Nursing School Expectations

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I am taking A & P I this semester and II while application is processed next semester for August admission. I am wondering exactly how hard nursing school really is, I have heard horror stories about the stress that comes with it. I am very committed to becoming a RN and won't let anything hold me back, I just want to be realistic about what I am expecting in terms of difficulty. Any tips from graduates or students on things I should focus on prior to the program to give me a jump start? If you could go back and do it again, would you take bio or chem? Which one issued help me most? What about study tips? Thanks for any advice!

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I don't know if I'd be much help because I did an accelerated lvn program and our a & p, med term, and pharm classes were included but ya in a nut shell it was hard. The bad- I felt like my whole life was put on hold, I went out like once a month if that.. Luckily I had a supportive partner at the time, but your free time will be spent studying studying studying. The good- EVERYTHING! The friendships you make, things you experience and do at clinical, your new nursing sense of humor, learning about all these crazy diseases, that first feeling of touching a patients heart.. I wouldn't change a thing. There is no experience like nursing school. Be excited! You could get an nclex book or order one of your nurses books early if you'd like but you won't really know what your going to be studying until you get your curriculum. Good luck to you!

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Specializes in ICU.

We don't have to have biology for our program -- A&P counts for that. You absolutely must have chemistry.

Nursing school is hard, but it's doable. It's all about time management, really. Good luck!

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Thanks Sarcastic! I think that I can easily make those sacrifices to enjoy all of the positive aspects! I am really looking forward to it and the challenge it will bring. It makes me even more excited to hear the passion that you have for it!

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Sadavey, we have microbiology as a prerequisite at univ of Montana, and bio at the community college. I am thinking I need chem as well!

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I need A&P 1&2 as well as Micro. And I'm totally jealous that you're in Montana, my dream state and my motivation for going through school :(

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I just started a & p I and it is difficult! I always hit brick walls with getting into a & p and finally went through edukan to get it over with...so ready to apply! Montana is nice, I just wish I lived closer to the school. A 45 mile one way trip over snow covered passes is not always fun : /

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I just started ap1 as well. Can't wait to get the pre reqs over with, go on vacation (Montana :D) then start the nursing program!

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I'm in the 3rd semester of an ADN program. Is it hard? Yes. Is it stressful? Yes. Is it impossible to do? No.

When you start nursing school make sure you're dedicating the right amount of time to reading, studying, and doing your clinical paperwork. It really depends on your personal situation if "you can have a life" outside of nursing school or not. In my case, I'm young, single with no kids and so far I've been able to manage my time properly to have time to go out, watch TV, or do whatever else I want. I might not have the same amount of time to entertain or might not do it as frequent as other people my age do, but my life does not consist of me going to school and then back home with my head in a book 24-hr a day. If you're married and have kids, things may be different for you because probably after class and family time you'll have to spend your free time studying.

I don't think taking bio or chem will help you that much in the program. As long as you really understand A&P and microbiology you'll be fine.

Remember that exams in nursing school are completely different than any kind of test you've taken in your pre-reqs, so the best thing to do is to buy an NCLEX question book (I like the success series like Med/surg succes, Pharm success) so you can practice a lot of these type of questions before you take your tests. It's not enough if you study/memorize the material because the questions are not about knowledge but about application, and a NCLEX practice book is the only thing that can teach you how to answer those questions. I always use that kind of books before my tests and I get way better grades than people in my class that only read chapters and memorize facts.

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Alex1987, thanks for the awesome response, that was exactly the answer I needed. I was so worried that I was making a mistake by not taking chem prior to nursing school just because when I first started a and p it was all chem based and I was thinking, ok wow aim going to start the program and be totally lost! I am lucky in that my husband will be helping lots and we dont have kids.

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Orizza, how is a and p treating you so far? It is pretty challenging in my opinion. Do you have any study tips? I make flash cards, record audio, and play downloaded apps on my iPad. Where in Montana do you vacation? My ranch is near Helena.

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

Honestly, if your school has the right admissions process and cares about the students, the hardest thing about nursing school is actually getting in.

Note that I am not saying it is easy, but pay attention, keep your head down and do ALL the work, don't cut any corners and you'll be fine.

As one poster said, just like real nursing, it really is mostly about time-management.

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