Students are cut-throat!

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I attended my local community college last year doing my pre-req's before getting into the program. I thought everyone was nice and we helped each other, it was great. 1000 people applied to my schools program for the 100 spots available, so it was quite competitive, but we all got along. Now that we are in the program it's a whole new world, some of those nice people have turned into mean, competitive, I can't even describe people. There are cliques forming, talking behind peoples backs, rude remarks to peoples faces, I feel like I took a blast to the past and am in high school again. The median age of our class is 30 yrs old. Has anyone else experienced this? I am just perplexed because now we are in the program if anything I would have expected this while fighting for a spot in the program not in the people who got in. I think that I am a pretty nice person and I have gotten a few snotty remarks from people I don't know - it's only been one month! Some people I know say they feel isolated excluded in their labs and clinicals by the others. Is this typical????:no:

Specializes in ICU.
I can't tell you the number of times I had to hold a poor teller's hand and listen to her cry because "so and so" didn't say "hello" to her that morning.

I'm really very sorry to say this, and it is nothing personal whatsoever, but...

What a colossal waste of time and energy for the both of you.

This is exactly the reason why I would tend to politely and respectfully keep to myself in nursing school.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Yes, it's typical. Think about it...the same competitive spirit which gets one into a nursing program is the same competitive spirit which will get one through a nursing program. It's an ingrained trait...it's a part of you (and your classmates). I'm just finishing my 3rd semester of an ADN program, and it's always been an underlying theme.

I used to throw around the word "clique" as negative, but I realize I do have my own "clique", too...I prefer to refer to us as just a group who bonded early in the program and rely on each other heavily for emotional and intellectual support. There's nothing wrong with that. Of course, there are those who just didn't seem to hit it off with others at the beginning, and they tend to feel isolated. That's really sad, because we all NEED a few others with whom to relate. It sounds like you're just getting started, though, so embrace a clique of your own, or you'll go crazy.

Now, on to people being rude and gossiping...that, my friend, is probably from the female element of nursing. I am a proud female, but I'm also a realistic female. We tend to just be that way. I used to work in HR at a large bank. The banking industry is dominated by females, and the same type of things happened there. I can't tell you the number of times I had to hold a poor teller's hand and listen to her cry because "so and so" didn't say "hello" to her that morning. We are female, we are emotional, we are delicate, but we can also be royal "you know what's", too.

All I can say is this is a very stressful time for all of you. There are going to be heartaches, there are going to be hurt feelings, there is going to be drama. There is no way to avoid it or stop it. But, you just keep your head up, and you will be able to rise above it all. And, believe me, one day you will laugh about all the silliness you are experiencing...and your classmates will, too! Good luck, hold on, and just enjoy the ride!!!!! It will actually go by much faster than you think!

I can admit that females can be pretty darn catty and drama and all that. I have always related better to men and often told I think like a man when it comes to a lot of things. I have worked in Childcare where their wasn't 1 male working there.

That said, my husband field is primarily men, they have an online forum that is 98% men that has hundreds of members all in the same line of work. I have seen SO MUCH DRAMA on that board. I have seen the men act catty and immature. I have gone to the expos with my husband that happen once a year and instead of gossip and dirty looks it turns into drinks and punches thrown.

Men always get the rap that they don't have the drama and cattyness that woman do, and I have to disagree, they can be pretty close to equal in it if given the right situation.

At the end of the day though I would still rather work with more males then females. LOL

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My class of about 150 (down to 100 after Med Surg 1) doesn't have much cattiness or back stabbing going on. We all really help one another out and talk about everything together in the halls between classes and such. You go to lunch one day with one group but then the next day you go to lunch with a different bunch of kids. We all kind of click I guess you could say. We have study groups before exams and I haven't heard of any of the clinical groups that don't get along either. Our class is of all ages with the oldest being 52 and the youngest being 18. Everyone is pretty cool. Thank goodness, considering what you are going through :( Hope everything smooths out for you overtime, and as they say on Madagascar "Just smile & wave boys, smile & wave!" :p:clown:

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
My class of about 150 (down to 100 after Med Surg 1) doesn't have much cattiness or back stabbing going on. We all really help one another out and talk about everything together in the halls between classes and such. You go to lunch one day with one group but then the next day you go to lunch with a different bunch of kids. We all kind of click I guess you could say. We have study groups before exams and I haven't heard of any of the clinical groups that don't get along either. Our class is of all ages with the oldest being 52 and the youngest being 18. Everyone is pretty cool. Thank goodness, considering what you are going through :( Hope everything smooths out for you overtime, and as they say on Madagascar "Just smile & wave boys, smile & wave!" :p:clown:

WOW 18? Were they able to do all Pre Reqs in HS?

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WOW 18? Were they able to do all Pre Reqs in HS?

It's a 2 year all year round program with the pre-reqs built into it. You can start right when you graduate high school. 2 years, summer included and you're an RN :nurse:

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
It's a 2 year all year round program with the pre-reqs built into it. You can start right when you graduate high school. 2 years, summer included and you're an RN :nurse:

Interesting!

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Interesting!

Oh, and to make a little more sense, I forgot to mention that it is a term based school... not a semester based school.

So, 4 terms a year/3months for each class and we never have class on Fridays. M-Th school all the time. :)

Needless to say, it's very fast paced.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Oh, and to make a little more sense, I forgot to mention that it is a term based school... not a semester based school.

So, 4 terms a year/3months for each class and we never have class on Fridays. M-Th school all the time. :)

Needless to say, it's very fast paced.

The school I did all my pre reqs at was on the quarters but they were like 9 weeks each (which seems similar as terms). My second quarter was from Mid October to Dec and I did A&P 1 (6 credits) Chemistry (6 credits) and Psychology 101 (5 credits) in that quarter. Even than though there was no way to fit the entire nursing program and all the pre reqs they required in 2 years. This same school had a 2 year nursing program outside of all the pre reqs even on that system.

That is great your school can do that though.

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I know of a community college near where I use to live in NY that had a 2 year program (four semesters) where you jointly completed your pre-reqs and nursing courses, and you recieved your RN at the end (providing you pass the NCLEX). Kind of makes me upset when I think how much time and energy I'm putting into these non-nursing courses.. but whatever. :)

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This seems kind of typical for nursing school. I know my school is really competitive because the people with the best grades will go on to the ASN...and there are not many spots. Also, we know each other VERY WELL! We go to school every day together, meet at clinical at 6:30 am, and see each other on the weekends for study sessions... When you know people so well, they tend to get on your nerves...haha It is just human! All you can do is be kind to everyone and try to avoid the drama if you can.

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