Would a person like me have a chance to finish the nursing program?

scoope23 · May 1, 2016

What we think shouldn't matter. If you don't believe you do, nothing we say will change the outcome. Not trying to sound mean, but If someone can talk you into believing in yourself, then someone else can talk you out of believing in yourself. Just make the decision to see this through, no matter what.

lyudmila777 · May 1, 2016

Thanks, I'm just looking for words of encouragement.

I'm assuming by the way you write you never had days when you were feeling blue? And simply needed someone to lift you up. It's not a matter of talking me into anything (I don't get persuaded easily). I was just hoping to hear some encouraging stories/words.

Thank goodness you aren't my nurse if you were, you would have crushed me even further than helped me out emotionally.

allnurses Guide · May 1, 2016

Whether you think you can or think you can't, you are right. For you this is not a "can I" question, it is a "will I". With your history success will be a decision, not a blow through and failure too would be a decision. Are you going to get humbled? Probably. Are you going to have to study and work very hard? Yep. Is it possible? Of course. Is failure guaranteed? Not by a long shot. Is success guaranteed? Not by a long shot.

This one is all on you. Do you have what it takes mentally to put in the work? Do you want to? That's the real question here and only you can answer it.

roser13, ASN, RN · May 1, 2016

Thanks, I'm just looking for words of encouragement.
I'm assuming by the way you write you never had days when you were feeling blue? And simply needed someone to lift you up. It's not a matter of talking me into anything (I don't get persuaded easily). I was just hoping to hear some encouraging stories/words.
Thank goodness you aren't my nurse if you were, you would have crushed me even further than helped me out emotionally.

Nothing like bashing the first responder who took the time to honestly answer your question. And BTW, you did not ask for "encouraging words/stories." You asked a bunch of Internet strangers if we thought you had a chance to be successful in nursing school. And the answer was a very polite "how the heck would we know, what's more important is your attitude."

Yeah, we sure got a taste of your attitude. Good luck with that.

SnowShoeRN · May 1, 2016

The vast majority of people on this site (myself included) aren't just going to tell you "you can do it!" and verbally pat you on the back. Not because we don't think you can do it, but because - as previous posters have said - how would we know? If you really *don't* have what it takes we would be offering you a false sense of security and lying to both you and ourselves.

Providing someone with assurance that everything will be fine isn't something we do. Even with our patients. What we do tend to do, is remind people (including our patients) that what they believe they can do vs what they believe that can't do will have a profound impact on their behavior, successes, healing, and recovery.

The truth is, you will have failures and you will have successes. But attitude and confidence is EXTREMELY important in nursing programs. There are people who enter with a 4.0 and don't make it through the program. There are people with very low grades (maybe even the cutoff) and zero experience whatsoever who absolutely thrive. It's incredibly personalized.

We cannot tell you how you will do without knowing your study habits, the nursing program you're attending, the instructors, and so many other variables. If you're concerned about your anxiety and other factors, I would consider meeting with a counselor at the school or the head of the program to talk about the exact requirments of the program as far as emotional rigor is concerned. Or perhapss you can speak with your PCP about the possibility of obtaining special accomodations for testing. Some programs allow for special accomodations for students who have various medical conditions that may influence their learning. Best of luck.

emtpbill, ASN, RN, EMT-P · May 1, 2016

From everything I have mentioned, do I have a chance of finishing the nursing program? I just need to hear words of encouragement; I'm too hard on myself.
Thank you everyone! :)

Someone must have thought you would succeed at the nursing program or they would not have admitted you. Unless , of course, it's a school that is for profit and just wants your money regardless of your ability to succeed.

lake girl · May 1, 2016

I am sure u can do it with a little fore thought. You are correct to be concerned. Welcome to the nursing world. It's a bit brutal. I would encourage you to try the WGU online school. You would not have aggressive ppl to deal with at school bc you are at home or the library instead of a cliquey classroom. I was floored by the "millennials" and being politically correct all the time, ugh, on top of all the material to study. Prior to NS, I was home for a while and not used to ppl every where and all their agendas. It was hard for the sensitive type. That's my take. It think, anyone can do nursing school but, it's hard socially. That alone can crush you if you are not feeling up to parr. Also with test anxiety you would be at home to test and no distractions if you did school on-line. At NS they purposely let all hell break loose during the test..it drove me crazy. At NS they don't like sensitive types. I hope u try it on line. Take care. Oh and the math!!! BE prepared to convert from Oz to Milliliters.

Libby1987 · May 1, 2016

Thanks, I'm just looking for words of encouragement.
I'm assuming by the way you write you never had days when you were feeling blue? And simply needed someone to lift you up. It's not a matter of talking me into anything (I don't get persuaded easily). I was just hoping to hear some encouraging stories/words.
Thank goodness you aren't my nurse if you were, you would have crushed me even further than helped me out emotionally.

I did until I read this. Your grades aren't a big concern but you might be too fragile. The referenced post was not remotely close in depth nor number of the discouraging moments you will encounter over the next 5 years or so.

Editorial Team / Moderator · May 1, 2016

To paraphrase the wise words of Mick Jagger, you can't always get what you want, but you might get what you need. OP, we don't know you, so it's impossible for us to say whether or not you'll be successful, but you will find honest replies (that you might not desire) when you post on an internet forum. We all have those "blue" days, and sometimes we need a hug, and sometimes we need a kick in the tail/directions on applying big girl panties (or big boy boxers briefs, whichever). I hope you find the external support that you need; do you have friends in your program who can commiserate?

Also, there are ways to deal with test anxiety. I would suggest meeting with a school counselor for some guidance. You will be facing a lot of tests, and this is a good time to start to meet that challenge head-on. Good luck!

lyudmila777 · May 1, 2016

Thanks you :) I'm glad someone could give some advice.

BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN · May 1, 2016

Second post ever and you "went there". Now that has to be the AN record!!!

Thanks, I'm just looking for words of encouragement.
I'm assuming by the way you write you never had days when you were feeling blue? And simply needed someone to lift you up. It's not a matter of talking me into anything (I don't get persuaded easily). I was just hoping to hear some encouraging stories/words.
Thank goodness you aren't my nurse if you were, you would have crushed me even further than helped me out emotionally.