Nursing school is like pregnancy, the real work starts when the baby is born

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

I think that people trying to get into nursing school are like women trying to get pregnant. They are optimistic, idealistic, and excited. Some of them have trouble getting pregnant and become frustrated and discouraged.

Then, they get a positive pregnancy test (letter of acceptance), and they announce the joyous news to everyone! Some of them even post a happy thread on Allnurses!

Then, the ups and downs of pregnancy ensues .The first trimester they don't even look like nurses, but they feel nauseous in the mornings when they have to get up to go to clinicals. They aren't so sure about this whole thing, and they are feeling emotionally unsettled, sometimes bursting into tears at small things.

Second trimester they start to hit their stride. People can start to see that they will be nurses, they feel optimistic and have a gaining self confidence.

Third trimester, they start to feel bogged down. Everyone can definately see that they will be nurses. When will this all end so that they can get some rest?

Then, the baby is born, and the real work begins. After the initial euphoria has worn off the reality of that first year settles in. This is a lot more work and responsiblity than they ever imagined. Sometimes they question why they ever wanted to be a parent. Some of them suffer terrible post partum depression. The sleepless nights are killers for some, as they desperatly try anything to get on dayshift.

Eventually, they adapt, some better than others. The baby grows and so does the mother. A few of them don't fare well and turn to drugs or alcohol and neglect their child, or even have the child taken away by the state. Most do a decent job and a few really excel. Some of them go on to teach others the art of parenting.

Yep, being a nurse is a lot like being a mother.

[Quickbeam, BSN, RN]

Hee! May I add that there is something about the 'third trimester' that imparts a bold wisdom that apparently surpasses that of all experienced nurses? :chuckle

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

Hee! May I add that there is something about the 'third trimester' that imparts a bold wisdom that apparently surpasses that of all experienced nurses? :chuckle

That's from reading all those books while pregnant on childrearing! :chuckle

[jjjoy, LPN]

great analogy!

[puresass]

hah! i love this.

[oramar]

You post has a point and I know it is all writen in humor but I can see another side to the joke. Some how it infers that the responsibility for not making the change over to real world nursing is the fault of the individual. You don't get a 30 to 50% over 5 year drop out rate in other professions. There is something especially nasty going on in nursing, maybe several somethings. I just can't laugh.

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

You post has a point and I know it is all writen in humor but I can see another side to the joke. Some how it infers that the responsibility for not making the change over to real world nursing is the fault of the individual. You don't get a 30 to 50% over 5 year drop out rate in other professions. There is something especially nasty going on in nursing, maybe several somethings. I just can't laugh.

I wasn't thinking of anything as heavy as that. I wasn't trying to blame anyone either. I just saw that the optimism when a mother becomes pregnant compared to the later realities of childrearing parallels what we nurses experience in the process of becoming nurses.

[racing-mom4, BSN, RN]

wow will i use the analogy when I see students in thier clinicals--may even share it with some former instructors..great.

[FemmeRN]

:yeah:Love this!! I just graduated and will be starting my first RN job as a mother/baby nurse next month. I guess this means my patients and I will be at parallel stages in life! :chuckle

[NsgChica]

Wow!!!! This is a great analogy. I just had my baby and I am realizing that, this is a lot of responsibility and hardwork. More than I expected. I sometimes cry, wondering if I made the right decision...I also have less confidence because of the body change (the transition from school, being a senior to being the new grad...knowing nothing...thinking none of those pregnancy books could have prepared me for what I am facing now!!) Thanks sooo much for the analogy...At least I know I am not alone!:icon_roll

[jjjoy, LPN]

I can see oramar's point. While there is no way to *totally* prepare a person for a transition, there are ways to make the gap smaller and the expectations a bit more realistic. Hopefully, nursing school would help lessen the gap and provide realistic expectations. Like the difference between a first-time mother-to-be who has only held a friend's happy 6-mo baby a few times versus one who has spent time with a screaming, needy newborn; the difference between a to-be-mom who hasn't dealt with kids since she herself was a kid versus one who has had chances to spend extended periods with children as an adult authority/nurturing figure. It's up to the mothers to seek out opportunities to find out more about the realities of parenting. Some do and some don't.

Nursing school, on the other hand, should provide those opportunities. As it is, many programs stop at giving the students clinical time but don't help guide the students to finding the best learning opportunities while there. In the right circumstances a student can function at the level of a graduate nurse (no having to wait til the baby's born, so to speak). Yes, it IS different when the full responsibility is yours, but again, the transition needn't be quite as stark as it currently is for many students.

Still, the analogy is a good one and made me laugh!!!

[NursKris82]

This is a great analogy!! I just became a nurse, but have never been a parent. I love being a nurse, but the responsibility is very real and overwhleming at times, especially as a new grad.