Please Help

so you are trying to decide if nursing is right for you? let me tell you right now, if you do decide to go to nursing school, you can pretty much kiss your social life and your family goodbye. your new "family" will be all the other nursing students who you will be studying, practicing skills, venting, possibly crying, studying, reading, and did i mention studying with? :wink2: seriously, to graduate from nursing school, it will take your %100 effort all the time. you will find out that nursing school is different from what you have attended in the past. there is no more simple memorization. now, you will have to use the infamous nursing process and critical thinking skills to there fullest in order to pass the tests (at least that was my nursing school experience). but just graduating is just part of becoming the nurse. next comes the biggest test of your nursing life: the dreaded nclex. that is the test that every nurse has to take in order to get their license to practice. basically you have to take everything you've ever learned in the 2 years you have been going to school, and apply it to the test. the test asks about every aspect of nursing. prepare yourself for many, many hours or studying for that one, and waiting nervously until the results are received. either you pass or you don't; no in-between.

once you pass the test and become a new rn, how much you will make depends on where you are hired. every place is different. for example, if you decide to work in a hospital, the critical care units pay more than for example, a med/surg new rn. you will have to check around whatever area of nursing you decide to pursue to determine how much you will make. experience = more $$.

if you think nursing school is stressful, just wait to you get out in the real world. your time management skills will be pushed to the limits. you will either adjust or you will be eaten alive by the patients, mds, other staff members, etc. i first started out on a med/oncology floor, and my patient load averaged around 14. you barely have time to even know the patient's name as you run in their room, pass your meds, hang iv fluids, etc, and your off to your next patient. plus the charting. pray that your facility uses computers to chart with or prepare yourself for some major writers cramp, and staying a few extra hours to catch up on your charting (especially if you have had a hectic day). i am in nicu now, have been for over 3 years, and my patient load is 1-2, depending on acuity. big difference from a non-critical care unit. actually have time to be a nurse usually.

as for what courses you need to take depends on what kind of nursing program you are pursuing. are you going for your adn (community college-2 yrs) or your bsn (4 yr university)? are you wanting to become a lvn/lpn first or rn? you will have to check out the institutions that you are interested in attending to see what their requirements are for admission into their nursing programs.

once you decide on what school you want to attend, and complete the prerequisites, most, if not all, nursing programs have an admissions process and only take a select number of students each semester. for me, my initial class started with 60. when i graduated, there were only 29 of us left. nursing school is very stressful, but can be done of you are willing to make sacrifices and completely devote yourself to it and set your mind on finishing and graduating.

as far as seeing someone die, yes, i have seen many adults pass away. working on the nicu, i have seen my share of infants leave this life to go play with the angels. everyone deals with death differently. how i deal with it may not work for you. usually we just talk about it amongst ourselves on the unit, and let it go. you cannot afford to dwell on it or you will be emotionally drained and won't last long in the nursing field. how you deal with death depends on your own personal feelings and convictions.

once you start your different clinical rotations, you will get a better feel of what appeals to you. for me, i have always liked kids, and when this nicu position came up, i jumped on it and i love what i do. you will rotate through different areas of nursing from med/surg, ob, peds, psych, community, etc, so hopefully on of your rotations appeals to you and you decide to pursue it further.

whew, what a post! trying to explain nursing isn't exactly the easiest thing in the world. all i can say is that it takes a special person to put up with all the we as nurses do on a daily basis. make no mistake about it, nursing is not for everyone; but for the one's that do make it, it can be a very rewarding experience. good luck!

When I read OP, I'm like huh, um...., well,............sure are alot of questions!

That has to be one of the most awesomist.....(yea I know it's not a word, but you know what I mean) posts I've ever read.

:rcgtku:

:clphnds:

:rckn:

:urck:

Just had to pull out all the bells and whistles on this one!

Very and I mean, Very well said!!!!!!!!!!

It's great to see that someone takes the time to give valuable info, instead of criticizing. That was so informative! I greatly appreciated this response. It was so well written, thanks for the post and response.

Thank you very much you answered all my questions very well and gave me lots to think about i dont handle death well so that will be one of the things that i may have to consider

i was trying to do 4yr nursing but doing a two year r.n sounded fine to since the pay isnt much different at least thats what i heard i was wondering could you go straight into nicu right after college i really do appreciate you answering my question in full again i got lots to think about my boyfriend and i live together i wondering how can i get my work done without him being to much of a distraction i hate to break up with him but what else can i do

my boyfriend and i live together i wondering how can i get my work done without him being to much of a distraction i hate to break up with him but what else can i do

Study at the library every day until you have completed your assignments and such. Make it part of your schedule, so you know that instead of coming home after your 2pm class, go straight to the library and don't leave till 5pm (or whenever, just an example) BFs can be quite the distraction, but only if they are around

I'm assuming that you feel pretty close and committed to this guy if you are living with him, so it would be a shame to leave him over something that is avoidable. If he cares for you, he will understand how important it is for you to give school your full attention. If he's not willing to let you take the time to study and do your assignments then I would call that being selfish and someone who doesn't have your best interest in mind.

you are wonderful thank you much yes he is willing to give me space and wants me to get my work done that is a great idea about the library i was actually already doing that its just that while reading the description about kissing my social life goodbye i knew it was the truth and i know my boyfriend is a major distraction he is my only friend and we do everything together