Rant About School

[trailerparkmedic]

So, I'm in nursing school, and my college ONLY does nursing school classes--no pre-reqs, no business school, just the nursing school. Everyone in the same cohort takes the same classes at the same time in the same room with the same professor. Our professors have at least some communication with each other, as evidenced by one professor sending out emails to encourage us for our first round of tests in classes other than hers, or by professors having a general idea of where we are in another class and how that affects the class they are teaching.

Apparently my professors are incredibly lazy or are incredibly cruel, because this week I have 3 tests, a paper, and a mandatory skills checkoff that I must pass to continue in the course. Sure, it's good for us to learn to multitask and such, but this feels worse than finals!! I just wish ONE of these things was last week or next week... it wouldn't have made that much of a difference to the professors and it would have made all the student's lives easier.

[AdminAssistant]

The unfortunate thing about midterms and other mid-point assignments is that the middle of the semester is the same for all classes. I know one student complained because she had three midterms in one day...while that sucks for her, there isn't anything we can do and we aren't going to reschedule.

[trailerparkmedic]

It's the middle of the semester, but not midterms. Funny how the first and third set of tests are spread out over two-three weeks but not the second.

Since I'm in such a small program (my class, with 150 people, is the biggest ever) (edit: and all 150 of us take the same classes at the same time with the same professors), I don't think it's unreasonable that our professors work out ways to keep us from going insane. Most of my classmates (and me!) are already incredibly burnt out and exhausted. Our professors would be HORRIFIED if they realized how little of what we are studying is being retained. On Monday I had to pass a test where I identified different lung sounds 100% of the time. I think I could name 1 abnormal one right now, on Tuesday. I bet that really makes you want me as your nurse. I can figure out when something is wrong, which is important, but I'd like to have time to get a better handle on what some of the more common abnormal stuff is now.

Found out today that not everyone has their paper due this week. There are a variety of different clinical instructors and we're turning our papers into them instead of the course coordinator (it's weird, we have someone who coordinates lecture, someone who coordinates clinicals, and a variety of different lecturers). Some clinical instructors, including the clinical coordinator, are letting their students turn in the papers next week. I'm not as lucky.

I want to be treated like an adult, but my school is just playing games with us. I heard nursing school was bad, but I wrongly assumed that because my school is one of the best in the area, it wouldn't be an issue. Well, we all know what assuming does....

If this semester has some of the better professors, WTF am I going to do next summer when I have 12 weeks to take OB and peds, the worst classes with the worst professors???

[Amina516]

I want to be treated like an adult, but my school is just playing games with us. I heard nursing school was bad, but I wrongly assumed that because my school is one of the best in the area, it wouldn't be an issue. Well, we all know what assuming does....

Yes, its that horrible. If someone said "Heres $1million dollars to go back to nursing school!". Id literally run away screaming. No, not being dramatic...I would NEVER go back to there! That being said ..you can do it. I know youre in a tougher accelerated program, but itll end and soon.

If your program has a feedback function (We always had to fill out surveys at the end of each section) Use these HARDCORE! Also, please dont hesitate to take your concerns to the dean. My school was fortunate enough to have a very sympathetic dean of nursing and she took our feedback very seriously. Although, from what i read of nursing forums, some will just say to suck it up.

Make yourself a schedule and stick to it. If you see that 3 somethings are due on week 4. Start working on them during week 2. But I know, you know this. I know they just pile it on and expect a miracle. Im sorry.

I sympathize entirely. I know the particular brand of Hell youre going through, but its not forever.

Hang on girl!

[tacohuman]

Yes, its that horrible. If someone said "Heres $1million dollars to go back to nursing school!". Id literally run away screaming. No, not being dramatic...I would NEVER go back to there!

...now i'm nervous about nursing school. i have four more prereq classes to take, then i apply for entrance in fall of 2012. i'd always heard that once the prerequisite classes were done, things got easier. now i'm scared

not going to stop me from doing it, though. i've worked too hard for too long to give up now.

[trailerparkmedic]

Amina, it's not accelerated. It's just that the summer counts as a full semester so our 4 semesters go faster. The accelerated program takes 20 credits a semester, mostly online. I have a lot of credits because it's a BSN program, but that's my fault for not going to the local community college.

