OT: any nursing students here?

[paper1225]

I am also a nursing student, worried and stressed. I started for my BSN 9/01, 6 months after my 3rd child was born. I slowly took my prereq's(did have a prior education but it was for travel/tourism, no credited classes) and started the nursing classes 9/05. For two months life was horrible. Having 3 children in sports, school full time with clinicals every other weekend and a husband I could not handle it! The final string was when I came home after another weekend of classes and clinicals and my husband said he could not handle it. I gave up, at that point was not sure what I was going to do! I found a local college that has online ADN classes and I can start this October. My youngest will now be in kindergarden which for us is full time days. I am going to walk into it this time knowing how stressful and crazy it will be, unlike last year. I actually thought about getting myself into another degree program after bailing last fall......signed up, and a week before the winter semester said no way- I WANT TO BE A NURSE!!! I am very glad that I have kept with my decision and am getting excited about my upcoming classes. I will walk away with my diploma in August of 2009, just before my oldest daughter will start high school (we send them to catholic), so my job will be a God send-it can pay for her school!!! I am 33 now and will be 35 when I graduate. We should start some sort of support group for those of us going through the craziness of nursing school! Good luck everyone!!

 

[Chickysmom]

So as an update to my story....I turned 40 in March, have a DD12 going into 7th grade, a hubby and two step-sons. I returned to school for an Associates and graduated in 2000 with a business degree. Unfortunately, this degree has done nothing for me so far. I know what it's like to return to school as a non-traditional student with a family in tow. I am soooo worried that nursing may not be my thing. That I will struggle through it (current GPA 4.0 so I'm a bit OCD!), and worry excessively that I will not know what to do when I get in the workplace, or will mess up with patients. Are any of you worried like this? The whole "I did great in school but the real thing is totally different and I can't do it!" syndrome! HELP!!!

 

[Chickysmom]

Oh, and I need to mention that I am a bit emotional when it comes to severe health issues, and worry that I would cry at every little thing. Is being a nurse that sad all the time? And what about meds, and taking stats correctly or life saving? I'm worrying myself right out of the program and I haven't even started yet!

 

[deide71]

Well, not nursing- but in school full time for my RT degree, to become an RRT.

Not many people in my school are under 25, and I'm certainly not! Single mom 2 dd's 10 & 8, and will have 17 credits this fall. This past spring I carried 18...can be done, just not the easiest thing in the world!

Brandy

I've been a Respiratory Therapist for 10 years! I love it.

I am now the Clinical Educator for our department and get to work with RT students on a daily basis. Many of them are non-traditional students, and I think that's great. Life experience makes it easier for you to empathize with patients and their families. Past work/life experience also gives you common sense and time management skills that are very difficult to teach .

Good Luck!

 

[dsanner106]

There are MANY roles for nurses, and part of nursing school is identifying the right one for you. Some of these roles are almost entirely happy times, some high pressure, some low. You can find one for yourself. I also wanted to mention that you could try starting in one of the online nursing schools like university of phoenix and taking the basic classwork that way. Work on your own schedule, and get a better idea about this. Eventually you will need clinicals, etc, but that is a couple years off actually.

Drew in Ga

 

[taximomfor4]

I completely understand the OBSESSING about grades. I do it too. I had previously taken courses for my insurance company (auto) job, and had a 4.0. Nursing school pre-req's, still 4.0 (even taking the 5-week summer science courses...OUCH!). Only 2 semesters of Nursing courses left, and still 4.0. One lesson many people tried to teach me was to LET THE NEED FOR A's GO! I tried, I really did. And sometimes I really DID feel like JUST PASSING (here, a 77.999% fails you). But got A's anyway. So still 4.0.

I get stage-fright something fierce. So clinicals are horrible for me. NOT the caring for patients -- that I have liked very well. But the part where I am unsure and insecure in a procedure, and have a not-so-nice clinical instructor berating me in front of the patient. And having NO Saturdays or Sundays off...I do clinicals on both days. Oh, and have 4 kids -- 2 of them not in full-time school yet. And DH (a teacher) was in school also, because teachers have to continue education.

My house is a mess also! My Ebay (which was supposed to replace my insurance co. income) is a giant mountain of boxes in my bedroom. I don't study, I cram. I don't cook, pizza is our best friend.

