Why was it hard for you?

KBICU · Jun 22, 2012

What made it hard for me at first was learning not just WHAT to study, but the right way TO study. What I mean is unlike prereqs, nursing isnt something that should be studied just to pass a test then since it was crammed info, the content forgotten about. Nursing concepts and ideas truly do build on each other, and its essential to start right from the beginning studying the WHY and not just the WHAT. After you get use to how nursing questions are worded and what exams are like youll get a better understanding of how to focus your study.

Having said all that, there was alot that helped me too! I bought almost all of the Reviews and Rationales books by Mary Ann Hogan. Not only does it come with CDs for each book but it breaks down the content for almost everything on that topic and gives you pre and post tests. It helped having an alternate to class notes and powerpoints (and the oh so thrilling textbooks). I also got to know older students and would come to them with questions or look for advice for the upcoming year. Nursing IS a team sport after all haha.

Before my sophmore year I also got my nursing assistant license which helped me to become completely confident and comfortable with the essential basics of nursing. Talking to patients, basic care, how to make different kinds of beds, etc. all became second nature and i could focus on more difficult aspects of nursing.

Overall nursing school WAS hard. Spent many hours in clinical, doing projects, studying, etc and you will have your good and bad days. After all that though, you will be so glad you did it. The journey has just begun! Congratulations on starting your nursing career :)

angeltech · Jun 22, 2012

Thanks for the congrats! And I like the "studying the WHY and not just the WHAT" point, its very true and I need not to forget that.

mangopeach · Jun 22, 2012

I loved nursing school. And yes it was hard. For me being hard meant time consuming. Pressure like never before. Most other majors can fail a few classes and still get to finish, not so with nursing so that fear of failing was always there in the back of my mind, which is one reason I spent so much time studying. It was hard to see some of the people you became friends with not make it to the end. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

QuarterLife88, MSN, RN, NP · Jun 22, 2012

Heavy workload (sometimes very tedious paperwork to boot) + tiny time constraint = crying on the floor in a fetal position.

:smokin:

ER(notso)n00b, ASN, RN · Jun 22, 2012

Going to school, sitting for hours in lectures while trying to grasp new concepts, tests unlike any other I'd taken before, coming home to 3 kids and trying to study with the chaos and demands of running a household, trying to find time to do it all and keep my sanity. That is what has been hard for me. Watching our money dwindle was depressing - my husband has a decent paying job as a nurse, but $1000/month for childcare put a lot of strain on our finances and relationship.

Katie71275 · Jun 22, 2012

I am one of the ones who love nursing school....It is hard too though. It's a completely different thought process and I had to think like a nurse to get the questions right.

It is also hard as I have 4 children, my husband works long hours and it's difficult finding study time....I also am involved with volunteer work and activities with kids(Girl Scouts, football, etc) so that makes it more difficult to find time to study as wel.

Also, the financial strain is a lot. I had to quit a full time well paying salaried job to go back to school, which to be honest will be for the best. I was working a state job (which I loved, and am still involved in but as a volunteer now), but the state of Louisiana is NOT in a good place....so we weren't getting raises and the caseload had increased greatly(Caseworker for child protection).....also travel time had greatly increased as well due to lack of local foster parents for placements.....so we made a decision for me to go back to school....it changed our lifestyle and with 4 kids, it was a hard financial hit..

decembergrad2011, BSN, RN · Jun 22, 2012

The hardest parts of nursing school were not academic in nature. There are strict guidelines, as a student nurse you are held up to the same standard of care as a RN, and even a small mistake can be major in clinicals. I once lost 1% off my final grade for being 1 minute late to clinical!! I have seen students sent home for dress code.

It is a lot of pressure to master concepts very quickly that you only see a few times. And there is SOOOO much to learn that it really is impossible to know it all.

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Jun 25, 2012

when you notice yourself being nervous about something, ask a staff nurse you trust, or your instructor, what the first time was like to do xyz when s/he was a student. do this often enough and you will realize you are one in a long, long line of people who learned and are learning to be nurses, and let it comfort you. :hug:

MN-Nurse, ASN, RN · Jun 25, 2012

Where the test mostly What is something rather than multiple choice or matching?

Matching. That is so freaking cute!

OB-nurse2013, BSN, RN · Jun 25, 2012

Having kids has definately been the hardest. I am always worrying about whos going to watch them or what if they get sick especially since nursing school runs through fall and winter. Or they will always wake up during the night when I have a big exam in the morning but this has happened so often it doesn't even faze me anymore. The other hard thing is after 3 semesters I really struggled with burnout-I don't care anymore syndrome but I made it :) I notice people that really go crazy about everything and every little detail and study morning-noon-night have the hardest time for some reason.

mtnsandsky · Jul 3, 2012

I start in the fall and I am so excited! I have read many forums on here and come to this site almost everyday. I keep seeing that it was hard for most and some just loved nursing school. But I am interested into more of WHY was it "hard" for you... Is it that you had to hold down and job and school? Kids? Where the test mostly What is something rather than multiple choice or matching? Was it the Math? Too time consuming? see my point? I know it is a lot of information in a short time, so a lot of studying will be my life. But what made it hard for you?
LOL Yes, I am a newbie and I am sure you are thinking, Ah she will see!
I just want to be more prepared! I am ready and wanting my two years to pass by quickly
:-)

I'm beginning my second year of school this fall. School was hard for me because it had been 35 years since I graduated from high school! Math was particularly hard for me as it was back in my younger days. I found it difficult to do group projects when there was always someone in the group who didn't pull their weight. I feel like I have to spend more time studying than most, which is okay, but I also work 20 hours a week as a cna and I volunteer in a hospice center 3 hours a week.

I love school and all the incredible things I'm learning. Who says and Old Dog can't learn new tricks, ha. I hope you will put your fears aside and enjoy your fellow nursing students. We have all had to adjust to school, each of us with a different set of fears but we all support each other. Good Luck to you!