I would go to the dean but she seems to be more concerned about looming budget cuts and boosting the school's PhD program than worrying about us undergrads (despite more than half the school being undergrads). I'm also hesitant to complain now because we have some of the "easiest" (least evil) professors this semester.

Tacohuman, go for nursing, but 1) there's no nursing shortage right now (hopefully that will be better by the time you graduate) and 2) nursing school sucks. I enjoy 1 of my classes and I love working with patients in clinicals, but I've never had to jump through so many hoops or put up with such petty bullshit. The classes are also incredibly difficult, if only because of the volume of information you need to go through. I'm (supposed to be) reading 100-300 pages a week per class. Ha!
I'm also lucky because the hospitals in the area are VERY nice to their nurses, which makes them less stressed and more likely to work with students in clinicals. The last time I was in clinicals my nurse had 3 patients, one of whom was in surgery all day. If your nurses have 6 patients, you may not have as positive an experience in clinicals.

[hatori]

OH, I know how you feel, medic. I have two papers due tomorrow, a 4-page paper to be turned in no later than Friday at noon, plus I have to read ten chapters, a book, two chapters from another book, and a slew of essays/articles. Liberal degrees are just as intensive, just in different ways.

[Amina516]

not going to stop me from doing it, though. i've worked too hard for too long to give up now.

Thats the mentality you need to have. Its hard, no lie. But if you want it, go and get it! And it will be worth it in the end.

Just be ready to buckle down and hit them books hard. I dont mean to discourage. I dont regret it. I just wouldnt go back.. Lol.

[Sliceanddice]

take all that, add highschool on top plus teenage girls who hate me for rating out one of the boys for sexual harrasment.

that was my senior year.

i was actually doing ok until the over welling depression of no being able to go to school without being tortured and tormented and the fact that i was spending upwords of 12 hours a day with my tormentors got to me (and my fiancee deciding alcohol is better than me).
then my grade went from 80% (damn dsylexia) to 75-73% and you would need 76% to pass.

dont worry you'll do fine.

oh and i did read 100-300 pages a week for each class i had, just never the text books lol.

[Amina516]

Amina, it's not accelerated. It's just that the summer counts as a full semester so our 4 semesters go faster. The accelerated program takes 20 credits a semester, mostly online. I have a lot of credits because it's a BSN program, but that's my fault for not going to the local community college.

IDK why i thought it was accelerated. My fault. Its still tough, especially going all summer when your friends are hitting the beach.

I would go to the dean but she seems to be more concerned about looming budget cuts and boosting the school's PhD program than worrying about us undergrads (despite more than half the school being undergrads). I'm also hesitant to complain now because we have some of the "easiest" (least evil) professors this semester.

Thats unfortunate. Our dean really pulled for us. However, now that you mention about your dean boosting your schools PhD program, the nursing program i attended was the money-winner for my school. The biggest program and the most applied to, so I guess it makes sense.

I've never had to jump through so many hoops or put up with such petty bullshit. The classes are also incredibly difficult, if only because of the volume of information you need to go through. I'm (supposed to be) reading 100-300 pages a week per class. Ha!

For serious. I dont get why its such a petty environment.
I also never read in school. It was just too much. I would skim the main points and maybe review the end of the chapters practice questions and never got less than a B on an exam or assignment.

I'm also lucky because the hospitals in the area are VERY nice to their nurses, which makes them less stressed and more likely to work with students in clinicals. The last time I was in clinicals my nurse had 3 patients, one of whom was in surgery all day. If your nurses have 6 patients, you may not have as positive an experience in clinicals.

Very lucky, Id say. 3 patients would be a cake job. Thats usually reserved for less acute ICU patients. Youd never see a 3 pt assignment on a medsurg or telemetry floor here. Some states such as CA have nurseatient ratios instilled as laws. Other states are not so lucky, but individual institutions usually have some kind of guidelines. You find, as time goes on, that your time management gets better and you can handle more (depending on acuity of course.)

I have faith in ya.

[jedimaster91]

...now i'm nervous about nursing school. i have four more prereq classes to take, then i apply for entrance in fall of 2012. i'd always heard that once the prerequisite classes were done, things got easier. now i'm scared

not going to stop me from doing it, though. i've worked too hard for too long to give up now.

