Is nursing school hard? This is a very common question asked by those that are looking at all the obstacles they must jump through in order to obtain a nursing degree.
Their concern is valid, but the difficulty varies from person to person.
In order for us to understand how you will fare in nursing school, we will break down what separates those that fail from those that succeed in nursing programs.
Course-work vs Clinicals
There are two major sections of a typical nursing program.
- Course-work: The majority of your work including book-work, papers, tests, etc.
- Clinicals: Your on-hands training in the field.
There are some people that thrive when it comes to working hands-on and struggle with papers and test, and it also works the other way around. In order to succeed you will have to be highly proficient in both, and there are many ways you can prepare and test yourself to see if you are capable.
List Of Steps To Prepare For Nursing School
- Work At Hospital - If you can manage, work part-time or full-time in a hospital a few months or longer before your training.
- Volunteer At Hospital - If you can’t find work, do volunteer work at a hospital to gain experience and get a better idea for the field.
- Purchase An NCLEX Study Guide – Start familiarizing yourself with the material along with any other related guides.
- Contact Alumni And Graduates – Pick other graduates’ minds so that you can better prepare yourself for the program.
Classroom Politics
It’s not uncommon to face some politics in the classroom. There have been many students that have complained about instructors sizing up students and letting their authority get to their head. Whether this is true or not will depend on where you conduct your training.
One key thing to remember is regardless of how you feel about your instructors, it’s better for you to not get on their bad side.
Coursework
You will be studying a variety of subjects including Anatomy & Physiology, Medical Terminology, and Biology. If science isn’t your strong suit, be prepared to be doing a lot of studying.
For some people, the material will come naturally and seem fairly easy, while others will struggle, fail, and be removed from the program.
Tips To Passing The Coursework
When someone asks the question: Is Nursing School Hard?
You will be able to answer: It’s actually not that bad….
If you follow these steps:
- Do Not Wait Till The Last Minute – Avoid developing the habit of cramming for tests or you will find yourself in a lot of trouble in the long run.
- Join Study Groups – It is essential (for the exception of a small percentage of people) that you need to study with partners in order to pass.
- Improve Note-Taking – Look into alternatives to improving your note-taking including a laptop (for faster typing) and digital recorders.
- Take Breaks – There’s only so much time you can stay focused on studying material, so take breaks, and take them often!
Clinicals
Clinicals will involve you doing your on-hands work with patients and other staff members at a hospital or doctor’s office. Typical clinicals tend to start in the morning and you may not be able to work a full-time job during this portion of your training.
Surviving Clinicals
In order to survive clinicals, you must be on-time, have patience, and be very attentive as you learn things. There may be times where you get scolded, but you can’t let it affect your over-all experience because it just comes with the turf.
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