What makes NS so hard?

Lisa CCU RN, RN · Sep 7, 2008

For me. it wasn't hard. It is a lot of info, but it wasn't hard at all.

The worst part was clinicals. Staying up and doing careplans sucked, but still not hard.

NeoNurseTX, RN · Sep 7, 2008

They cram a LOT of info in a very short period of time.

chaxanmom · Sep 7, 2008

I'm with Lisa. I don't think it's hard. I breezed through LPN school and am breezing through my BSN program too. Love clinicals too! Nursing is just my thing so it's not a chore to do the reading and learn the material. Getting used to NCLEX style questions was a challenge at first but I got used to that in LPN school. I would say once you get the hang of that you should be fine! :) Good luck and don't be nervous!

shoegalRN, RN · Sep 7, 2008

I think it's harder for people who are used to memorizing and reguritating info.

Nursing school is about critical thinking, application, and APPLYING what you learned from each class in clinical.

I also think it's harder for people (like myself) who have issues with time management. I have an issue with procastination, no matter how hard I try.

It's also very demanding. It's hard for people how have an issue with balance (like myself).

Nursing school actually builds on each class. It's not like you are taking BS classes, like Art or Music, or Literature and you forget all the info the minute the class is over.

I think this is what makes it hard for alot of people.

lillyofthevalley · Sep 11, 2008

I dont know if i would use the word "hard". Although it seems that two years is enough to learn all the information that you need to know, it really isnt. So they give you SOOO much information, and although its interesting, you're brain is on "overload" 99.99% of the time. I really enjoy nursing school, because I found a balance in studying and still keeping a social life. Once you find your balance, nursing school will be a breeze.

shoebottom · Sep 11, 2008

I think it's harder for people who are used to memorizing and reguritating info.
Nursing school is about critical thinking, application, and APPLYING what you learned from each class in clinical.
I also think it's harder for people (like myself) who have issues with time management. I have an issue with procastination, no matter how hard I try.
It's also very demanding. It's hard for people how have an issue with balance (like myself).
Nursing school actually builds on each class. It's not like you are taking BS classes, like Art or Music, or Literature and you forget all the info the minute the class is over.
I think this is what makes it hard for alot of people.

This is my problem. In all of my other classes I learned what I needed to for that test and then forgot the information. I can't do that anymore. And the time management is unreal. I seem to not be able to fit school, work, my family, and study in together. Plus my husband works 7-4 and then has school for 5-9 for night s week so I can't depend on him during the week. ON the weekends is the only time that I work, which I think will be one thing that I have to cut out. I just don't see how some people do it.

Ashley

jeanyis · Sep 11, 2008

You are picking up information, skills, terms, and jargon all at the same time, in a short period of time.

Since everyone has their own style of learning, you have to take the information presented and smash, distill, compress, and mold it into a form that is usable for you (for instance - ask me about the relations of hormones to condition of the uterine lining and I will stare at you blankly, but give me a pencil and let me sketch out a timeline/graph with abbreviations, and I'm able to do it.)

Sometimes, there is so much information presented, and if it just isn't an area you are interested in, you can study and study until you are blue in the face and still only get an 80 on the exam (which is a C on my school's grading scale - always good for the ego to see that :uhoh21:)

It's frustrating, but you have to keep moving forward. After the information "digests" for a while, it makes more sense. But getting it to the point where it makes sense is the hard part.

MB37 · Sep 11, 2008

That's one reason second degree students tend to do better academically than traditional nursing students - we've taken more higher level college classes in the past, completed a major (usually requiring us to remember some things from semester to semester), and typically had to learn info in more ways than just to regurgitate it for an exam. I didn't find the material itself that difficult, nor was the concept of NCLEX-style questions hard to grasp. What made it tough for me was the sheer volume of material that we had to get through each week. I can imagine it's a lot tougher for people who haven't had as much experience in school, since the prereqs are primarily memorization. At least in my program (accelerated), it was unrealistic to expect to have a job, a family, and make more than bare minimum passing grades. No one worked full time in my class. You had to have the drive and maturity to want to put in the required number of hours, and to actually have the time to do it. I made As, but I have no kids and quit my job midway through second semester.

Me, SN · Sep 11, 2008

It's not hard. Just time consuming. Anyone who spends sufficient time studying the material will get through it. It's when you don't have a lot of time that you struggle: moms, dads, the employed, etc.

CrystalClear75, BSN, RN · Sep 11, 2008

In my opinion, it was very hard because of how much information is thrown at you...and the tests, yes, most of them were difficult.

You can do it, don't give up.

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Sep 11, 2008

For me the hard part of nursing school is the clinicals. I know I'll do a good job clinically after I graduate. It's being watched and judged by the clinical instructors that *wigs* me out. It's some kind of performance anxiety. As far as lecture and exams, I love lecture class and do well on exams. It's just putting in the time studying.