4 Year BSN program at a University

Devon Rex, ADN, BSN · Jul 21, 2012

Hello!

I have not attended a 4-year program, but I am almost finished with an acelerated associates degree. Nursing is a very demanding field... in school and post school. This is a professional degree you would be pursuing and it doesn't come easy. Now, having said that... some people find the time to party and stuff while attending school, others are more applied to their studies or simply it takes them longer to assimilate the information. It all depends on how easy you can retain and critically analyze medical information... such as diseases (cause, mode of transmission, risks, prevention, types of treatments, complications, etc), medications (generic and brand names, action, dangerous and not so dangerous side effects, nursing care, dosages, calculating dosages), blood compatibilities and disorders, psychiatric nursing, labor and delivery, critical care, and many more areas.

If you think it's just about watching patients and dispensing the medications doctors prescribe... then you are in for a big surprise. The nursing program is very challenging and teaches you to think in ways most people never do. If you have ever been at a hospital and wondered why in the heck this nurse or this other person didn't do this or that (because it'a what makes sense to you), it's because they've learned to prioritize and analyze situations in ways most people don't. They are trained professionals. This would be you one day.

If you are serious about becoming a professional nurse, you will find yourself busy enough learning things. So much so, one day you will realize there isn't enough time to learn it all in school. Think about this... physicians take more than a decade of studies to become experts in their field. Nurses have to catch up to their lingo and to reach a basic level of knowledge in just two years. That's is why is so stressful. However, it is possible and very rewarding.

You have to go in with the right attitude and for the right reasons. Otherwise, you will just waste your time and money. You are the only person that knows if it is for you. If you have more questions, please log on to your local universities and look up information about their programs, how long they take, and such.

Good luck to you! :)

Luckyyou, BSN, RN · Jul 22, 2012

I went to a 4-year BSN program at a university and had plenty of time to sleep, study, have a social life, work part time and have a very long distance boyfriend. I think that everyone likes to blow the time commitment (and difficulty, which is another story) of nursing school out of proportion. I didn't find it to be any more time consuming than what my friends in business school or or education majors had as a workload. Obviously, your milage may vary, but I see so many posts on here about how hard and time consuming nursing school is, so I felt someone should offer the other side to the story.

Devon Rex, ADN, BSN · Jul 22, 2012

That is good to know Cerriwin! I think I should've done the 4 year program at an university rather than the accelerated program I'm in. :)