Is nursing school really awful?

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

Published

I'm 27 years old with a bachelors in psychology and I'm now going back to nursing school this fall part time as a career change. I have tried to set myself up for success - I have done all my prerequisites and will only be doing nursing classes and clinicals come fall. However every single nurse I have come into contact with when I told them I am going to nursing school immediately make a face and say "oh they're so mean to you there" or go "it's going to be awful". Then when I ask what they mean they just say "you'll find out". It's a little offputting to be honest LOL. Can you please share your take on nursing school? I'm not scared of hard work, but I'm a little unsure of what to expect when I receive such negative reactions from every person who has gone to nursing school when I mention it. Any feedback/reassurance/advice you can provide would be awesome!

I personally hate only 1 thing about nursing school it is clinicals, student nurses overworked as CNA , we barely learn anything , we do NOT get PAID, we have 3 to 4 patient, so all day long I ether clean up vomits or cleaning buts and changing diapers, could not wait to be done with school.

At my hospital on regular med surg floor nurses expected to care for 5 - 6 patient each shift. To me it is not safe ration, but iam just a student.

I wish ANA organization would do some thing about , or goverment who overlook nursing profession

Oh Lordy... and you want to be a nurse?!? :woot:

Do the world a favor! As someone's already said it... Quit Now!

0 Votes
I personally hate only 1 thing about nursing school it is clinicals, student nurses overworked as CNA , we barely learn anything , we do NOT get PAID, we have 3 to 4 patient, so all day long I ether clean up vomits or cleaning buts and changing diapers, could not wait to be done with school.

At my hospital on regular med surg floor nurses expected to care for 5 - 6 patient each shift. To me it is not safe ration, but iam just a student.

I wish ANA organization would do some thing about , or goverment who overlook nursing profession

Maybe that's an issue with your program. I had really awesome educational experiences in my first semester clinicals. I did wipe butts and clean up vomit, too - it's part of what we'll be doing when we graduate, so it makes sense that we learn how to compassionately give that care now.

0 Votes

Nursing school was one of the hardest and most stressful times of my life but also one of the most fun times of my life. It is a lot of work. You're learning a lot of new things. It's very time consuming with classes and studying and clinicals and the dreaded care plans which you never have to do again once you graduate thank goodness!! But that being said remind yourself of how many thousands of people have gone through nursing school and passed and you will too. Good luck!

0 Votes

I don't think his problem is so much that we have to do clinicals, but that we're exploited to be used as an extra aide on the unit rather than being actively taught nursing. During the weekend, people have to pay me for what nursing students are expected to do for free. The first semester of clinicals, fine, you have to learn how to function as an aide. But then from then on, the only time you should be doing an aide's work is when it involves caring for your patient. How many stories are out there about students being expected to literally work as an unpaid aide. We have a thread up about 12 hour clinicals where the class is expected to stand in the hall and wait for a call light to go off. Do seriously none of you see a problem with this? You're not an employee of the hospital, you're a student, in a class, that just happens to be at the hospital. The students should not be functioning as aides, and need to start refusing, because if a patient gets hurt, you're not covered, it's you personally that's getting sued, because legally, you're not supposed to be doing that without supervision.

100% of your day in clinicals should be LEARNING. That's what you're there for. Being assigned 5 baths in your last semester of nursing school is just taking away from time that can be spent on your skills, or reviewing your patients and their care, so that, you know, you have a better understanding of how to function as an RN.

We need more nurses like him, he shouldn't quit, because he's one of the few with the balls to stand up while only being a student.

And in medsurg, he's right. 5-6 patients for a nurse is a lot. The quality of care takes a huge dive at that point. There's been tons of research on it. There's always something that needs to be done, and the more people that's stretched across, the less that actually gets done.

0 Votes
Specializes in Neuro.

Nursing school is simply work. There are times when I love it & other times get frustrated a bit with it. But, things started clicking this past semester & to be able to connect the dots is an amazing feeling. I have a million dots to learn to connect still but the feeling of the first ones connecting is very cool. It's a good challenge.

0 Votes

Yes. Its awful. But then again so is trudging through most any degree.

Any type of medical schooling kinda goes like this, nursing especially Best way i can describe it is, a lot of information thats separated through:

Fluff

Important medical stuff

More fluff

Impractical ways of doing everything

Hazing by instructors that demand you know things sort of "just because"

All the answers on the test are right, but you have to pick the "most correct" answer

Then eventually you become a nurse and realize how much nursing school simultaneously taught you nothing and everything you need to know all at the same time

Candidly speaking of course haha. Good luck. Youll either love it or hate it. No in between

0 Votes
Specializes in Critical Care.

I don't want to say I hated nursing school, but I didn't find it to be very enjoyable. It was quite busy at all times, very stressful, and clinicals were dreadful for reasons mentioned previously (overworked, not learning that much beyond figuring out how to approach a patient, essentially being unpaid staff for the day). HOWEVER.... I am now a nurse and I love my job! It is stressful and tough but I also get paid very well, get great benefits, get to do fulfilling work, and best of all, I go home at the end of the day and LEAVE IT ALL AT WORK. No papers, no worrying about what my instructor thought of me, NOTHING! I'd never do nursing school again, but I'm glad I did it the one time :)

0 Votes
Specializes in Trauma RN.

"I would quit now"

This is seriously SO rude! We should not be condemning other students!! That is NOT okay!!! He has every right to state his opinion if he feels he's not leaning as much as he could be during clinicals! Do you want people saying you should give up on nursing now because you're rude? I doubt it, so you shouldn't say that to other students!

0 Votes
Specializes in Trauma RN.
Oh Lordy... and you want to be a nurse?!? :woot:

Do the world a favor! As someone's already said it... Quit Now!

No, BlenderBottle, please don't listen to people being discouraging. It's okay if you feel like you're just being used for free labor during clinicals. It would be okay if you said you feel like a donkey wearing makeup during clinicals. Just ignore the noise and know graduation will come sooner than you expect!! Good luck!!

0 Votes

Each school is different. Each person is different. I absolutely hated nursing school! I was so miserable and knew it wasn't for me. I did not have a good experience at all. I felt bullied by my clinical instructor at times, discouraged by negative professors, and in a constant state of depression and stress!! And also, cleaning up urine and BM in clinical was pretty nasty lol. The tests are awful and questions are ridiculous ! I switched to respiratory therapy and am loving it so far. In some ways it is similar to nursing, but it's so much better! I don't feel like a personal servant to the patient like I did in nursing. Respiratory is such an underrated field I feel like, and so much less stressful ! The material makes a lot more sense to me and I don't have ridiculous off the wall test questions like nursing. I love clinical, I really feel like I'm making a difference helping patients breathe and I'm not stuck at the bedside all shift.

0 Votes

Just want to be clear I wasn't trying to bash nursing in the above post. I went to an awful program and realized that nursing wasn't for me at the same time. I just want to let others know there are other great careers in the medical field such as respiratory therapy, which I'm in now, and to always be open minded to other things if something isn't working out. Nursing is a great career and you guys work so hard! The busiest people in the hospital hands down.

0 Votes
Specializes in Trauma RN.

I'm glad you found something you love, MykRTstudent!!

0 Votes
+ Add a Comment