I started nursing school with high hopes, but after my fourth semester, I dropped out. Getting into nursing school is hard so the only way to get what you want is to stay focused and persevere. About half of us were traditional students and the other half were not. I barely coped when I figured out how much of a pickle I was in. Laura Fero We had so many clinicals and pointless busy work. Everest of a career—all uphill. 1. Students may learn about the effects of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and drugs on the human body. Alaina Ross However, I fared very well despite all of this. Accelerated Master's entry program. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the StudentNurse community. Expand All Memorization. Alaina Ross, RN, BSN, has 10 years of experience as a pre-op and PACU nurse. And no you don’t get paid for them either :/ So alllll of this makes nursing competitive and hard. It wasn't until my 2 close friends got pregnant and had a kid that it all started to make more sense. What were they like in comparison to your other semesters? I did an ABSN in 12 months. 25-mei-2020 - Are you a nursing student or thinking about being a nursing student? Nursing school is hard. That is a lot to do. Collapse All Read ahead, make notes, and prepare any questions you have before the lecture. I have always wanted to be a nurse but didn't have the discipline to stay in school and get good grades. The curriculum covers topics like the skeletal, muscular, neurological, and cardiovascular systems, among other anatomical systems of the human body.This course very often comes with a lab component. Pharmacology, or the study of medication, can seem scary because of the sheer scope of the course. Your situation is already setting yourself up for failure because college requires a lot of time. It's full of badly worded assignments, lecturers who change the marking guide mid way through the semester, quizzes that have question on topics we have never studied and it's a pointless subject. -I don't have to work due to the GI Bill. Organic chemistry covers the natural processes that occur in carbon-carrying compounds. At this point I am hoping for a pass and I'll be happy (p's get degrees!). Predicted 20-Year ROI: $525,000. Many students struggle with the difficult coursework, such as advanced scientific concepts. Because nursing programs tend to be more demanding in terms of credits, many students are forced to fast-track their degrees by taking multiple hard classes at once. It was hard because I was never involved in the medical field, didn't know how to take nclex-style questions, and the lack of time to memorize a lot of material. Like anatomy and physiology, organic chemistry usually requires a lab component. OB as a male was enjoyable, and not even close to challenging. I quit nursing school. I found Peds the hardest because I was not very motivated to go to clinicals and study for exams. © 2021 NurseJournal.org, a Red Ventures Company. I am more of an adult med surg kind of nurse, I would much rather take care of older patients than patients under 12 y/o. Chest pain March 2014 in College Search & Selection. Hardest part of nursing school: Time management. By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. What is covered "this semester"? Learners must already hold a foundational understanding of certain anatomical concepts, as the curriculum builds upon these studies.“This course is considered difficult because it is the first course where students must combine what they have learned in chunks in previous courses and put it all together as they apply it to a disease process,” says Nicole Beaver, instructor at Hunt School of Nursing at Gardner-Webb University. Cope? I had to quit my CNA job because of this quarter. Her exams had questions/answers that were blatantly wrong and she would constantly flip-flop on what she said. I failed the first two exams, normally I was high 80s low 90s. We had so many clinicals and pointless busy work. I thought Chem would be bad because of all the math, but I got a B in the class and it ended up not being so bad. I mean the whole point is to learn how to competently take care of a human being suffering from complex heath issues. These tips are not only Alexis’ own opinion – she discussed them with lots of other nurses as well. Because of these requirements, some learners find this course exceptionally demanding. Honestly, I couldn't be more relieved to finally be done and never go back to that hell ever again. Or, for instance, think about the word ACHES when considering the side effects of contraception: Abdominal pain My college offers either public speech or a class called fundamentals of oral communication. “These drugs are very similar, thus have many of the same side effects and nursing considerations.”. This course covers common disorders or other health problems in adults. I was able to still work though and hang with friends. I got plenty time for extracurriculars. “Students have to be motivated to search, read, synthesize, and apply their new knowledge,” she says. This semester. -I am still hitting high Bs, or As on my assignments and exams. Laura Fero, Ph.D., MSN, RN, is the Dean of Nursing at St. Catherine University. Remember the nursing school classes are actually harder than the prerequisites and only the strong survive! Pace yourself rather than trying to learn everything at once –especially with classes requiring a high level of memorization. I was so close to failing it but at the last second, I was barely able to bring up my grade enough to pass the class. Organic Chemistry If the school generates spaces of communication, and not grading, we can help more," she added. Do not rely upon the average admission stats for a particular college. I was in a 4 year BSN program and my hardest semester was the end of my junior year. My grades weren't the best...but I was also taking like 20 hours and essentially, all my studying time when to that one class that I was close to failing. Here are the prerequisite courses