Nursing Student Interview

1. what school do you attend and what semester of the nursing program are you now enrolled?

i attend armstrong atlantic state university in savannah, ga. i am first semester junior and currently enrolled.

2. what are the best things about your nursing program?

the instructors are very encouraging and go out of their way to make sure that everyone is on track.

3. what are the worse things about your nursing program?

how some of the instructors try to “weed out” students instead of helping them succeed. i thought “weeding out” was done in the application process and the best were selected!

4. how does nursing school affect your family?

i have less time for my husband and children than i would like. i find myself sacrificing a lot of time with them to study. they understand that i am doing this to secure our future and are very supportive!

5. why did you select this nursing program?

i selected this program b/c it is a bsn program and it was closest to where i reside. the clinical are also in fantastic facilities!

6. did you have previous health care employment or education before you entered your nursing program?

yes. i am a certified cna, phlebotomist, and i worked as a medical lab assistant prior to entering the nursing program.

7. what do you find easy about nursing school?

i find the fundamental course easy because most of it is a refresher for skills i already have. i also find pharmacology courses pretty easy. the math in nursing school is pretty elementary and not all that difficult.

8. what do you find the most difficult?

i find studying for nursing tests is pretty hard. i have had to completely forget about how i used to study and learn what works best for me as far as taking tests in nursing school is concerned.

9. would you say the nursing program is expensive? are there hidden costs?

i attend a public school in the state so tuition is pretty reasonable, a little over $2,000 a semester. the price of books is ridiculous the first semester but it gets better b/c we get to re-use most of the books for the duration of the program. there are also lab and testing fees (ati), background check fees, nursing student association fees, class dues, uniforms, equipment (stethoscope, pen light, bp cuff, etc.). we also have to have a pda with nursing central software. it all adds up pretty quickly.

10. do you work? how many hours per week?

i have just recently begun working part-time as a nursing student pct (patient care tech) for two 12 hour shifts every weekend.

11. is there anything that you were not academically prepared for?

i was academically prepared for everything the program has thrown at us b/c i knew it wouldn’t be easy!

12. what would you recommend to an in-coming student to make them better prepared for the program?

learn how to take tests! test taking skills will help you in any nursing program.

13. what would you change about your program?

i think we need more clinical hours incorporated into the program.

14. how do you compare the pre-nursing or pre-requisites to the actual nursing classes?

the foundation provided by the pre-requisites is just the tip of the iceberg. you will use it all, but nursing courses are an entirely different beast to tame.

15. what part of the nursing program causes the most anxiety among you and your peers?

preparing for the test seems to cause the most anxiety. you have to make at least a 75% to pass the course and there is a lot of information to get. there are tests every week, so just when you think you are about to get a break, her we go again.

16. do nursing students support each other? do you find much competition?

some of us support each other. the ones that don’t treat it like an episode of survivor, like there is one big winner at the end of the program and the rest of us are getting voted off. competitive is an understatement!!

17. so far, what clinical experiences in your program have you enjoyed the most?

i have actually enjoyed the medical-surgical floor(s) because the things i have seen there are very diverse. it looks like that is the place to be to keep skills current or at least to build a strong skill foundation.

18. would you encourage your son/daughter/brother/sister/best friend to go into nursing?

absolutely! it is a rewarding career, in more ways than one.

19. are you glad you picked nursing as a major?

i am completely happy with my decision.

20. do you feel that your nursing school prepares you for the profession?

yes and no. the school should do more to give us more clinical time because that is the litmus test for what type of nurse you will be.

hope this helps!! good luck!

1. What school do you attend and what semester of the nursing program are you now enrolled? I am a student at Francis Marion University as a 1st semester freshmen.

2. What are the best things about your nursing program? Our nursing program has the newest technology in South Carolina for nursing school

3. What are the worse things about your nursing program?The worse thing, i would have to say, is that you can not be truly hands on until your junior and senior year.

4. How does nursing school affect your family? It is a strain at times balancing homework and family time.

5. Why did you select this nursing program? I selected this program because of the advance technology and NCLEX passing rate

6. Did you have previous health care employment or education before you entered your nursing program? no.

7. What do you find easy about nursing school? The biology classes are very simple for me.

8. What do you find the most difficult? Chemistry is very hard for me.

9. Would you say the nursing program is expensive? Are there hidden costs?, the books are very expensive because people rarely sell their books back.

10. Do you work? How many hours per week?no, i plan to next semester.

11. Is there anything that you were not academically prepared for? Chemistry.

12. What would you recommend to an in-coming student to make them better prepared for the program? To make sure that they take highest math they can in high school and to review chemistry concepts.

13. What would you change about your program? would allow 2nd year students hands on time

14. How do you compare the pre-nursing or pre-requisites to the actual nursing classes?I have not gotten into my actual nursing classes yet.

16. Do nursing students support each other? Do you find much competition?Yes, we have many study groups although, we are very aware that we are in a competition.

17. So far, what clinical experiences in your program have you enjoyed the most? N/A

18. Would you encourage your son/daughter/brother/sister/best friend to go into nursing? I would, i think it is an awarding job.

19. Are you glad you picked nursing as a major? yes, but at times i feel discouraged.

20. Do you feel that your nursing school prepares you for the profession?yes.