Student Nurse thinks it is a Long Road?

Mkue · Oct 18, 2001

:eek:

Hello,

I know exactly how you feel. I've been in a BSN program for about a year, right now I'm just doing prerequisites and courses that I can do ahead of time.

I've already had A&P and it was really tough for me.

Prior to entering this program I had done Medical Transcription for about 15 years.

I actually quit my transcription job last March so that I could just concentrate on courses. I also have 3 kids and I do my husbands billing for his company. My oldest is in college, freshman year so actually I have 2 at home, ages 12 and 13 !

It takes a lot of motivation but you will make it !!! Perserverance is the word I always hang on to!

Just keep telling yourself that you are smart enough and you will succeed.

Of course having a paying JOB would be great ! I've taken out loans and fortunately got some scholarship money. My perspective is the money is worth borrowing because it's for a goal and you'll be making so much more money down the road.

Hope this helps somehow, you can also e-mail me if you want to.

mkue

essarge · Oct 18, 2001

School is kind of like "is the glass half full or half empty?". I try not to look at it as "OMG I've got 2 1/2 years left!", but "ok, another day out of the way and one more day closer to my goal!" Seems to work really well. Hope this helps!!! :cool:

Scarlette · Oct 18, 2001

I thought the same thing when I started. "OMG, 2 YEARS! I'm NEVER going to make it!" I took my prereq's part time while working 55+ hours a week at a factory. I decided it would be in my best interests not to work while attending the nursing program full time. It was scary on my last day of work and I kept wondering if I made the right choice....two years went by so FAST! I couldn't believe it! It seems like only yesterday I started the program, and now I'm a nurse!!! You're SO busy with school that the time just flies by. It is well worth it......ya, I'm up to my ears in student loans, I can't afford the new truck that I REALLY REALLY want right now (I just got my first paycheck as an RN TODAY!), but that is my next "goal". I really enjoy my job (so far LOL) and that is worth it to me! Good luck and best wishes! The time will go by faster than what you think it will! :cool:

Scarlette · Oct 18, 2001

One more thing.......it MIGHT be better to go right through and get your RN...I don't know you're financial situation, but if you can afford it, do it now. I know quite a few LPN's that wished they would have continued on and got their RN, but they put it off and now they don't think they will be able to do it.......I don't know how your college works, but where I went we had 6 weeks off from LPN graduation until the RN program started, then it was only 9 more months of classes and clinicals and we graduated from the RN program. To me, it was well worth it to go back right away, plus I was still in my "school groove." :cool:

CATHYW · Oct 18, 2001

Hi, Pebbles-

I did the LPN thing first, and then went back for ADN. Somewhere, in the first quarter of my LPN training, I got a mental image of a track (running) with hurdles, and a goal line. The goal line was graduation. The hurdles became tests, papers, end of the semester, etc. When one of those was accomplished, I felt that I was that much closer to winning the (my) race.

Once I became aware of what I was doing, then it was something I did consciously. It worked so well-I broke a huge goal down into manageable parts that I could handle. It can be very overwhelming to try to envision the whole picture, all of the time. I see why they say in AA, "one day at a time."

Keep your goal in front of you, like a carrot on a stick, to remind you what you are busting your butt (and brain) to accomplish, and good luck!

KRVRN, BSN, RN · Oct 19, 2001

It was 7 years for me...from my first semester out of high school to the end, when I got my BSN. Far too long. But sooo happy at the end.

Mkue · Oct 19, 2001

:rolleyes:

KRVRN

Wow, 7 years ! Did you go full-time? My program is suppose to be 4 years, hopefully that is true.

mkue

Aerolizing · Oct 19, 2001

Hi Pebbles,

You brought back many memories of my nursing school experience. I had many hurdles along the way. I had taken all of my prereq courses first and some of my jobs would not be flexible with my scheduling so I had to take many different jobs during my schooling. I think 5 and one of them was a bank teller and I was robbed...twice. But that is a different story.

