cingle

Honestly, I cried my way through Stats last summer. Very few other things in life have frustrated me so much as that class...but I don't naturally think in numbers. There is no way I would take Stats with anything else challenging.

There is nothing wrong with going for the ADN if that's what you choose. However, do a little research into the likelihood of going back to school to complete the BSN later since that sounds like your eventual goal. I recently did a paper and read that only a very small percentage of those who originally intended to do so actually follow through. That makes sense since, once you're done with ADN and are working, paying back loans, etc., it can be harder than ever to justify going back to school.

If you're really sure that nursing is what you want to do, stick it out. It's just the first semester and things may change a lot in the near future. If they don't, you might just chalk it up to being smart and not having to make yourself as crazy as other people need to in order to pull through. Nothing wrong with that. If you just feel like you have too much time on your hands, you might check into doing some volunteer work in a hospital or hospice. That would give you an opportunity to spend some time in the clinical area and work on people skills in addition to your academics. Pls note...I am not implying you NEED work on your people skills, just stating that this could be great for any one of us.

Tests are essential to success in nursing school -- both written tests (usually NCLEX-style multiple choice format) and skills tests (such as inserting a Foley catheter, giving injections, etc.). There is no way around that. You might find that your school has help for those suffering with test anxiety since it is very, very common. Check with your advisor and see what help may be available. Intelligence is also vital to both nursing education and nursing practice. There are those things that simply must be memorized, there are hundreds of decisions to be made every day in practice, and there is a lot of emotional intelligence used on a constant basis. So, yes, nurses must be very smart in many different ways. Having said that, we are not always the best judges of our own aptitudes. Check with your academic advisor and find out if there is any testing available to give you an idea of your own potential. You may also benefit from shadowing a practicing RN for a couple of shifts to get a clear idea of what he/she does all day long and what all is involved with the profession. Best of luck!

Okay...after 8 weeks of class, I'm ready to join in! 1. Why are you here? If I hear one more comment that he or she didn't know how long/accelerated/challenging the program would be...I think I'll scream! Honestly, we have this whole WWW thing these days and all that information is easy to find. 2. Get to class on time...early wouldn't really hurt anything. The same people come in late all the time, so we're not talking about isolated back-ups on the interstate or sick children. We're talking about unprofessional poor planning. 3. I'm sorry, I must've heard that wrong. Surely you are not complaining about or belittlling the way our instructor (with MANY years of experience) is teaching something. 4. I have (grown) children, a husband, grandkids, dogs, a home, etc. Please stop telling me how "lucky" I am to have left them all behind back home so I could come to nursing school and concentrate on myself. First, I realize I'm lucky to be here. Second, I'm homesick and that doesn't feel lucky. Third, if it makes you feel better to think you're sacrificing more than I am -- go for it. Okay...

My motivation is a combination of high personal standards for my own achievement coupled with a desire to complete my program in the shortest practical time so I can move back home and be with my family. I don't study with music on often, but sometimes have talk-radio or the television on in the background. I try to set time limits so I don't feel like I'll be sitting here staring as notes for hours without a break. For instance, I'll decide I'm going to study Pharmacology for 1 hour and then watch a TV show I like or call my sister to chat.

From the research I've done regarding ADN programs (I'm in an MSN program) it's not realistic any longer to be able to finish one in 24 months (like many associate degrees might be able to). With all the elements that have been added over the years to meet minimal competency for NCLEX-RN, the ADN program normally requires 3 years rather than 2. BSN programs can usually be completed in 4 calendar years. Knowing all that, it seems silly to me that those who have the choice would go with ADN. I know many of us don't have the choice if a university is not in reach geographically and one cannot move away from home. In that case the ADN seems like a good way to get the foot in the door.

Lectures Monday and Tuesday 8:00 - 3:30. Clinical prep Wednesday afternoons. Clinicals Thursday & Friday 6:20 a.m. - about 3:00 p.m.

I'm loving it, personally. I'm in the first semester of an accelerated program and the amount of work is amazing...for instance, I've been working since yesterday (Saturday) a.m. on reviewing notes/text/etc. for a H-U-G-E test tomorrow. But I really enjoy learning to think in a whole new way...memorizing facts is harder for me. I'm thankful to be here. I'm thankful that I don't have to work a full-time job so I have time to study. There are things I could complain about, but I choose not to join in with the complainers in class.

Hanging on for dear life! Grades are good, life is good. Sitting in lecture for hours on end is very difficult -- trying to keep up with exercise since I can feel my metabolism grinding to a halt! "Accelerated Program" is a euphemism for "I signed up for this butt-kicking voluntarily." The volume of reading, writing and memorizing can be overwhelming...but only if you stop long enough to think about it, so I don't. It's different than I envisioned, but not really harder.

Well, I think it's prefectly normal to be uncomfortable when you're having to do intensely personal skills on people who are essentially perfect strangers. If you think about it, feeling comfortable walking into someone you've never met and telling them you now plan to look and them naked, touch parts of their body that only their spouses and doctors have touched in the past, and ask them about their most private bodily functions...THAT would be weird!!

