Was RN school easy for you?

SpaceCowgirl, BSN · Nov 27, 2019

Yes, it was. I worked full-time the whole way through school - first as a CNA while doing my ADN, then as an RN while competing my BSN. There were plenty of late nights spent working on care plans, and I can't say it was great fun going to clinicals on almost no sleep from 6am until 3 or 4 in the afternoon, then turning around and going to work from 7pm to 7am that night. Aside from the sleep deprivation issue, the schoolwork was not difficult. I graduated my BSN with a 3.93 GPA. I had classmates who actually cried over assignments/papers/tests/clinicals. That wasn't my experience at all. My main concern during school was making sure I knew the material, completing all requirements on time, and basically flying under the radar as much as possible. I quickly leaned that a lot of the instructors have varied mental illnesses and superiority/inferiority complexes, and many would pick students that they basically had it out for ... I just did my work, and got out without getting noticed. Overall, I would say it was fairly easy.

EV1518 · Nov 27, 2019

Thank you. I keep seeing people say instructors "had it out" for them. I've never experienced this in my many years of pre-reqs (it took foreveeeer lol), I wonder why some people think that. Like, what would be a clue? Lol

SpaceCowgirl, BSN · Nov 27, 2019

I'm not sure why it happens, but I think it all goes back to that "nurses eat their young" mentality. More than likely, they had an instructor that was hard on them, and they feel like passing it on. Like I said, I tried to stay under the radar, so I kept my mouth shut in class. The only time I ever spoke up in front of a teacher if if I was specifically called on. It's different if there are only other students there, like during group projects. Sometimes it was hard - my minor was in genetics with my first bachelor's degree, so when the teacher made a mistake during our genetics lecture in nursing school, I literally had to bite my tongue. It was definitely the safest choice though. You could always see that little switch go off in an instructor's head when they found a student they thought was going to be a problem, and it was almost always a student who had their hand up too much in class, usually accompanied by a somewhat "know it all" or defensive tone to their voice when asking questions.

EV1518 · Nov 27, 2019

Yea, that was my plan...I really think that's always been me anyway...lay low and get out of there undetected lol We had orientation already and I noticed a few know it all types, I think they'll keep the instructors distracted lol

**NICU Guy, BSN, RN** · Nov 27, 2019

The perceived difficulty of nursing school depends on the individual and their knowledge base. A person who was a PCA at a hospital for 5 years prior to nursing school will have an easier time in nursing school due to their medical knowledge base from their job as compared to someone who worked at Wal-Mart for 5 years prior to nursing school. Maturity level, how easily you can comprehend new information, study skills, time management skills, and the ability to prioritize school/personal life all play a factor in your nursing school experience.

For example, I failed an ASN program in my early 20's due to internal and external personal factors. I continued to work in the healthcare field for the next 20 years. I decided to go back to school for my nursing degree and got accepted into the ABSN program at the same school. The ABSN program was far more rigorous than the ASN program. Despite that it was a tougher program, I easily passed the program due to extensive healthcare knowledge, maturity, a completely different mindset towards college, and a supportive girlfriend. I graduated with a high GPA and passed NCLEX at 75 questions. The same person going through two nursing programs with drastically different outcomes.

**NICU Guy, BSN, RN** · Nov 27, 2019

7 hours ago, EV1518 said:
I noticed a few know it all types, I think they'll keep the instructors distracted

You will hear this statement from your instructors and nurses on this website: "There is NCLEX way of doing things and there is real world way of doing things".

Triplepoint, ADN, RN · Nov 27, 2019

I am also curious about this. I would imagine that it wouldn't be too hard for you if you have a strong science/math background, good study skills, know how to write a paper, and have experience working in healthcare. Of course not everyone has the opportunity to gain ALL of these skills prior to nursing school, but if you are lucky enough to be in that position, I think that, while nursing school would still be a lot of work, it would definitely be more than doable.

BagelBomber, ASN, BSN, RN · Nov 27, 2019

I have my final next week- and then I enter my final semester of nursing school. I'm a single mom working full-time and attending school full-time. Would I say nursing school is "easy"? ...no. However, I will say it is entirely doable.

The most difficult part of nursing school for me is adjusting my brain to "think like a nurse." The content is far from difficult, especially if you have a decent grasp on A&P. The questions on tests make you think beyond the facts and apply knowledge, so that's where I got tripped up early on in my first semester.

I'm currently dual-enrolled at my community college's ASN program and a university BSN program, so I've taken on a tiny bit extra work throughout the journey. That being said, my BSN stuff ISSSS easy. It's mainly just writing some papers here and there and participating in discussions about nursing practice.

My approach to nursing school (and it's worked well thus far), has been to take notes on Power Points during lecture, and then rewrite them in a notebook that goes with me everywhere so I can review when possible. I also downloaded the NCLEX-RN Mastery app to have practice questions on the go, and purchased the Davis Success books for Med-Surg, Maternal/Newborn, and Mental Health.

EV1518 · Nov 27, 2019

1 hour ago, BagelBomber said:
I have my final next week- and then I enter my final semester of nursing school. I'm a single mom working full-time and attending school full-time. Would I say nursing school is "easy"? ...no. However, I will say it is entirely doable.
The most difficult part of nursing school for me is adjusting my brain to "think like a nurse." The content is far from difficult, especially if you have a decent grasp on A&P. The questions on tests make you think beyond the facts and apply knowledge, so that's where I got tripped up early on in my first semester.
I'm currently dual-enrolled at my community college's ASN program and a university BSN program, so I've taken on a tiny bit extra work throughout the journey. That being said, my BSN stuff ISSSS easy. It's mainly just writing some papers here and there and participating in discussions about nursing practice.
My approach to nursing school (and it's worked well thus far), has been to take notes on Power Points during lecture, and then rewrite them in a notebook that goes with me everywhere so I can review when possible. I also downloaded the NCLEX-RN Mastery app to have practice questions on the go, and purchased the Davis Success books for Med-Surg, Maternal/Newborn, and Mental Health.

Thank you! That's helpful!

Megarline, CNA · Nov 28, 2019

10 hours ago, NICU Guy said:
Quote
You will hear this statement from your instructors and nurses on this website: "There is NCLEX way of doing things and there is real world way of doing things".

I'm fine with it. How about an instructor who tells students that everything the theory says is wrong but hers?

?

Serhilda, ADN, RN · Nov 28, 2019

Nursing school was enjoyable for me. I didn't have any issues but at times, the workload was excessive. Once you get a routine down, it's not too bad. Worlds different from prereqs though.