During my clinicals, my car was hit and I could not afford to pay the deductable ($500.00) so I bought a $200.00 junker which was then stolen. I was paying for my own schooling and I could barely afford the books and tuition. I had a nursing instructor call me in for a conference because my nursing shoes were in poor shape. I was broke. Every time tuition came due, I thought I would never be able to afford it.

BUT!!! I did find a friend who helped me stick through it. We got through it together. It helped both of us so much. We studied together. We carpooled. We scraped up loose change to go to McDonald's together once a month. The first year for me was the roughest. My instructor (for two classes and lucky me, clinicals) was Hitler's lover who escaped the war. She thought I was not prepared for duty if my uniform did not stand on it's own. I think she meant it should be crisply starched. My friend was the only reason I kept going. I highly recommend that you find a buddy. Good grades got you into nursing school. Support will keep you there. Don't worry, once you get into specialty clinicals of your second year, you will be feeling pretty confident. With your background, you are already way ahead of the game.

Good luck.

KRVRN, BSN, RN · Oct 19, 2001

Actually I was full time. The actual nursing program was 3 years. Getting all those freaking prerequisites done when all of the pre-nursing type classes (anatomy, micro, etc) were grossly impacted is what took all the time. I was only able to take THOSE classes one at a time because they always filled up. Of course there's all those stupid humanities, english, philosophy type classes that go with a BSN...so technically I did take at least 12 units every semester, so I was "full time." But I think the way to get every class done in 4 years is to take at least 15-18 units per semester, which I didn't do. By the time I was taking the actual nursing classes for the last 3 years, I had every single other general ed. class done.

I definitely wouldn't recommend the 7-year plan, it gets way long... But hey, I got almost all A's.

Mkue · Oct 19, 2001

:eek:

That is super KVNRN ! You are right at least 18 credit hours a semester would be ideal, I've only taken 12-14 at one time.

When you work,it's harder to schedule classes around that.

At first I tried to find the best program that I could get through quickly, I discovered that in my area an associate degree takes at least 3 years so I figured why not do the BSN in 4, well actually I think for most people it does take more than 4 years.

I guess if you look at it in terms of semesters completed like a previous poster, one feels closer to the goal instead of, OH GOSH I have this many years left !.

I feel like I have learned so much from the courses that I have taken so far and there is so much more to learn.

Have a good day!

mkue

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Oct 19, 2001

After my first year of college, car died. Couldn't afford tuition and car payments, so dropped out one year to save. HAH! Fell in love and got married in year two. I initially went to LPN school in 1976 cause husband couldn't stand thought 3 years years tuition/missing me. Bought first home 1 month prior starting LPN program (fell into good deal). Graduated 9/77....within two years husband encouraging me to return to college, get BSN/RN " to get paid for what all your doing".

Learned the secret of night classes:easier than day program as met for 4 hrs only 1 night a week and got 6 credits for each! Look into this if your school offers for prerequesites. Took additional Health MGMT courses this way. Classes also had adult learners with minimal distraction.

Think of goal line. Glass getting fuller with each week/course completed. Study group a real help: we each took one part of assignment/class and presented indepth review/ notes to the group---mine had 3 guys in 1980's and great looking at differing viewpoints. Much easier to continue when in the studying groove.

Now, after having kids-- growing up as teenagers, back in graduate program. MUCH more difficult assimilate new material in my mid 40's...kicking myself that I didn't start sooner. Despite both of us working FT, back to P 'n J sanwiches a lot and living paycheck to paycheck. Taking one course a semester: now in my third---four year timeline. Kids now click me off AOL/here to make me "do your homework, Mom....you have to set a good example". LOL. I just think of my Mother-in-law Nancy who with MS in remission went to LPN school at age 51, graduated at age 52 and worked for 10 years. Now THAT was a struggle.

Good luck!