Question about Nursing School

spacecitygroover · Sep 19, 2009

Also, Will I be taking the NET test or the HESI to enter the progam??

IVe read different answers all over the place.

Which one is true?

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Sep 19, 2009

Also, Will I be taking the NET test or the HESI to enter the progam??
IVe read different answers all over the place.
Which one is true?

You need to talk to your school, they all do things different, I didn't have to take any entrance tests, my school stopped doing them a few years ago.

A&P is a huge part of nursing and the instructors are going to expect that you have a good knowledge base of the human body and positions and not reteach them, hence the point of it being a Pre Req, so if you are sketchy on it I would refresh on it a lot. Work on the areas you have trouble with because it will be a very important part of nursing. You can't understand the diseases and stuff the people have if you don't understand all the process on the healthy body. Fluids and Electrolytes will be huge in nursing classes, a lot of A and P comes into pharmacology as well.

Santa Filomena · Sep 19, 2009

Groover...

The toughest part of nursing school is getting in!

If you have been accepted into a program, it is no longer about science or a curriculum. If you have been chosen...(the screening is arduous)...then your challenges are no longer academic. If you have reached this point academically...then your goal is now surviving and learning to rearrange your thought processes.

Either you are a nurse...or you are not. There is no in between. Grades...curriculum...their worth is found on your first day of clinicals as you find yourself on your knees, with your gloved hand reaching into a stranger's rectum...trying to relieve them from a fecal impaction. A & P didn't cover this one...I don't think Micro did either...but you know what...it doesn't take rocket science to make a difference in someone's life :) So to answer your question...throw science and curriculum out the window...and it all comes down to learning to juggle your life's schedule.

If you are worried about your GPA...you might want to find another path for your life. If you suddenly find your quirks and personality suddenly making sense...then guess what...congratulations. You are a nurse. Challenge yourself...I look forward to learning from you.

~Quay~

May2011Grad · Sep 19, 2009

It's good that you have your prereqs out of the way that will be one less thing to worry about. The hardest thing is the NCLEX type tests which require you to apply the knowledge to situations rather than just regurgitate it.

spacecitygroover · Sep 19, 2009

I hope i have what it takes

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Sep 19, 2009

Hmmmm I wouldn't be so quick to downplay A&P like was done in another post. You will be expected to know the parts of the heart and how they function, the body positions, the parts of the kidney and bladder and how they functions and the lungs and the nervous system etc. etc.

If you don't know this well, it can absolutely hurt you because you will be expected to already know it so it won't be re taught to you.

Out of all my Pre Reqs, A&P and Pathophysiology have come back into play the most and a little of Micro.

Knowing the APA format as well from Phychology has come back into play.

melmarie23, MSN, RN · Sep 20, 2009

This is a hard question to answer. For some people, nursing school comes easy. For others, its harder. The rest are somewhere in the middle.

I think that if you put in the time and effort and try your hardest, you are going to do well. I also think that if you ask questions along the way, and never assume you know something or the right way to do a task if you experiencing even the littlest of doubt. Always ask. And utilize your professors. They are there to help you. But they are not there to hold your hand. You must seek them out on your own.

Practice NCLEX test questions. Get a good review book now. These types of questions take a certain level of mastery and the only way to get there is to practice practice practice.

Don't get discouraged if you do bad on a few exams. A bad exam score =/= bad nurse. We all have that one thing or two that trips us up. Its okay. Just learn from your mistakes and brush up on those areas for next time. Keep your head up and keep truckin' along!

GL on your journey!

matchsticktgt, LPN · Sep 20, 2009

TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS are invaluable! It becomes a balancing act - if you spend from 8-2, 3 days a week in one class, have clinicals for that class one day from 7-3, and still have 2 other classes, you have to work in assignments, careplans, drug cards, research papers, and studying! And the studying has a different set of goals - with past classes so many students studied enough to pass the test, then promptly forgot what them crammed for...not in nursing school. It isn't enough to comprehend the information, you must actually understand it and learn it so that you can apply it as necessary. The tests are very different as well...pick up a book on NCLEX review questions and you'll see what I mean - you may have 4 answers and two of them could be correct...the dilemma becomes which one is the most correct in this particular situation? There is such a large volume of information you must learn and apply and PAPERWORK...and did I mention the dosage calculations?? A book on dosage calculations may save you lots of stress. If you are mathematically talented you will be fine...if not, you will have to work it a bit harder, but it's actually not so difficult once you remember that D/H * Q = A...........

NeoNurseTX, RN · Sep 21, 2009

Yes, it's still tough and this is coming from a college honors program, high school top ten-ner, straight A student. the material isn't hard. it's just a LOT of material crammed together in a very short time. and weird questions.