tired of hearing it, nursing students PLEASE answer

learninmama · Feb 7, 2010

I'm in school & it is a ton of work but so worth it! For me it's the study time. We have different classes going on currently and at least 1 test every day of the week. It's alot of information and very fast.

I'd say the hardest classes to start with were nutrition & a&p....not that the topics were hard but, the volume of information we've been given. We are testing on 3 chapters each week in each of those classes, which doesn't sound too bad but, when you have several other classes going at the same rate it adds up fast lol.

I pretty much have no life but, I knew that going in & so did my husband so he has been very helpful in picking up the slack I am leaving in the house & with the kids. He's very proud of me & very supportive though, so no relationship issues here. We were both on the same page before I went in.

It's not all bad. I personally have been able to take a great deal of self pride out of all my hard work. To me it's a personal challenge, I have a goal & I'm going to meet it. I study around 10 hours every night & easily 10 hours a day on weekends.

I hear alot of whining too from classmates especially....I don't think they were prepared to commit to eating, sleeping, & breathing school in order to do well. It goes fast! It's alot but, I want to absorb as much as I can, while I can :)

tokidoki7, ASN, RN · Feb 7, 2010

I think that all depends on a person's study habits, activities outside of school, prioritizing, and time management. I'm still in my first year and I find the curriculum challenging, but that could change when I start second year.

knittingmonster · Feb 7, 2010

I find it hard mostly because it is so time-consuming with no predictable schedule. A&P took a lot of time for me to study. However, class and lab were always at the same time. I could plan my week easily.

My schedule now is unpredictable. Most weeks, I have class on Tuesday 9-3. Sometimes it's on Wednesday instead. Some weeks we have tests on Wednesday morning, but not every other week like they originally said. My clinicals are always on Thursdays, but I didn't find that out until a few weeks into the semester. One Thursday we have a simulation lab at a different campus instead of clinical and another Thursday we have a health fair at one of the four campuses around town. Again, we just found out the health fair location and date last week. Clinical labs and check-offs are whenever you can get a time slot and they aren't announced until shortly ahead of time.

I'm good at time-management and do manage free-time to spend with my family. It's just very difficult to predict my schedule and it makes me a little nuts.

Oh and skills check-offs and clinicals are just flat out nerve-wracking.

But I still love it. I think.

1234student · Feb 7, 2010

I think it does depend on how you study.. some can just read over the book once before the test and remember everything and others have to spend a ton of time studying to remember everything. Nursing classes are very demanding....you have regular classes, nursing class, and clinicals. I am in mental health, adult I, and physiology and i'm swamped. Some weeks i will have a test in both nursing classes and clinicals for both nursing classes....It is a lot of juggling and working around things. I can't say that it will be hard for you, but most find it hard and very time consuming. If you care about school and good grade and understanding everything, you will have no life.. because you will have to give up all your free time to studying

Cathylady · Feb 7, 2010

Don't forget the time spent on allnurses.com. I'm just sayin;)

BellasMommyOBRN · Feb 7, 2010

"it sucks", "it's hard", "i have no life"....mostly because i'm tired. most of us love it, we truly do:) we just get to the point of exhaustion that has us complaining! :lol2:

if you really want to do it, don't hesitate. like others have said, "it's soo worth it!"

computer101 · Feb 7, 2010

I don't think it's hard if you put your mind and time into it. Before taking microbiology class, I had people tell me they had no lives because of ONE CLASS. It sounded like it was a 9 cred class when in actuality, it's only 4 credits. It was hard but it's not extremely difficult where it's impossible to get an A. (Got an A-) I think when you hear people talk about how hard one class is or how how it is to get into a certain program, it doesn't give you hope. Just believe in yourself and don't listen to other people; give it your best and ignore the rest of the world, you'll be on top.

futureOBnurse · Feb 7, 2010

Okay, as a nursing student who graduates in May (3 months!!) I will give it to ya straight. Nursing school DOES suck sometimes! It's incredibly time consuming and sucks the life out of you. BUT it's worth it! In a med/surg class I studied 15-20 hours A WEEK for tests. It goes with the territory. Of course a lot of it has to do with instructors, some are awesome and some would give Hitler a run for their money. The best advice I ever received regarding Natzi teachers was "play the game" and I have and I have done very well.

Nursing classes and clinicals are WAY different than prereq classes! There's more reading, more studying and more of everything to do. With clinicals, you have to spend much of the night before prepping on your patients, learning their meds, studying their co-morbidities, and working on care plans. With that said, the first time you put an IV in or put an NG tube down a pt successfully, it feels GOOD!!! :lol2: If you have a super nurturing teacher (I've had a few) who support you and want to see you succeed, it's even better. And I can't emphasize this enough, your nursing school friends will become your BEST friends because they know what you are going through and will support you 24/7.

I won't lie, nursing school is the hardest thing I've ever done. But you have to look at it as a TEMPORARY thing with a lifetime of awards at the end. In the whole scheme of things what's 2 or 4 years out of your life? It may suck while you are going through it, but it goes fast and then it's on to the better paychecks!

So keep your head up and go for it! Remember, not just anyone can be a nurse! It's something to be proud of! :yeah:

sparklie.lady · Feb 7, 2010

well, I think a lot of it just has to do with your priorities. This is my second time through college (I'm in an accelerated BSN program now) and I can tell you that had I done my first baccalaureate in nursing, would have failed out because, well, partying was a little more important to me at age 20 than now at age 34 :)

That being said, nursing school is time-consuming! But, if you can prioritize and put your head down and work when the work needs to be done, it will be well-worth it. I've given up a clean house, my book club, and Thursday night martinis with my friends because good grades take up a lot of time and what I have left goes to my daughter and my husband.

If you want it, you will find a way to do it!

mammac5 · Feb 7, 2010

As an over-40 student in an accelerated BSN program, I can say that the volume of work is heavy and there is never enough time to read everything you're "supposed" to read. Many profs know this and refer to it as the "suggested" readings! It's really a matter of setting your priorities and then sticking to them. You can't do everything at once and do it all well. Not possible. Some things are not important and you learn to let them go. You know those things that suck your time and you know what you need to do to get rid of them.

In all honesty, one of the more challenging things for me has been to change my way of thinking to "nurse-think" which is a unique way of looking at things and attempting to problem solve. Even though I'm no 20-something newbie, I will say I've learnt more about myself so far than I have about taking care of patients, and that's saying a LOT.

You can have a life, although it will likely be a life pared down to the basic necessary elements. You may find that this new life is higher quality since it contains only those things/people/activities that are truly important to you!

Cherry2000 · Feb 7, 2010

What everyone has forgotten to mention that along with it being time consuming, it will also depend on your support network. Do they understand why you are so busy? Does your significant other understand? If not, you can do everything right, and your relationship will be strained and could possibly end. You can't control everything and nursing school becomes your number one priority.

I can't tell you how many times I've said "When nursing school is over I am going to ...." Luckily for me, school comes easily to me and my husband is amazingly supportive. So for me, that means that even though things suck at times, I know that it will be ok in the end. Not everyone will be so lucky.

I don't want to scare you. I just want you to look at it from another perspective. I have really good friends that I only see once or twice a year because things are just too busy.