And now I'm going to share an even scarier secret with you: school's the easy part. Now, I went to school for a medical imaging degree, so YMMV, but it's downright terrifying sometimes when you're the big grown-up nurse/tech and you have to make the judgement call. Especially those of us who work all by our little lonesomes and don't have more experienced coworkers around to rely on. Even my bosses don't know the first thing about what I do.

That being said, I love my job. But I wouldn't go back to nuc school for anything. For awhile I thought I might need a second degree (x-ray) and it made me physically ill.

But hey, we all survived; you will too.

Tacohuman, go for nursing, but 1) there's no nursing shortage right now

Well, yes and no. It kinda depends on your area. There is definitely no shortage of the need for more nurses, but healthcare is being affected by budget cuts in some markets just as much as retail is. Several hospitals in my area are relying heavily on LPNs to do the bulk of the work. However, the LPNs cannot administer narcotics, so the hospital will have one or two RNs on the floor and the LPNs can work under the RN's licensure. Which is all kinds of scary, but I'll save that rant for Fratching.

My advice would be to make friends with a nurse you admire and get him/her to tell you what's really going on....off the record. Many of them will happily rant away. You'll get a feel which clinical sites would be good to work for once you graduate and which ones you want to avoid like the plague.

2) nursing school sucks.

Yes. Yes it does. I watched both my parents go through it. I had toyed with the idea of heading that route myself, but after watching what my dad went through, I decided on imaging instead.

The classes are also incredibly difficult, if only because of the volume of information you need to go through. I'm (supposed to be) reading 100-300 pages a week per class. Ha!

Remember it all long enough to pass your boards (and from what I understand, the NCLEX is a nightmare). After that, you really can forget most of it. When you get your job, you'll focus on one area and not need the rest. And there's cheat sheets everywhere. If push came to shove, I think I could remember how to calculate certain dosages I need, but I have a chart for it so why bother? If the chart gets lost or damaged somehow, I can look up what I need on Google or in our proceedure manual. At that point, I'd rather be right than go off what I think I remember.

[Eisa]

I'm starting to feel really glad that I have no interest in nursing. It's bad enough being a psychology major! My mom's a CNA, though. She regrets not going back and getting at least her LPN because there's only so much you can do being a CNA [and from what I've noticed, it's all the gross stuff]. She also kept pushing me to go into nursing even though I have no interest in it whatsoever, I can't stand gross stuff like cleaning up people, and I have actually fainted at the sight of blood. Yeah, I sound like a great candidate for nursing school...

But I understand what you mean about having so many tests and projects due in the same week. It's NOT fair, especially when your profs talk together so much. Like...here, that happens, but it's not a very close-knit school and especially if you're taking classes in different departments, well, life sucks. There, you'd think they'd work a LITTLE better with you guys!

[trailerparkmedic]

Very lucky, Id say. 3 patients would be a cake job. Thats usually reserved for less acute ICU patients. Youd never see a 3 pt assignment on a medsurg or telemetry floor here. Some states such as CA have nurseatient ratios instilled as laws. Other states are not so lucky, but individual institutions usually have some kind of guidelines. You find, as time goes on, that your time management gets better and you can handle more (depending on acuity of course.)

I have faith in ya.

Thanks for the faith, I need it.

See, I told ya in the moving thread you should come to Texas!

I have clinicals in a ... specialty hospital that is well funded, so that's part of the reason the nurses have it so easy. I'm on a med/surg floor and the patients are usually pretty complex (but not acute or unstable). Usually the nurses have 4, mine just ended up with 3 last week (I think because the surgery patient had been high maintenance during the night shift). The charge nurse doesn't have patients and the families are usually present and are far more likely to be helpful than whiny. I didn't even walk my patient last week because he'd had 4 visitors who each made him go for a walk. Guess where I want to work when I graduate??

Jedi, I'm terrified of being on my own, but at least I'll have other nurses around to rely on. I think I'd die if I was in your position! We don't really have LPNs in the local hospitals, but we have a number of BSN and ADN programs cranking out new grads so they can hire new nurses for cheap every 6 months. I'm lucky because my area still hires new grads but now people aren't getting job offers months before they graduate and people are having to look beyond the major medical hub and sometimes hospitals in general. My area is particularly snobby about mostly hiring BSN new grads but that's because more people graduate with a bachelor's than an associate's in nursing here and I don't think that's the norm in most places.