Hello! I am a level 3 nursing student, I'm half way done and still have 2 more semesters left. I chose nursing because I was raised in my family that taught me I had to be in the medical field if I want to be successful in life. I also have the mentality of wanting to help others and I love the feeling of knowing you just help change someone's life and be there for them in their most vulnerable time.
Anyways, I really thought nursing was for me but I've been in nursing school for over a year now and I still haven't really found that "ah hah!" moment that's going to motivate me to finish. What REALLY bothers me is that people at my school take the nursing profession TOO seriously! You always have to be professional and watch out for what you say, how you present yourself, your facial expression, and always be on top of everything and if you accidentally make a mistake, there's harsh consequences that could result in you being expelled and not getting your license/job (which has happened to a few of my classmates). Unfortunately I didn't do much research on my school when I was applying, I just heard good reviews about it and applied to it because they gave me a really good scholarship. I now realize that I chose a school that had VERY high expectations for their students. That the curriculum is WAY more challenging than other nursing schools out there when I ask other nursing students about theirs. Let's just say my nursing school is very "EXTRA", and even nurses who wants to go back to get their BSN tell me that they don't want to go to my school because they make it too "unnecessarily" difficult.
Everyday that I go to school, I always feel like I have to put on a mask and pretend to be someone I'm not. I always have to watch out for what I say or how I present myself. I'm the type of person who's responsible and follow directions but there's a limit to how strict someone can be before I can't handle it. Just recently I got in trouble for something very little that the school took very seriously. Thank God they let me off with a warning, but it's really making me think about my career choice. I also realized that once I graduate and work as a nurse, it's very much still going to be the same. I'll have to deal with people who do not appreciate me. I'll always be exhausted and worn out, and my job will always be on the line and every little mistake that I make can easily get me fired and lose my license. I just think that nursing profession is taken a little too seriously.
Dropping out is not an option for me at the moment. I want to finish and get my masters at least, but I'm having trouble finding the motivation to finish nursing school.
What I'm really interested in is aesthetician and plastic surgery, so do you know any field that I can go into with my nursing degree?
And how did you find the motivation to get through nursing school? I would really appreciate your feedback.
You are being trained in a profession and are expected to act like it from the get go. You need to be professional in any profession TBH, not restricted to nursing. Academics being challenging at your school may be true but that doesn't excuse. I don't think you'd face consequences for saying something incorrect or making mistakes, but rather for being unprofessional and inappropriate as is the case anywhere. Nurses and other health care professionals are held to a certain standard when they practice and you need to get used to it as a student nurse otherwise you'll face graver consequences once you are licensed. It sounds you want to be a nurse, so try and adjust your behavior now so you can succeed. If you're offending your colleagues and teachers now, there's a good chance your future patients may have a few problems with you too. Your description of your nursing school as "extra" is a big turn off as well, and I'm happy for you that your identity on here is private as otherwise you'd have a dark cloud hanging over your future.
Hello! I am a level 3 nursing student, I'm half way done and still have 2 more semesters left. I chose nursing because I was raised in my family that taught me I had to be in the medical field if I want to be successful in life. I also have the mentality of wanting to help others and I love the feeling of knowing you just help change someone's life and be there for them in their most vulnerable time.
Anyways, I really thought nursing was for me but I've been in nursing school for over a year now and I still haven't really found that "ah hah!" moment that's going to motivate me to finish. What REALLY bothers me is that people at my school take the nursing profession TOO seriously! You always have to be professional and watch out for what you say, how you present yourself, your facial expression, and always be on top of everything and if you accidentally make a mistake, there's harsh consequences that could result in you being expelled and not getting your license/job (which has happened to a few of my classmates). Unfortunately I didn't do much research on my school when I was applying, I just heard good reviews about it and applied to it because they gave me a really good scholarship. I now realize that I chose a school that had VERY high expectations for their students. That the curriculum is WAY more challenging than other nursing schools out there when I ask other nursing students about theirs. Let's just say my nursing school is very "EXTRA", and even nurses who wants to go back to get their BSN tell me that they don't want to go to my school because they make it too "unnecessarily" difficult.
Everyday that I go to school, I always feel like I have to put on a mask and pretend to be someone I'm not. I always have to watch out for what I say or how I present myself. I'm the type of person who's responsible and follow directions but there's a limit to how strict someone can be before I can't handle it. Just recently I got in trouble for something very little that the school took very seriously. Thank God they let me off with a warning, but it's really making me think about my career choice. I also realized that once I graduate and work as a nurse, it's very much still going to be the same. I'll have to deal with people who do not appreciate me. I'll always be exhausted and worn out, and my job will always be on the line and every little mistake that I make can easily get me fired and lose my license. I just think that nursing profession is taken a little too seriously.
Dropping out is not an option for me at the moment. I want to finish and get my masters at least, but I'm having trouble finding the motivation to finish nursing school.
What I'm really interested in is aesthetician and plastic surgery, so do you know any field that I can go into with my nursing degree?
