Nursing Student says hello!

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Hi all, I am new to this board, I think sites like this is great! I am a 34 y/o

male nursing student. I am about to complete

my first semester! (WooHoo!) We started out with 25 student's in our class in August and

we are now down to 14 student's. I am the only male student and feel alienated quite often, don't get me wrong, I get along with my classmates, I respect them and they respect me. So really there is no conflict,

I'ts just that I sometimes find myself having

to break through the classroom cliques'.

Anyway, I feel proud to have joined this profession, and feel connected to the long

tradition and history of nurses. Thank you all for allowing me to introduce myself,

feel free to email! Thanks, Robert

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Hello and Welcome, hope you like these boards as much as I do.

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Congratulations on the completion of your first semester. I remember my fundamentals of nursing class. There were 90 of us. Our instructor told us to 'look to the left and look to the right... half of you will not be here by the end of the semester!' She was right, too. We were down to about 48 when we started OB/GYN/Peds in the Spring semester.

It is particularly difficult being the only male student in the class. I was fortunate in that we had about 8 guys. Get used to the cliques, however... not only will you find them in nursing school, but you may also experience them when you first start in the workplace. The good news is, the ice eventually gets broken and you will probably wind up with some wonderful friends of the female gender in nursing school. I used to hang out with a real wild crowd who turned into some of the best nurses you would have ever wanted to know!

Good luck with your studies and remember... no matter how bad things get, nursing school eventually ends.

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Hi. My two cents, if you please.

I am so glad you are proud to be a nurse. The way to hold on to that feeling (I have held it now for four years) is to find the clinical area you love and become an expert practitioner. You will continuously reap satisfaction knowing that you were able to help someone and maybe save their life.

THere are challenges--days will come when you will wish you listened to your buddy and went into computer programming (no offense to any programmers smile.gif). But, nursing has made me a better person. I work with some of the gutsiest and most knowledgeable nurses--it's helped me tremendously.

Good luck to you, Robert. Tell everyone you can about our profession--it's the way to break stereotypes and it is a foundation for change.

Leni

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Hi all, Thanks to all of you for your replies and support! This is truly a great profession. We are now down to our last week

of school for the semester, (I am sooo ready). Anyway, I hope everyone has a happy

holiday, and hang in there! This is a small world, and maybe we might even meet in the

future, That would be cool! Take care all.

And let's keep in touch! Robert

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Hi Robert. I have a sister in Plattsmouth Nebraska. Welcome aboard. Don't be too discouraged by things you read here. We vent quite often; good and bad. Have a great Christmas break and good luck next semester. We've all been there!

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I know the feeling, Robert. I have just finished and I already start back on January 8th... I guess no rest for the wicked.

PPL makes an excellent point. Don't get discouraged with the profession because of some of the posts here. Often they are negative, more often than not, they will make you think, but above all, they challenge us to consider and constantly define, redefine, and revise our own views. It seems like we always engage in any discourse with respect for each others opinions, which shows our true worth and professionalism.

Have a great Christmas vacation!

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Hi I am a nursing student. just about to go into my branch. I was going to say that I had a lot in common with you, sometimes it is difficult for me to break through the cliques. I am not a male student though!! Where are you studying, we have had hardly anyone drop out at anglia!

Nimmue

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hey robert,

love your posted topic! i've waited all my life to be a nurse, and am going to graduate with my BSN in may. it's been a long four years......hang in there. i'm pysched to know that somebody else in the world is just as excited as me!

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Robert: I am always happy to have a guy in my group. There were four men in my nursing class of 35. I guess there were cliques, but the men were always included in whatever I was doing, so I never noticed their being excluded, and one of the men was my best friend in school, so I think I would have noticed. Welcome to our profession. With all its problems, it is still the most rewarding for me. Enjoy your Holiday.

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Hi, RobertJ. I just finished my first semester of nursing classes also. No men left in our class, but we really enjoyed having 2 there for a while.They helped us to look at things from a different perspective. Well, welcome to the bulletin boards. Enjoy your all-too-short time off, before getting back to the grindstone.

P.S. We started out with 33 students and are now down to 8. Only 1 dropped- the rest failed.

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Welcome, Robert! It's great to have you on board. I think that first semester is one of the toughest- just getting used to how everything is done, what the instructors expect, care plans smile.gif I will also graduate in May and can hardly believe it. You have all the good stuff to look forward to also- ICU, ER..loads of fun! I look forward to reading more of your posts. This BB is wonderful for providing motivation as well as information. There's a good mix of students and seasoned nurses here that are willing to help. Again- welcome!!!

Shannon

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"The highest reward for man's toil is not what he gets for it, but what he becomes by it."-Johan Ruskin

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