What did you struggle with most in nursing school?

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I am finished with all of my classes so I am not currently enrolled in school and have a good 6-8 months until I transfer to nursing school to become an RN.

I want to get ahead of the game and start studying some things. I've already bought a pathophysiology book, considering getting a nursing pharmacology book, and i'm looking for more ideas. What did you struggle with in nursing school or wish you had more time to study for?

Specializes in Med-Surg.

Oh.. but you still have to go through different clinical rotations... like if i had finished my 2 semester surgical rotation without any patient teaching... i would have never survived?... same as maternity, and peds, and ECU, familys and patient's want explanations, examples etc.

What kind of places are like that?... even the public health setting (clinicals, schools, etc) are all based soley on teaching

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.
Im looking for short term patient encounters. No time for that much teaching. What they need to know...don't have unprotected sex, don't give blood, knowingly transmit it to someone you go to prison, and meds. That's about it for the short term.

Dude, your first discharge is gonna send you up the wall then. A major responsibility of a nurse is patient teaching, so if you want to avoid it as much as possible, why did you choose nursing?

To answer the OP's question. I'm going into my last semester, and I will be focusing on what makes me the most nervous: getting the whole picture, missing connections, or freaking out about something I shouldn't. I even read posts here about patients, and I'm like, "Would I have dismissed that?" or "Would I have made a big deal about that for nothing?" During my last rotation, I had the opportunity to work one-on-one with a nurse who taught me as much as she could about the "big picture." I am looking forward to--and I'm nervous about--this last opportunity to work on it with a safety net.

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Dude, your first discharge is gonna send you up the wall then. A major responsibility of a nurse is patient teaching, so if you want to avoid it as much as possible, why did you choose nursing?

To answer the OP's question. I'm going into my last semester, and I will be focusing on what makes me the most nervous: getting the whole picture, missing connections, or freaking out about something I shouldn't. I even read posts here about patients, and I'm like, "Would I have dismissed that?" or "Would I have made a big deal about that for nothing?" During my last rotation, I had the opportunity to work one-on-one with a nurse who taught me as much as she could about the "big picture." I am looking forward to--and I'm nervous about--this last opportunity to work on it with a safety net.

You're not telling me anything I don't know.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
I'd just say "you've got HIV." Somewhere they've got internet access if they want to know more

How long have you been in nursing school for?... obviously you know there are a large population who have NO access to health care.. let alone the internet?

I'd rather know why it all works than be doing something about it, but that's just me

Sorry, I just dont understand, why would you want to be a nurse if you are not wanting to help or do anything about well... anything! What are you just gonna be like "hey thats nice you have a fever... thats ok i'll just let you go septic..."

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To reply or not.... I'm debating.

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Specializes in Cardiac.
Oh, yeah, you've got to understand it, but who cares about explaining it to patients, lol. I just want to know the info! I'd just say "you've got HIV." Somewhere they've got internet access if they want to know more.

:confused: I seriously hope that you are kidding.

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Specializes in Cardiac.
You're not telling me anything I don't know.

Your negativity is not needed on this site.

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Everything!

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Specializes in ortho, urology, neurosurgery, plastics.

I would suggest Phathophysiology, Pharmacy and somehow learn aspects of critical thinking. My nursing career has been entirely in acute care and I firmly believe that if you as a nurse do not understand what is going on at the cellular level in the disease process, your effectiveness as a care giver is greatly diminished. If you do not know what is going on on the inside, how can you expect to do something about it on the outside? A lack of knowlede re: A&P, disease pathology and etiology and pharmacokinetic/dynamics greatly limits your ability to critically think about effective therapeutic interventions leading to positive outcomes. After all, is that not why we are in this profession? If possible take a course in syllogistic logic (going into nursing school, I'm sure you will have scads of free time: NOT!) but it might make for an interesting elective. Have a good day.

Post Script. If you get the chance during your A&P etc to attend a post-mortem you will find it will add an element of understanding that books and other assorted media simply will not give you

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I struggled with a program where there are 8+ instructors. Every one of them does things differently, has different expectations, has different "right" answers, and even occasionally they contradict each other. There is only one lecture class they all rotate in/out of, so I never know who wrote the exam questions. I learned I cannot please everyone and that I should not get upset when someone is not pleased.

I struggled with learning to self-teach. Other departments at my college do things different. The nursing school is mostly self-study. If you're confused, they expect you to talk to a classmate instead of asking an instructor. The exam is to basically memorize hundreds of pages of a detailed textbook. Their "teaching" is limited to reaching power point slides line by line. This was very hard for me who always thought of teaching as more of a team experience: the instructor has at least some responsibility/credit for my outcome. And then they wonder a good 60% of students don't make it to graduation. It was hard for me to accept they did not care in the least if students did not graduate. All the seem to care about is a high NCLEX pass rate and meeting state requirements for clinicals. But that's their problem - not mine - and I won't let uncaring teachers slow my chances for success.

And it's been hard for me to reconcile what I thought nurses did and felt was important versus what the nurses in the hospitals I visit really do. It's hard for me to see a 1:7 ratio of post-op patients, all in pain and several call bells ringing, while between 0700 and 0800 they're pretty much ignored as night nurse gives Report to the day nurse(s) for her rooms. It's hard for me to see nurses who seem to spend so much time giving meds they don't do much else. And it seems like so much effort is spent in covering one's own butt (document, document, document) because apparently when things go wrong between doctor or pharmacy and patient, it's the nurse who is responsible for not catching others' mistakes. Or maybe I am growing cynical after doing rotations in too profit-focused hospitals?

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Specializes in Psych/med surg.

Relax and enjoy life while you can because before you know it you won't have much free time. You will always have your nose in a nursing book. I have multiple degrees and breezed through my other degrees but nursing school is a different animal.

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Specializes in OrthoRehab/Med-Surg.

Above all else, get yourself some very good NCLEX review books/software such as Saunders or Lippincott and do your practice questions EVERYDAY, at least 20-40. This will help to prepare your mindset on how to take your exams successfully.

Also, set aside plenty of study time, at least 2-4 hours EVERYDAY. Nursing school is intense and you will need your study time.

One last bit of advice, like others have suggested, get your CNA and work part-time. This has really helped me.

Good luck!

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