Before you even get to college you're asked, what do you want to be when you grow up? Some already know at a young age or others, like myself, didn't know until about high school what career sounded like a good idea to test out. When I decided to go to nursing school there were a few things I had to research. (Like the fact that it's super competitive). In order to get into the program you have to maintain a good GPA as we all know, but the reason not many schools take applicants every year or semester is due to the lack of nursing instructors they have on campus. Who could blame them? They just went through schooling to become a nurse not to teach nursing students.
A lady at UTA advised me to "get out of the metroplex" and try my luck at a smaller school. This in itself was a great piece of advice, and I would gladly tell anyone the same. A BSN is a BSN, no matter the school you went to in order to receive it.
Coming into my first semester of nursing school I realized how untrue it was when people said "it's so hard to get into nursing school." Yeah it may be hard but it's even more difficult to stay in. No one tells you about the hidden fees you're expected to pay while in the program. (Shots you may need, the amount of equipment, let alone the textbooks). The one thing they do mention is the minimum test grade average you must have to pass a course in order to advance in the program. The number seventy-four will forever be engrained in my head for the fact that I must have that in each class at least to get to the next semester. However, if you fail a course, not only do you repeat that class but it'll of course cause you to be behind now a whole semester or even year. Some schools only let you repeat a single course once before asking you to drop out of the program, so trying to avoid failing a course again or not failing within the next three to four semesters can mentally wear you down. If that wasn't frustrating enough, I don't know what is.
With the amount of hours you study, (trust me it's more than you ever did in high school) you'll think that you were prepared for every test administered. However, they all tell you that you need to "think like a nurse" and "choose the most correct answer"
What do those even mean?
To think like a nurse we would have to be in a hospital setting to know the signs and symptoms of a patient going into shock and the specific type. To choose the most correct answer we would have to know the difference between the scalpels and different syringes used in surgery. How on Earth are we supposed to know that within the first month or semester?
You don't. And trust me, you'll go through many days where all you want to do is break down and not continue on with the program. You're frustrated because you're living off of caffeine and the professor maybe isn't teaching you material that's relative to the test. Maybe you're being told that in order to pass the class you just need to learn the material because it'll help you pass the NCLEX but not get you through your first day on the job. Because let's face it, the textbook says one thing but not all patients are the same. Trying to ask upperclassmen how they studied for the semester previously doesn't always help. Some people are just naturally smart and don't require a lot of studying, that's not me, nor the majority of the world.
However there are resources out there to help you! First off, asking your professor is the best thing to do! Yeah they may seem scary for whatever reason, but in the end their goal is to help you become a nurse and to know the best treatment for caring for a patient. There are websites and mnemonic books to help too. You're going to have to study even during the breaks like summer because every semester builds on itself and it's important! This is something you'll have to know because you'll be doing it the rest of your life, so you might as well learn it now!
I guess the ultimate question to ask is, do you really know what a nurse does? The things I've mentioned above aren't to scare you out of wanting to become a nurse, it's simply to make you aware that you're stepping into a whole new world that no one has ever told you about before.
If we're being honest, I only knew that nurses took care of patients, whatever that involved. I didn't realize they were advocates for the patients when their voices weren't being heard. That they formed relationships with the families as well and constantly were making sure their hall was safe and secure. Nurses do a lot more than anyone gives them credit for, not because they have to but because they want too. You're going to have a better understanding of the patient than the Dr. ever will because you're by their side for twelve hours a day! Think of the bond you'll develop with these people over time.
For some it may be easy to get through nursing school because this information just comes natural to them. But in reality, you don't just need to be smart or quick on your feet. You have to be compassionate and show that you genuinely care about these people. That you're job is to not only help them get out of the hospital but to improve their life and become stronger in any dynamic. Nurses do a lot of things that will go unrecognized to most, but it will be a blessing to the patient.
The Guinness Book of World Records at one point in time deemed the BSN the hardest college degree to ever achieve. I personally believe this to be true as well as many others. However I know at the end of each day it'll be worth it in the end and the satisfaction of being able to help many people in ways that no one could ever imagine will trump every time the thought of quitting ever entered my mind.
So to all the future and current nursing students out there, good luck and enjoy it to the best of your abilities! Know that every other person is in the same boat as you and that if your friends or family could do it, then you can do it too.