And how did you find the motivation to get through nursing school? I would really appreciate your feedback.
Thank you!
One thing that is hard to realize is that doctors can get away with more mistakes than a nurse. I really believe that is what the standard is, the walking on 'eggshells' feeling in nursing school, even down to the 'you're wearing the wrong size earrings' crap.
Long ago when I worked in HH, a large part of our work was dressing changes. Many were daily, and it was truly our bread and butter.
The orders for the dressing changes tended to be rather generic. After all, it is not rocket science.
I don't recall the exact details, but we were packing a wound with NS moistened strip. The strip came in a jar, and once opened, of course it is no longer sterile. The supplies were expensive, and not covered by Medicare in those days. You weren't going to open a fresh bottle every day.
Using tweezers, you had to pull the strip out of the jar, and cut the appropriate size, then pack the wound. No sterile gloves were provided or available in the home.
The problem began when different nurses began to clash about maintaining asepsis in this situation. One nurse made some unfortunate comments about other nurses' professionalism to family members.
This nurse was having the family boil the tweezers and scissors every day prior to use. She was there Monday through Friday, but on weekends, there were different nurses every day.
Some were washing the implements in soap and hot water, and some were wiping them down with an alcohol pad.
Soon there was a war between the the "boiling nurse" and one particular "dirty nurse".
In the agency, if a patient ever made a complaint, you were guilty until proven innocent. This was exacerbated when a new supervisor was hired who had paranoid personality disorder.
The family complained about the dirty nurse after the boiling nurse told them her technique was unsafe.
The dirty nurse was then subjected to an intense review of her practice, yielding some possible other discrepancies. It turned into a veritable witch hunt, and other nurses got pulled into it. The agency was in a tizzy and several people were eventually fired.
Meanwhile the boiling nurse seemed quite pleased about the situation she had started. She considered herself superior to others in HH, because she had recent hospital experience.
Months later, I learned that the doctor's office had been contacted about the technique required for the procedure, and the dirty nurse had been right. It was not a sterile procedure in any way, and the boiling was unnecessary.
A little critical thinking would have gone a long way in this situation.
So, yes, I have seen nurses take themselves entirely too seriously. I am no longer in nursing for a reason.
This was 20 plus years ago. I don't know what happened to the boiling nurse. I have seen the dirty nurse around, she seems content and looks young for her age.
I understand demanding professionalism and seriousness when it comes to learning, applying knowledge, and working. I totally do. Like many above said, it's a profession and it's a very important one, a small mistake can literally cost someone their life. But I also saw someone last week get a 'Letter of Concern' (school writeup) because a bobby pin slipped in her bun and a small piece of hair escaped (and this was at school, not even a clinical site). Wasn't touching her collar, hanging in her face, just a small chunk of hair that popped out of a secured hair bun in the back of her head that she couldn't see, and that was enough for a uniform violation. So I kind of feel that THAT is the type of punitive, strict, 'extraness' OP was referring to. And the answer is I don't know. My classmate said it reminds her of the Marines, her previous profession.
My classmate said it reminds her of the Marines, her previous profession.
I agree. I completed an enlistment prior to attending nursing school. So for me, nursing school was no big deal. For some, I figure nursing school may be their first adult exposure to performance standards, strict rules, and professionalism.
I chose nursing because I was raised in my family that taught me I had to be in the medical field if I want to be successful in life.
By reading your topic, I got an impression that you may be experiencing reality shock in a nursing school.
More than a decade ago, I worked very hard and got into a competitive nursing program. I was suffered from depression when I was a nursing student. I think depression came from overwhelming amounts of homework and high expectations but also from eye-opening to the reality. Nursing was not what I thought it would. I was young and naive.
They want us to be at our best when we graduate and to make them proud , also they want the school to have a good reputation for producing the best Nurses .
We live in a litigation driven society and can cause harm or even kill someone. Professionalism is important when these factors are the repercussion of our errors. Your school being so strict in the end my just SYA one day.
What are these rules you mention? I would like to reply, but unless you tell use what these rules are, there is no way for any of us to speak from a place of experience.
I'm wracking my brain trying to see what rules in my school are stupid. Can't think of any because they all have a logical reason.
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Ruixi13, BSN, RN
43 Posts
You are being trained in a profession and are expected to act like it from the get go. You need to be professional in any profession TBH, not restricted to nursing. Academics being challenging at your school may be true but that doesn't excuse. I don't think you'd face consequences for saying something incorrect or making mistakes, but rather for being unprofessional and inappropriate as is the case anywhere. Nurses and other health care professionals are held to a certain standard when they practice and you need to get used to it as a student nurse otherwise you'll face graver consequences once you are licensed. It sounds you want to be a nurse, so try and adjust your behavior now so you can succeed. If you're offending your colleagues and teachers now, there's a good chance your future patients may have a few problems with you too. Your description of your nursing school as "extra" is a big turn off as well, and I'm happy for you that your identity on here is private as otherwise you'd have a dark cloud hanging over your future.