Nursing School= No Life

obloom14 · Feb 18, 2013

Welcome to the nursing world. This is the first step into becoming a nurse. When I went to nursing school, I pretty much had no life either. I would have to turn down some social events and had times where I regretted going into NS. But at the end, all the struggle is really worth it. Most schools have the same testing score where you have to have a 75 or above to be passing. In my school, we had to have 76 to pass and that caused lots of anxiety in many of us students. There had been times where I was borderline passing in my classes and instructors were afraid that I was going to fail. But having this done is what motivated me into pushing my self harder and to make sure I make it through. There have been times where I would break down into tears and say I'm dropping out. But I had to get myself together, toughen up and get through it. I kept telling myself I can't let this get to me. I am going to be a nurse, I am MEANT to be a nurse and by crying it won't get me to be successful.

Just remember to take breaks once in a while. Don't completely isolate yourself away from your friends and family. Make sure you let them know ahead of time the stress that you are under. Although they will not understand what you are going through, it's okay. There will be times where you will lash out and get mad at your family for no apparent reason because of everything you have to deal with in nursing school. Remember this...make sure to be assertive during clinicals. You can be an A student in lecture and not be good on the floor. You have to make the best of it once you're on the floor. Don't be too confident and don't be too shy. Have a balance and get the best out of it! Learn as much as you can...knowledge is power!

Good luck in your nursing school path and remember, we are all here to support each other!

hodgieRN · Feb 18, 2013

Pretty much :)

melizerd, ASN, RN · Feb 19, 2013

I think everyone feels like that a little bit, you can only be told what something is like so much before you believe them when you do it.

We have to have an 80% on exams/quizzes to pass, so add that stress in our ADN program.

Also I found that my first semester was like being thrown into a foreign country where you have to learn the language and customs. Second semester was better. I'm almost at the half way point in semester 3 and I find that while the load hasn't changed *I* have and how I handle it has changed.

pockunit, ADN, RN · Feb 19, 2013

You can still have a life. We have three kids, took a trip or two, and managed fine. It's all about time management and prioritizing (oh, how you'll hate those words).

I won't say there weren't periods of OMG TOTAL SUCK, but it goes by *so fast* that you won't even believe it, even while it seems like every day takes f o r e v e r to just end, already.

Take it as it comes and don't freak out until you need to.

soxgirl2008 · Feb 19, 2013

We need an 80% on our quizzes and exams in order to pass, which is stressful, but I find I psych myself out more than I need to. Just take a deep breath and study hard, it'll all work out. I just started a month ago and already I'm finding it easier to prioritize my time and manage things. It just takes getting used to. Although I don't do much else besides school, sleep and work. I work 24 hours a week though, and if I worked less I might have some actual free time!

SunshineDaisy, ASN, RN · Feb 19, 2013

It's overwhelming at first, but it's totally manageable to have some sort of life! As a PP said, organization and prioritization is key!

lydzMtl · Feb 19, 2013

The first year is the worst... Teacher would tell us the first year is easy wait till u get to 3rd semester ir will be pulling your hair out overload... And quite franckly... It wasnt... You get used to the routine and lack of time sleep and food... You start dropping the fancy clothes on school days and opt for sweat pants right out of bed so you save that 30 minutes choosing your outfit for 30 minutes more sleep... You might also want to turn off anythingbthat might disturb you... Phone computer internet for that matter... Seems crazy i know... But seriousely i tried it and tested it out and i saved in a ahole day of studying over 3h i spent on facebook /twitter instead of workig on school stuff and ending up having to pull an allnighter... Somyeah every little thing that slows you down no matter how good they seem if not necessary... Push them back until you are done... Once everything is done the satisfaction is that much better! ( from experiance... Fresh new grad)

lydzMtl · Feb 19, 2013

Oh by the way... Being a nurse kicks ass... Seriousely! I went into NS as a temporary thing and now im heading into assistant head nurse job and to my bachelors degree in NUrsing... So just keep your head above water and go kick some ass

Mewsin · Feb 19, 2013

I hear you, we started Monday. I'm still reading what was assigned last week. I took medical terminology to work with me this weekend, Saturday morning one of my co-workers said, "oh get a life." (she was joking to clarify) I fake cried and said, "this is my life now, sob"

I just keep thinking, 2 years until my diploma, 2 years until my diploma. It will be worth it.

NotMyProblem MSN, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN · Feb 20, 2013

"no time to do anything but sleep, work, and study."

Got 2 divorces under my belt to prove it! Welcome to nursing!

Raewynv · Feb 27, 2013

Life what is that lol. Nursing school is hard but we just have to stay positive and know that we are doing this for a reason. You also need to have breaks as you will burnout otherwise. Take care of yourself and you will be fine :)