What is Nursing school really like?

[futurenurse16]

I'll be starting my pre-reqs in the Fall in order to start the BSN program. I was wondering what Nursing school is really like? Is it as hard as people say it is going to be? I've heard that it's a lot of reading and studying. I'm just worried I won't be able to handle the workload! I'm also worried I'll find out I'm really squeamish and not be able to handle blood, bodily excretions, etc.

Can anyone give me advice about starting nursing school? And were any of you nervous you were going to be squeamish? How did you get over it?

Thanks everyone

[ParkerBC,MSN,RN, PhD, RN]

Is nursing school hard? Of course it’s hard. Would you expect anything different? You need to know your stuff. Doctors come in and see my patients. They perform a quick assessment, but depend upon information I have charted based upon my own assessments and observations when developing their plan of care. I am not trying to be nasty here, but if you’re looking for an easy undergraduate degree, perhaps you should look into elementary education or something similar. How do you get over the site of blood and poop? You just go in and do it.

[Aberdeen]

Is nursing school hard? It depends on who you are. I personally don’t think it is “hard”. Is it challenging? Yes. Does it take up more time than most classes? Yes. I have a very good background in A&P, which I think is the reason it has been much “easier” for me than some of my classmates. My advice would be to get a good understanding of how the different systems in the body work and how they work together. If you do then it makes it a lot easier to understand what is going on when they are not working properly. The work load can seem overwhelming in the beginning, but you learn to manage it with whatever way works for you. Try to stay organized and try to plan ahead and stay ahead as much as possible. As far as being squeamish, everyone has their moments with something, but it gets better over time. The big thing to remember is it is doable. If it wasn’t then there would be no nurses in the world, so just stay focused and work hard. Good Luck!

[Aberdeen]

Is nursing school hard? It depends on who you are. I personally don't think it is "hard". Is it challenging? Yes. Does it take up more time than most classes? Yes. I have a very good background in A&P, which I think is the reason it has been much "easier" for me than some of my classmates. My advice would be to get a good understanding of how the different systems in the body work and how they work together. If you do then it makes it a lot easier to understand what is going on when they are not working properly. The work load can seem overwhelming in the beginning, but you learn to manage it with whatever way works for you. Try to stay organized and try to plan ahead and stay ahead as much as possible. As far as being squeamish, everyone has their moments with something, but it gets better over time. The big thing to remember is it is doable. If it wasn't then there would be no nurses in the world, so just stay focused and work hard. Good Luck!

[Loveismagical]

What would you say is the most challenging thing about nursing school? Is it the clinicals, the nursing courses, or the hard science courses (A&P, microbio, etc)?

[Aberdeen]

Probably the biggest challenge is learning to think in a new way. I am not sure how to explain that in a way that would make sense, but nursing school changes the way you think about problems and also changes the way you react to those problems. The science for me was not bad at all. I had excellent instructors for both A&P and Micro and the fact that I love science makes all the science related content much easier. The tests can be challenging as well. It is very easy to over think a question and totally miss what the question is asking. But with a little practice you learn to ignore the fluff and see the real question. Clinicals depend a lot on the instructor you get. There are good ones and bad ones just like with everything else, so sometimes you just have to suck it up and make the best of it. If you don’t enjoy learning new things, nursing school will be a nightmare. You will hear all the time “nurses are lifelong learners” and it is very true. There is always something new to learn, which for me is exciting. Another thing I have seen is people seem to struggle with is being too hard on themselves. I have always been a straight A student and it is hard to swallow failing a test or not making an A in the course, but there is a saying that says “C=RN” and sometimes you just have to except the fact that you are passing and keep moving forward.

[OB-nurse2013, BSN, RN]

I think it's hard but not as hard as I expected. It's definately more work then any other course I've taken before and very stressful. On the other hand if you really do well in pre-req's and begining semesters it all seems to become easier as you go. A lot builds of earlier material so I've found for me although the work itself has increased I feel like its gotten easier. Don't be discouraged, I am lately. Just been going through some really hard family times with sick family memebers which has made clinical very emotional for me teh last few weeks. I hope I will get past this but its hard.

[laurenann]

@ ilucpatho, keep your head up. things will improve with time.

to everyone else, thanks for all the good information. I am starting an RN program in the fall and appreciate some good information like you guys have given.

[jillianbeans]

I'm also worried I'll find out I'm really squeamish and not be able to handle blood, bodily excretions, etc.

If you are really worried this might happen, then why not get a job as a CNA now or over the summer? In the nursing program I attend, that is a prerequisite anyway. What a great way to sort of get your feet wet and also get the answer to the above problem. I think it would be better to find out NOW if you're going to be too squeamish, so you can surrender your seat to someone else who would probably kill to have it...and so you can move on with your own future plans.

[QuarterLife88, MSN, RN, NP]

It's very time consuming, which will make it seem hard. The information is not rocket science (I thought information wise that A&P/chemistry was much more complex), but my classmates and I always say that if we had the same info, but were given more time to to learn it/do it, nursing school would be much easier. Oh yeah, and if the dreaded 80% and anything below is FAILING was not hanging over your head.

I'm only a second semester student, but IA with iluvpatho...the first semester was harder to me because it was all so new. Now, I have much more of a feel for what's expected so even though my assignments have doubled, I find the info easier to absorb and implement.

[Stcroix, ASN, PhD, RN]

I agree that the volume of information/ reading you need to digest is the issue. If you want to get the work done and really are committed, it is very doable. I can tell you if you aren't serious about being a nurse, don't take up a chair that someone else really wanted. Clinical work may be a very new experience to some people, but as a previous poster said, you just do it, and somehow you can get used to most anything. Go shadow a nurse for a day before you decide to get into school. Many students fall in love with the idea of being a nurse, but really don't like the reality.

[Cmarkioli]

You seem very ignorant, or young. Whichever, is elementary education easy? Maybe the course work. Do you have children? Congrats if you do. You 're very specific about a profession you would like to assume is "easy", without any facts. Makes one look at the entire situation as someone with no control of their children or a mediocre nurse making herself TRY to feel accomplished. Sure nursing school is hard, so is dealing with 25 5 year olds on a daily basis.