Too many Negative remarks regarding Nursing School here!! Stop the discouragement!!

Crash_Cart · Sep 22, 2007

I went to school with a person who gained her entrance into the nursing program at that time.....there were 44 applicants for 14 positions....so the competition was completely nuts! The way this person managed to get in over people who had already had LPN experience in medical/surgical areas of hospitals was to take ONE CLASS AT A TIME, AND GET A PERFECT SCORE, IE 4.0 GPA....(these were the pre-reqs....) Well, this was highly unfair to people who were working as an LPN, going to school, and maintaining a family life as well....and many were 3.0's and above.....but, the nursing professors accepted her application over many who were in my opinion, more qualified for RN completion programs....in two years, the proof was in the pudding....she was non-functional at the bedside....while she had great grades, she had no common sense or critical thinking skills....she eventually went into administrative nursing....management....
I still shake my head at this one!!

This sounds familiar...

I still recall the day I was not accepted into the RN program at the college. I was finishing up my shift in the ER after a gunshot trauma, left work and went to the college to learn that I wasn't accepted into the "competitive" RN nursing program.

The majority of the students that were accepted had absolutely no clue which end of a bedpan is up.

Yet, the very same day I was declined admission into the RN program, I was walking around in the ER with blood stains on my shoes and scrubs. Part of my "performance problem" they failed to recognize was that I was exhausted from working in the ER while trying to "make the grade" at the college.

So you tell me if there's something seriously wrong with the student selection process they are using at the colleges.

It really makes you shake your head doesn't it ???

RedWeasel, RN · Sep 22, 2007

nursing school is boot camp-It tells those instructors which students can handle the stress and who cant==whether they are right or wrong (lets face it if they dont like you....oooh) It was the hardest thing I ever did. It was the thing in my life I am most proud of. Without those experiences-of making me think for myself-with them not giving me the easy answers-I wouldn't be who I am as a nurse. I only hope you have some instructors that lead you in the right direction. We complain about nsg because we have all made that right of passage called nsg school and NCLEX. Moms complain about their kids but do you think they don't love their kids. We love nsg. We love to talk about it-good and bad. We dont want to talk about our success stories as much because as a general rule we aren't the pat ourselves on the back type of pp. We are in our element in chaos. Good luck in nsg school! You will never forget it.

treysdaddy08 · Sep 22, 2007

Unfortunately, many people discover this too little too late. Maybe they are in the wrong profession but it's a little too late to expect someone with bills and a family to go on an adventure of self-actualization.
Say they are in the wrong profession.
What now? Go backpack across Europe and find themselves? It isn't even a viable option to go back to school for a lot of people, much less change careers.
You know, I'm sure I am not the only nurse who would do something else in a heartbeat if circumstances allowed. Does this make me a bad nurse? No, it doesn't. It's hard to explain for me, but while I love my patients I do not like my job.
Perhaps by reading about all the negatives and difficulties some people have with nursing some young person who still has a future and is considering nursing might save themselves a lot of trouble by recognizing the real possibility nursing does not suit them and they will not make the same mistakes the rest of us made.

You may be right. If someone can find out now, rather than later that they do not want to go into nursing, that would be a great experience for them. However, telling me that because I believe I will have a great experience I "Obviously don't know what real nursing is like." is ignorant and rude. She basically told me that nursing sucks, and I'm going to hate it. Period. People have different experiences in the same situations. Just because she hates it doesn't mean I, or anyone else is going to. And telling someone that, especially someone who is standing at the precipice of an outstanding career such as nursing, is very irresponsible.

Lisa_RN · Sep 22, 2007

:down: i agree! i usually tell ppl that it is not easy but if you want it that bad you will be fine. i started the 1st couple semesters with b's. that is great for me. slowly i was in the fence. i used to tell eveyone "do you know what they call the student that graduated last in the class?" rn!! i try to encourage ppl!

some ppl like to make you feel as if you can't do it. they have a negative attitude. try to ask ppl that are positive and you will get a different answer.

good luck, don't pay attention to those kind of ppl!

Crash_Cart · Sep 23, 2007

"Double Post" - Please remove

Crash_Cart · Sep 23, 2007

This means I WILL succeed in my RN endeavors.

Why? Because the opportunity is there!

To the wonderful nurses out there giving the gift of themselves and taking students under their wings please accept my sincere...

"Thank You"

Like a teacher, "the nurse" has unselfishly provided me with the gift of irreplaceable knowledge that made me become the person I am today.

You are appreciated more than you really know!

My Best.