Before you can decide whether it's possible to pull your grades way up so you can pass the program, you first must find out why you're doing poorly. Some areas to explore might be: Poor preparation prior to admittance to the program (Prereqs a long time ago? Did you do poorly in prereqs? Did you go to a school that wasn't challenging?) Inadequate study skills for the nursing program? Unrealistic time committments outside of school? Lack of understanding what your professors are looking for? If you really can't determine what the problem is, contact your academic advisor and see if you can meet with he or she. They will respect the fact that you want to get to the bottom of the problem and do well in the future.

Have you checked into the math class you need at accredited online colleges? That might be an option for getting done sooner.

Disease process, signs/symptoms, the nursing diagnoses for patients with these diseases/disorders, appropriate nursing interventions, clinical/patient care skills...it's everything from what is blood pressure, how to take a blood pressure, what is a normal blood pressure range, how is high (or low) blood pressure treated medically, what nursing interventions are appropriate for a patient with this particular problem, etc. It's a lot!

If you think she's a know-it-all, but you're trying to tell her the right things to do...hmmmm. Whatever you are to do/perform in lab, maybe you could print out the instruction/steps or use the book they come from and use THAT as the guide for how to do skills correctly. Maybe say something like, "Would you read the steps as I'm doing the skill so I can be sure to get the steps down?" That way neither of you is "right" but you both learn what you need to learn.

I agree...you're too young to be this miserable! And, frankly, school will never be easier for you than it is right now when you don't have to support yourself financially, keep track of a household, or have children to raise. Since you're in a position to concentrate on your education AND still have a life, by all means, DO IT! Quit the job, make yourself proud with your hard work in school, recognize the fact that you are going through a tremendous amount of adjustments while also still being under the influence of adolescent hormone levels. You've studied female hormones during adolescence...that's serious stuff!

It's a good sign that you find your nursing instructors a little intimidating...that means you have respect for their position and you don't see them as buddies. Suck up the intimidation and set up an appt with the instructor in question and ask him/her what he/she thinks you are doing wrong and what you need to do to improve. I keep reading stories here about nursing programs that (seem to) have a goal of seeing how many students will drop or flunk out. But I don't believe I'm in the only "success-oriented" nursing school in the nation! Maybe your instructors really do have your best interests in mind and want to help you do well...go find out for yourself before you make an expensiv, life-altering decision.

Just a word about your classmates being "competitive" as you mentioned in the OP... I don't get that. I mean, each of you has been admitted to the program so the competition between you is OVER! You can just forget about that altogether. Also, there is great beauty in being the one student who (thanks for asking, I'm doing fine) does NOT share her test scores when others ask. If the atmosphere is really that competitive, you can assume that your fellow students aren't asking about your grades because they are so concerned with helping you do well. Instead, they just want to confirm their (valid or invalid) hunch that they scored higher than you did. Smile, say something like, "...all's well" when they ask, "So, how did you do on the test?" and just move on to something else. It's no one else's business what grade you earned, how you pay for your tuition, your sexual preference OR how you voted in the last election.

The way I keep it straight is this: The medical diagnosis is something a licensed physician, NP, or PA uses to label a person's disease. A nursing diagnosis identifies those things that can be improved in a non-medical way to help the patient heal or improve that medical diagnosis. So we ask ourselves, "What can I help improve for this individual that is suffering XYZ medical diagnosis?"

If schools could expel students for being annoying, I'd never have made it past middle school! Ask the questions you need to, AFTER you've completed any required reading that's been assigned. You don't want to be "that student" who asks 10 questions, 9 of which would've been answered by doing the work required beforehand. After doing all the prep you need to do, ask everything you need to. Remember, you're not just asking for your own knowledge, but also for the patients you will care for in the future. Those patients won't care how "annoying" you thought you were in class, they just want you to provide them with excellent care. Chin up!

People don't always express themselves well. I'd like to think this fellow student of yours is covering up her own feelings of hopelessness in helping terminally ill children and their families. Knowing myself, I couldn't do it. Some will not be able to get past the sadness to find out that what they do on a daily basis actually does help the patient and his/her family. Those people (like me!) may be great at working with other populations.

Do grades matter? That depends on why one works to get good grades. Although I know my program will graduate me with a B average, I'm working for better. I want to know I did my absolute best and, for me, that will be partially reflected by grades. Likely the only other person who will see my grades is my husband -- and I really want him to be ultra-proud and also to know that his many, many sacrifices for my schooling have been worth it.

The good news is, you did the right thing. I don't know if you have an Honor Code at your school or not, but you certainly sound like you're following your own personal Honor Code and in the end, that's what really counts. The bad news is, you may be in for a Hell of a ride until you complete school. Keep doing good work, being prepared for class, taking excellent care of your patients, and documenting your care. All I can really say is what you already know: Doing the right thing isn't usually easy and you may never be recognized for it this side of Glory. As we say in the South, I hate it for you!

I'm not sure what type of book you're looking at. Are you looking at a nursing text or a care plan book?

So far, so good. The curriculum is challenging, to be sure, but so far I've not encountered anything unexpected. What has been most difficult for me is living away from home and being separated from my family...and dogs! The second my difficult part (for me) is having to work in randomly-chosen small groups in a couple of my classes. One of the small group projects will be a BIG chunk of my grade and I'm not crazy about the lack of control and being dependent on others' work for my grade. That obviously wouldn't be a problem for people who don't have serious control issues coupled with social awkwardnesss!