Nursing School

[xx--RN--xx]

(Note: when I say "nursing school", I'm not talking about prerequisite courses)

I'm wrapping up a preceptorship with a student this week and felt inspired to start a thread for nursing students.

Nursing school is terrible. It sucks. I hated it.

I hated the stress.

I hated being made to feel stupid.

I hated the uniforms and all white shoes.

I hated the care plans.

I hated the paperwork.

I hated when I felt like I was bothering nurses in hospitals during clinical rotations.

I hated feeling like the dumbest person in the class (turned out, everyone is "dumb" and no one really understands what is going on).

I hated that OB was the most difficult semester while as a male nurse I KNEW there wasn't a snowballs chance in hell that I'd EVER be an OB nurse.

I hated buying EXPENSIVE books and carrying them with me every where I went.

I hated making straight A's on my prerequisite courses then making a C's and a rare B in the program.

I hated the tests and the possible 3/4 right answers.

I hated the skills check offs and stupid nursing school protocols that had no real world application. (Example: everytime we entered the room, we would have to introduce ourselves by full name and title and check the pt's ID. I assume they thought we were all going to work in an Alzheimer's ward. )

I hated that my wife had to work 2 jobs to cover my 2 years of unemployment while going through the nursing program.

I hated post conference and being kept an extra 30 minutes so the class know it all could hear herself/himself talk.

I could go on...but you get the idea.

Thats why, I go out of my way to make sure the nursing students at my hospital have an authentic nursing experience. Under close supervision I let/make them do every aspect of my job from emptying sharp containers to vent care. I truly believe that one does not learn to be a nurse from nursing school. One learns to be a nurse by being a nurse.

In summation: Nursing school sucks but nursing as a proffesion does not. Nursing school is not nursing. Nursing school is a 2 year kick in the nuts. It gets better.

BTW, don't stress too much about your license exam; turns out, you have spent the last 2 years studying for it.

[Mom/Nurse2b]

Good for you for being that nurse that those students can turn to and not feel like they are bothering someone. You have taken some of the negatives from your experience and turned them into positives for others. :)

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

It doesn't have to suck. I have had a wonderful experience in my program and so have my friends. Nursing school although not perfect, has been pretty good, met life long friends, had wonderful teachers, wonderful co-nurses and preceptors and I got out of it exactly what I put in. I couldn't be happier with my program.

[Turd Ferguson]

I hated that OB was the most difficult semester while as a male nurse I KNEW there wasn't a snowballs chance in hell that I'd EVER be an OB nurse.

YES!!

[workingharder]

Thanks for the post. I'll graduate in a couple of days and with the exception of the one about your wife working two jobs(I'm divorced) that post could have been written by me.

Let me add one more: The first week of Fundamentals your instructor ASSUMES everyone knows intuitively what a care map is and what nursing diagnosis are.