in which students tend to struggle: Anatomy and Physiology (1 & 2) Probability and Statistics; Organic (or regular) Chemistry; Once you pass those prerequisites and enter nursing school, these classes tend to be hardest: I ended up with an A in ethics, B in peds, and B- in OB (after having to appeal my grade all the way up to the Dean of the SON). This knowledge helps learners when memorizing prescription drugs in a pharmacology class. Additionally, using flashcards allows you to study with your classmates. Lynch brings up the concept of “chunking” again. I coped by quitting my job to study more, luckily I still lived with my parents and they were extremely supportive of my education. You may have taken an anatomy and physiology class in high school, but nursing professors expect students to learn about human anatomy on an advanced level. “Having a deeper understanding of the information behind the numbers will help you crush this class.”. Plus I moved out of state and I was really missing my family and boyfriend during second term. All the girls had babysitting experience, were involved in the lives of babies (siblings, cousins, etc), and they have the parts you talk about in OB. Additionally, the content is interesting, so it is easier to remember things. Expand All This is vital for anyone balancing school and work, but especially for nursing students. I go to the gym frequently. Final semester = leadership (including 150 hours of precepting), psych with clinical, critical care with clinical and NCLEX prep. BDM1994 83 replies 13 threads Junior Member. OB as a male is not fun. I studied my booty off. Who knew I could pull that out. I was maintaining B's throughout that semester, often on the borderline of passing at times! Guaranteed to keep you gasping for air by the second week of school, we give you 10 of the Hardest Classes at UBC. Just watching the gorgeous Alexis Nicole and listening to her relaxed, chatty presentation makes this clip worth viewing – but this doesn’t make her tips for dealing with the four hardest parts of nursing school any less valuable for every nursing student out there. ABSN student here. After my first year of nursing school half of my class failed out of the program! Nicole Beaver, MSN, RN, is an instructor at Hunt School of Nursing at Gardner-Webb University. Read More Additionally, you can take advantage of the Picmonic website and mobile application that uses picture mnemonic devices for medical and nursing students. Flashcards help you remember concepts when you study, and writing out definitions can aid in memorization. I really thought second term was the end of me though and I was going to get held back. As you read about what to expect in nursing school, consider whether you’d be able to handle these challenges. I also agree that one of the biggest challenges of nursing school is the test style. Look at your syllabus and physically break down the curriculum into daily sections. There are days I'm ready to hang it up but I'm almost done (December grad)!! Nursing school was weed out time—the nursing profession, if one isn’t careful—is burn-out time. Megan Lynch If so, you might be wondering, “How hard is nursing school, really?” To help answer this, we asked several Rasmussen College nursing students about their experiences. However, you can get a well-paid job right out of college, as businesses love to hire folks with this quantitative background. “Pharmacology goes beyond simply memorizing drug names, and forces learners to think critically about the drug and how it works within the patient,” Lynch explains. If you are in nursing school you will probably agree with me on these, but everything mostly depends on your professors teaching style etc. “Learn to chunk,” she says. Evidence-Based Practice Students use the scientific method to carry out lab work, which might involve observing tissues with a microscope or dissecting an animal. Summer = OB ->peds, community, professional development and health care policy. How did you cope? NurseJournal.org is an advertising-supported site. The University of British Columbia (UBC) has its fair share of difficult classes, with the ones that stand above the rest often stemming from math and sciences. I was in a 4 year BSN program and my hardest semester was the end of my junior year. If you are working full-time, have a family, and are going to college full time, good luck. I'm horrible at math. 2-year major, RN-BSN, accelerated (if so, how many months? Which semester was the most difficult? In this article, we look at the various factors normally used to determine whether a major is hard before going over the 13 most difficult majors based on how many hours students typically spend each week preparing for classes. I took a nursing anatomy class in college as preparation but we probably covered 10% of what you learn in med school anatomy. I did end up finishing school with a 3.5 though. Ask a Nurse: Can I Expect Job Offers Post-Graduation? Associates. 6. OB and Peds quarter was by far the hardest. Resources and articles written by professionals and other Nurses like you. "But we are overwhelmed as well." I'm in my last semester and I liked Peds the least. Hardest Nursing School Classes. 18 months (7 10-week quarters). Once students pass their prerequisite classes, they begin advanced coursework that requires them to recall material from previous courses in anatomy, physiology, biology, and chemistry, and involves a substantial amount of memorization and writing. ), Associate's, etc. ABSN in 12 months. Students may learn about the effects of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and drugs on the human body. The amount of knowledge that one is supposed to learn in medical school is huge. “Make your studying memorable by adding drawings, fun names, or [mnemonic] devices,” Lynch advises. Partly because I don't have kids, partly because I had a horrible first time teacher. Brings up the concept of “ chunking ” again the end of patients... 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