I just finished my last day of nursing school. Turned in my last assignment at exactly noon. It still hasn't sunk in yet. For the last 4 hours I have sat on my couch not really knowing what to do with myself. I then decided to reach out to all the students who may be starting a program this fall. I remember being in those shoes, and all the questions I had. All the fear. All the excitement. So basically, Ill sum up my nursing school experience as best as I can.
1.) You WILL survive. I did. I'm one of those people who have what you call, "anxiety," and boy did I let that get to me right before my program started. I was incredibly scared. I had heard all these stories on this site about how hard nursing school is, how I would have no life, etc. You WILL survive. I did. (And honestly, it can be frustrating at times, but it really isn't that bad...)
2.) That leads me to number 2. Nursing school IS hard. BUT, its only hard because of the amount of work, not the material itself. Learn time management. Like yesterday. Dont let yourself fall behind, but DO give yourself breaks. You DONT have to have a 4.0. You just need to pass. You will learn this by your last quarter when it takes all you have to finish your last assignments and you find yourself figuring the percentage you need just to pass the darn class...
3.) You CAN work. I worked an average of 15 hours a week and maintained a 3.8 average. And I don't want to brag, but my program has a notorious reputation of being one of the more "challenging" in the area.
4.) Your house WILL be messy. But you probably wont have time to notice...
5) You will PROBABLY gain weight. (So dont go out and buy a bunch of new clothes two weeks before your program starts like I did. lol.)
6.) You're gonna cry at some point.
7.) At the same time, you're gonna have some of the most amazing smiles and laughs of your life..
8.) The friends you will make in the program will truly be the only ones who get what you are going through. Because of this, you will make some of the best friends of your life.
9.) You will have moments where you go.."wow, I actually feel like I get this nursing thing!"...Then 5 minutes later you feel lost again. Totally normal.
10.) Some teachers will scare the ***** out of you. While others will inspire you. Just do your thing. If they say jump...you say, "how high?"
Again, you WILL survive. I could keep going on and on. But that probably sums up most of it. I honestly feel like school just started yesterday and I have no idea how I got here right now because it went by SOOOOOOO fast. You got this. If you have any questions, please let me know. I'm hear to lend an ear. Besides, I have no idea what I am going to do with myself over these next few weeks besides study for my boards. This is just weird....in a very very very good way. :) Get ready to embark on the most REWARDING quest of your life. Its all worth it for this moment.
this actually made me feel warm and fuzzy inside and take a deep breath. I start nursing school in 6 days....(SIX DAYS>>>AHHHH! lol) , and i am starting to get very nervous. this just helped, so much. congrats on finishing school, and good luck with your career!
Thank you for being an inspiration and points of encouragement. This is a very hard process and many times I feel people are trying to scare you away. I really want to do this so it is great when someone wants to help.
Hey congrats to all your hard work...I could really use some advice, I start school next week but I'm undecided on whether or not I should take nutrition now in the Fall or wait until Spring...I'd rather get it over with but I don't want to mess up in my other classes since this is all going to be new and take some getting used to...pls help :)
Thank you for this post. I start nursing school tomorrow. I feel scared ******** and unprepared. I have to work 25-30 hrs a week and I'm a single parent. Hi to the General Nursing Student board though, feels nice to finally post in here...
Thank you so much for this post, it has been really needed. I am new to this site and absolutely love it. I'm nervous and anxious about surviving and succeeding in nursing school. This post has encouraged me so much. I'm bookmarking this for sure. Thank you.
7.) At the same time, you're gonna have some of the most amazing smiles and laughs of your life..
8.) The friends you will make in the program will truly be the only ones who get what you are going through. Because of this, you will make some of the best friends of your life.
9.) You will have moments where you go.."wow, I actually feel like I get this nursing thing!"...Then 5 minutes later you feel lost again. Totally normal.
This post has helped me soooo much and I start class in less then 4 days. These points above stood out to me the most. I laughed knowing that i'm about to cry during this process. To know that one needs not bottle up all those emotions and that there will be brighter days makes it all worth the while. I really appreciate the advice and believe me I will be contacting you for more advice. You're my 1st bookmark by the way! Congratz on your completion and goodluck with your future!!! Be blessed! And thank you again!
I can attest to the weight gain. Between school and work, I simply do not have time to work out anymore, and it's a miracle if I find time to cook. The stress also just wears me out and I don't get a lot of sleep. I have a friend in my program that gained 70 pounds in LPN school. When you're sitting on your rear end for 8+ hours a day and under a lot of stress, it doesn't take long to pack on weight.
I loved your post:) I am just taking the non nursing courses right now, but I will keep the info for when I actually start my nursing courses. I hope I don't gain weight..Geezus, I need to lose some first.
valgraves
24 Posts
this actually made me feel warm and fuzzy inside and take a deep breath. I start nursing school in 6 days....(SIX DAYS>>>AHHHH! lol) , and i am starting to get very nervous. this just helped, so much. congrats on finishing school, and good luck with your career!