"Just" a nurse?

Fun2, BSN, RN · May 25, 2005

I haven't ran in to that, but my A&P professor did say, "Why in the world would you want to be a nurse?" The girl that sat next to me said, "Why in the world would you want to be a teacher?" 'nuff said lol

I can see why that would bother you, but at the same time, at least it weeds the lazy, or just not mature enough to handle nursing school out....

Good luck, you'll get through it, and move on to other reasons for whining. LOL

Mission · May 25, 2005

When I handed in my resignation at work, the director of my department (who is a doctor) said "So you really want to clean bedpans?" and I thought to myself "what's the difference, I've been cleaning up crap here all week."

Momto3andNurse2B · May 25, 2005

While I had many supportive friends who immediately said they thought nursing was the perfect career for me, I had just as many people who said, "You know you have to clean up poop and stuff?" Really!?!? I didn't know that! Well, I'll immediately abandon my dream because of some minor unpleasantries. Thanks for your advice! Geesh, I have 3 kids, not like I've never cleaned up poop!

Anyway, as far as the whiny students who aren't getting the grades...ignore it, keep up the good work, and don't worry about what anyone thinks of "nursing students in general". Generalizations are crap!

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · May 25, 2005

Okay HUGE HUGE vent here. I found out today that aparently the nursing students have a really bad reputation within the biology department at my school. Now, i'll admit that there are a few whiny pre-rn students at my school, but it makes me soooooo mad that there's a blanket stereotype thrown over the entire department.
So, the way the program works at my school is you pass all of your science pre reqs with a 3.0 (as well as having an overall 3.0 in the other pre reqs) and you're in (there's a small waitlist, but nothing too bad). The problem is that there are some students that have to retake to get the 3.0. This wouldn't be bad, BUT you can only take each class twice. If you don't get the 3.0 the second time around, you're out of the program -- for good.
So, how this all ties together -- when the whiny students that are taking a class for the second time aren't getting the grade they need they complain and complain and complain to the professors, lab TA's whoever will listen. They don't think the grading is fair, 'xyz' wasn't covered before the test so such and such question wasn't fair, and on and on.
It really bothers me that these students are making the rest of us look bad. It's gotten to the point that if I meet new people who work within the biology dept. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I'm a nursing student. I came to this school because the entrance requirments weren't as stringent as they were at home (needing at least a 3.9 to get into an ADN program, not to mention needing hundreds of hours of comm. service). I came from a city where nursing students were respected for their intelligence and for their chosen career, to this place where is seems that people assume 'anyone' could be a nurse. :angryfire
Has anyone else run into this problem?

Although my school's setup and requirements are a bit different, the whiny thing is a constant pretty much everywhere you go! We lost a large group by the end of first semester (about half). Then we got an influx of returning students, advanced placements, etc for second semester. But by the end of the first module of the second semester (we do 7-week intensives here), there was a small bloodbath of those eliminated academically. They had made it through the clinicals and skill evals thusfar, but just weren't cutting it with academics.

You should have HEARD the chaos upon distribution of final exam grades (and consequently final grades) for that unit: if you didn't pass that, of course, you couldn't go on to complete the semester.

People were saying xyz wasn't covered. That their instructor was worse than the other one. If someone failed from "the other one", it was because the instructor was unfair to her. If case study grades were poor, it wasn't because it was written poorly, it was because the instructor wanted her out. Frankly, it's easier to get someone out who an instructor doesn't think will be a good nurse through clinicals (as in, "you just don't have it"). Grades are grades.

But, for what it's worth, the second half of the second semester was much smoother in terms of complaints after tests: those of us left did the best we could on exams and papers, and if we got something wrong, we're more likely to ask "how do I get it right next time" rather than "since you didn't word this well, shouldn't I get the extra points"? :redlight: Much better way of succeeding overall.

Fact is, the herd gets thinned. If you're fantastic with patient care but can't get a passing test grade no matter what, well, don't be an RN! There's lots of other options in patient care.

And as for you, well, just keep your chin up, take the high road, and remember all you have to do is show YOURSELF to be the star you are :)

Fun2, BSN, RN · May 25, 2005

Everyone I know has been supportive, mainly because they know I have wanted to do this what seems like forever.

I have only had the, "I couldn't be a nurse and do the clean up after people part." ...Not, negatively spoken comments, just their opinions about themselves doing the work.

I guess I've been pretty lucky...no one trying to talk me out of it. :)

While I had many supportive friends who immediately said they thought nursing was the perfect career for me, I had just as many people who said, "You know you have to clean up poop and stuff?" Really!?!? I didn't know that! Well, I'll immediately abandon my dream because of some minor unpleasantries. Thanks for your advice! Geesh, I have 3 kids, not like I've never cleaned up poop!
Anyway, as far as the whiny students who aren't getting the grades...ignore it, keep up the good work, and don't worry about what anyone thinks of "nursing students in general". Generalizations are crap!