nervous about nursing.

loriangel14, RN · Jul 2, 2013

Class size will vary. Mine had 26 people, my daughter's class has 180.It will be mostly females and presentations and speaking in front of the class are part of nursing school. You will have to develop skills related to speaking with patients and families.It was difficult for me but I have gotten much better. Sometimes you just have to take a deep breath and put on a smile.I used to get nrevopus walking into the room of a patient that I hadn't met before but now I can do it. Speaking to doctors was a challenge as well.

resigned · Jul 2, 2013

0_O 180!? i wish i get a class like yours.i actually thought nursing classes were smaller...thanks for the honesty Lori :)

swansonplace · Jul 2, 2013

In my class there were 50, then around 40 at the end. They taught us to stand and speak by having us do presentations. In the beginning, most students would stand and read the powerpoint or index card. As time went on, we got to know each other, and we would just stand up with less prompts. My partner was deathly afraid of standing and speaking. So she would just read her part. She would explain to us that she was very nervous, and we would help her along as we could. She was able to pass with no issues.

resigned · Jul 2, 2013

i guess i will get used to my classmates (if i get accepted)its them that someone is usually scared of.

windsurfer8, BSN, RN · Jul 2, 2013

Fear can prevent people from really living. Face the fear and DO IT.

ScientistSalarian · Jul 2, 2013

My class is around 40 people ranging from their early 20's to late 50's with a roughly 60/40 female/male mix. We only have a couple classes with all 40 of us at once, otherwise we're split into classes of 20 or groups of 10 or less for clinical sites. We're expected to participate in class discussions/debates and give group or individual presentations as part of our grade.

I'm also a very quiet, introverted person. Not shy, necessarily, just naturally reserved. It takes near constant effort for me to monitor my own behavior and force myself to interact socially with others. For example, when I'm sitting in a small group of chatting classmates I have to make a calculated effort to toss in a relevant sentence here or there - otherwise my default is to jut sit there listening to conversations like a mute weirdo. :speechless: It takes practice like any other skill but once you get used to seeing the same faces every day it will get a lot easier. Best of luck!

resigned · Jul 2, 2013

true.

resigned · Jul 2, 2013

thats true.

LoriRNCM, ADN, ASN, RN · Jul 2, 2013

My class is around 40 people ranging from their early 20's to late 50's with a roughly 60/40 female/male mix. We only have a couple classes with all 40 of us at once, otherwise we're split into classes of 20 or groups of 10 or less for clinical sites. We're expected to participate in class discussions/debates and give group or individual presentations as part of our grade.
I'm also a very quiet, introverted person. Not shy, necessarily, just naturally reserved. It takes near constant effort for me to monitor my own behavior and force myself to interact socially with others. For example, when I'm sitting in a small group of chatting classmates I have to make a calculated effort to toss in a relevant sentence here or there - otherwise my default is to jut sit there listening to conversations like a mute weirdo. It takes practice like any other skill but once you get used to seeing the same faces every day it will get a lot easier. Best of luck!

Me too! I learned though to not sit on the sidelines and I ended up being the leader of my A & P lab group, because sometimes you have to step up. Your instructors will take note of your leadership skills too. I don't mean bossy, I just mean getting the "job" done. I have a fear of public speaking and I got over that in my speech class in the nineties (yeah, the older ya get the more comfortable you are with it!) I mean, really..... what can they do? Throw tomatoes at you? I figured everyone is in the same boat. No one wants to do it, but we all have to.