Why are we learning all this stuff?!?

[JillFRN]

I am a little annoyed. So my professors send us with these gazillion books and chapters to read as expected and I read them. As I am going through them I realize no nurse has ever done this stuff to me. When I get to class Monday my teacher says, oh that book is meant for nurse practioners, they don't make books for regular nursing students! Whaaaat! Is this true? So here I am spending my whole weekend stressing over things I didn't need to know when I could have been concentrating on things I did need to know. Also, I know we have to know all of this stuff but how much do you really use of this outside in the real world? Many of these things I have never had a nurse do, it just seems all foreign to me. I don't mind learning or working hard, it just seems that maybe they are throwing stuff at us that we don't even need to know! Maybe this is my school in particular who knows!

[beth66335, BSN, RN]

I'm pretty sure my books are for "regular nursing students"...weird!

[JillFRN]

Yea, I thought that was incorrect. There are some pretty advanced things in this book and I was really stressing. I wasted about 15 hours on stuff I didn't even need. Now I am trying to catch up on notecards for two exams next week.

[APUalyssa*]

Yea, I thought that was incorrect. There are some pretty advanced things in this book and I was really stressing. I wasted about 15 hours on stuff I didn't even need. Now I am trying to catch up on notecards for two exams next week.

omg that is flip'in ridiculous! i havent even started the program yet and i have heard TONS of things about book work and all the crap they keep us occupied for the some-odd years we are there for

to wait---------------

get this....

find out that we dont use much of it ANYWAY

one word: insane!

[JillFRN]

omg that is flip'in ridiculous! i havent even started the program yet and i have heard TONS of things about book work and all the crap they keep us occupied for the some-odd years we are there for

to wait---------------

get this....

find out that we dont use much of it ANYWAY

one word: insane!

Yea, not sure why they had us learning stuff for NP's. That was a little over the top. Now I don't know what I should or shouldn't be reading in the book! Guess I'll have to trust the objectives.

[Asherah, BSN, RN]

Perhaps you could expand a bit on what you mean by "all this stuff"? If you can describe what you're actually spending time on and if you wish to know if you will actually use it, experienced RNs who peruse AN can provide feedback.

[beth66335, BSN, RN]

I think she just means the NP level stuff in her text books. I think the school has just screwed up ordering your books and is covering it up w/ "they don't make nursing textbooks"...baloney! Everything I have studied in my books so far is stuff I can as a nurse do...not that I will get to do all of it!

[Asherah, BSN, RN]

I think she just means the NP level stuff in her text books. I think the school has just screwed up ordering your books and is covering it up w/ "they don't make nursing textbooks"...baloney! Everything I have studied in my books so far is stuff I can as a nurse do...not that I will get to do all of it!

I understand what she meant, I'm trying to get some clarification. If the school is truly incompetent enough to order advanced practice textbooks then perhaps it isn't a program worth attending, or the professor was just blowing smoke and making up any answer to the question.

Also, for example, if the original poster is speaking of a complete health assessment, I've never personally had a nurse participate in a complete assessment in my health care history. There are many things that individuals may have never seen a nurse do that truly are part of the RN role. So I will ask again, what specifically is "this stuff."

[whiteoleander5]

I am glad I came across this thread, because I have been thinking (and heard) the same thing.

[Melinurse]

I understand what she meant, I'm trying to get some clarification. If the school is truly incompetent enough to order advanced practice textbooks then perhaps it isn't a program worth attending, or the professor was just blowing smoke and making up any answer to the question.

Also, for example, if the original poster is speaking of a complete health assessment, I've never personally had a nurse participate in a complete assessment in my health care history. There are many things that individuals may have never seen a nurse do that truly are part of the RN role. So I will ask again, what specifically is "this stuff."

I agree, can you be more specific? Is it a med-surg book or what exactly is the title and what semester are you in? Might help to know so we can give better answer and feedback. :loveya:

[jjjoy, LPN]

I know my physical assessment class & and textbook covered many things that went well beyond what the average nurse would need to know or do. And we weren't tested on most of the textbook, though, of course, it was assigned and you never knew what exactly the instructor would hold you accountable for knowing. I'm wondering if that's the course the OP is referring to.

[MB37]

My CI mentioned that she'd never seen an RN perform percussion, although we had to learn it in school. She said even as an NP she rarely used it. However, it's been in many of the NCLEX questions that I've been practicing, so it's considered an RN skill by the people who write the boards. The only things in our physical assessment book that we didn't cover in depth were the genital/breast assessment chapters - they told us we wouldn't have to practice that on anyone unless we entered an NP program. We covered the basics briefly in one lecture, how to teach BSE/testicular SE, etc., but we didn't have to do any bimanual palpation or testicular translumination on our patients on the ortho floor that week (HA!). I agree with others - specifics might help some of us who have graduated or are farther along let you know whether what you're learning is indeed relevant.