Nursing School

(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.