helpful...i start school in the fall and can't wait.

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I'm new here, but I just finished my 1st semester of nursing school, I felt completely stressed the entire time, (you know the feeling of butterflies constantly in your stomach cause you're constantly worried about the tests and assessments you have to do)!! I got through with 3 B's and 1 A, but my issue is is that, although I did decent in those classes, I feel like I didn't comprehend all that I should have because they throw so much on you at one time and so quickly!! Does anyone have any advice on this or does it just start to come together the farther you go along? Thanks for any advice!!

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Specializes in Ortho/Med-Surg.

Stay positive and pray to whatever higher power you believe in. I started college at 29 years old and graduated 4 years later. I attended FT/never worked as a single mom. I wish you all the luck in the world. Stay focused and maintain good study habits = good time management skills. Avoid the negativity, I got caught up in all of that but have to refocus and take it one day at a time. I was an average student in high school but graduated from Fla A&M with Honors which I was proud of myself for doing but does not make you a good nurse. Best of Luck ~ God Bless.

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I agree with you guys, we should try to avoid battles with instructors. I'm a little pig-headed though. So if I earned a point by a correct answer, then they better give it to me. If they want to get back at me, most of the other students will bear the brunt of it. I passed A&P at the top of my class both semesters, so trying to punish me will only bring every other persons grade down and hardly affect mine. I study hard and if I don't know it, most likley no one else knows it either in the class. I guess I'm just a hard ass. Hopefully no one else has to suffer when I go through nursing school.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
I agree with you guys, we should try to avoid battles with instructors. I'm a little pig-headed though. So if I earned a point by a correct answer, then they better give it to me. If they want to get back at me, most of the other students will bear the brunt of it. I passed A&P at the top of my class both semesters, so trying to punish me will only bring every other persons grade down and hardly affect mine. I study hard and if I don't know it, most likley no one else knows it either in the class. I guess I'm just a hard ass. Hopefully no one else has to suffer when I go through nursing school.

The thing is, I wouldn't be afraid at others suffering so much because you 'bust the curve', so to speak.

The POINT is that your instructors have greater leverage over you than simple test scores. They evaluate you on a number of criteria, whether those criteria are 'open source' for you to examine, or not.

Many instructors believe that nursing school is a place to 'break you down' and build you back up, in, more or less, their image. If you give them 'attitude', you only encourage the 'break you down' processes. I found nursing school to be MUCH easier to survive by maintaining a degree of relative anonymity.

As you can tell, I have my opinions. But, I know where and when to espouse them. When somebody has absolute power over your success, as your instructors certainly do, then I found it best to not make a point of espousing MY opinions over theirs.

There is a time and place for everything. MY opinions are simply more relevant as a member of my profession. I found it an acceptable price to yield to my instructors then in order to be a better voice NOW.

I said this before: there is a difference between instruction and education. My nursing school 'education' was much more than the sum of my 'instruction'.

~faith,

Timothy.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
I'm new here, but I just finished my 1st semester of nursing school, I felt completely stressed the entire time, (you know the feeling of butterflies constantly in your stomach cause you're constantly worried about the tests and assessments you have to do)!! I got through with 3 B's and 1 A, but my issue is is that, although I did decent in those classes, I feel like I didn't comprehend all that I should have because they throw so much on you at one time and so quickly!! Does anyone have any advice on this or does it just start to come together the farther you go along? Thanks for any advice!!

Don't worry.

Nursing school doesn't teach you how to be a 'nurse' any more than medical school teaches you how to be a 'doctor'. Med school graduates 'learn the ropes' in an extended preceptorship known as Internship and Residency.

You learn in much the same way. You will function as part of a team, and that team will teach you the skills and culture set to eventually perform as a 'nurse'. Nursing school doesn't teach you that. Rather, it arms you with the base on knowledge to learn that OJT. Many young nurses find it takes well into the second year of actual nursing to 'put it all together'. And that's not a a bad thing; it is, actually, 'how it should be'.

Just remember to ask questions and you'll do fine. I've never had a problem with nursing students that didn't know everything. My problem with young nurses are the ones that DON'T KNOW that they don't know everything.

Finish school and your first years of nursing w/ an open mind and a willingness to learn, and you'll do fine. And one day, you'll wake up and discover that nursing 'clicks'.

~faith,

Timothy.

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