I, too, cry easily. I really empathize with people. But I think, eventually, I might like to work in hospice care. Down the line.
Many, many nurses I have asked (and I've asked LOTS of them!) have assured me that they hated nursing school (and clinicals) too, but LOVE their jobs being nurses. So I am trying to keep faith and persevere. Good luck to ytou, and to all the DISers returning to the school world.

 

[lnh'smom]

[QUOTE Sometimes I get so frustrated, I just cry. I sometimes feel like quitting (though I know I never really would!). I sometimes wonder "What the heck am I doing? Is all of this even worth it??"

The answer is YES YES YES!!!

This has not only been the most difficult thing, it is one of the most rewarding and is very self-affirming. I have made straight A's throughout (til last minimester when I got a B and cried - but then I realized I needed to stop obsessing about grades because it was making things more stressful for me than it needed to be!), and I am so proud of my accomplishments.
QUOTE]

I feel like you are my new best friend! I am a slight perfectionist. I have a DH, 2 small kids, a full time daycare in my home (although now that is over since clinicals take up too much time!), volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center, and keep up with my kids' activities. I got straight A's until I had to take a religion class last fall. I have gone to church all my life, thought this would be easy, Marriage and Family. WRONG! I am not Catholic and this was a Catholic Marriage and Family class. Ended up with a B. One of the hardest classes I have ever taken. Cried for most of my Christmas vacation over that stupid B. Now I am kinda like who cares? The Hospitals aren't going to care if I aced Marriage and Family or not! Good Luck as you finish and good luck to everyone starting or already working on it!

 

[jenr812]

[QUOTE Sometimes I get so frustrated, I just cry. I sometimes feel like quitting (though I know I never really would!). I sometimes wonder "What the heck am I doing? Is all of this even worth it??"

The answer is YES YES YES!!!

This has not only been the most difficult thing, it is one of the most rewarding and is very self-affirming. I have made straight A's throughout (til last minimester when I got a B and cried - but then I realized I needed to stop obsessing about grades because it was making things more stressful for me than it needed to be!), and I am so proud of my accomplishments.
QUOTE]

I feel like you are my new best friend! I am a slight perfectionist. I have a DH, 2 small kids, a full time daycare in my home (although now that is over since clinicals take up too much time!), volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center, and keep up with my kids' activities. I got straight A's until I had to take a religion class last fall. I have gone to church all my life, thought this would be easy, Marriage and Family. WRONG! I am not Catholic and this was a Catholic Marriage and Family class. Ended up with a B. One of the hardest classes I have ever taken. Cried for most of my Christmas vacation over that stupid B. Now I am kinda like who cares? The Hospitals aren't going to care if I aced Marriage and Family or not! Good Luck as you finish and good luck to everyone starting or already working on it!

A-obsessors, unite! Best of luck to you

 

[TENIA66]

So as an update to my story....I turned 40 in March, have a DD12 going into 7th grade, a hubby and two step-sons. I returned to schoolk for an Associates and graduated in 2000 with a business degree. Unfortunately, this degree has done nothing for my so far. I know what it's like to return to school as a non-traditional student with a family in tow. I am soooo worried that nursing may not be my thing. That I will struggle through it (current GPA 4.0 so I'm a bit OCD!), and worry excessively that I will not know what to do when I get in the workplace, or will ess up with patients. Are any of you worried like this? The whole "I did great in school but the reall thing is tottaly different and I can't do it!" syndrome! HELP!!!

yet another reason i love you chicky!!!!! 40s rock!!

 

[momsgonwild]

Wow, what a motivational thread this is! Well, my story goes like this. I am a 41 year old working mom. I have a DS, 22 yrs old, who will graduate from college in May with a Bachelor's Degree in Kinesiology, and a minor in Math.
My other DS, 17 1/2 yrs old, is starting his senior year this August. I always said that when both of my children were out of high school, I would go back to college myself. I have already been accepted to the LVN program which will begin next June. After the LVN program, there is a bridging program that will lead me directly into the ADN (RN) program. I just feel more comfortable getting my LVN first, and then going on to the next program since I will be quitting my job in May to become a full-time student. I too have worried about the age thing. I hope studying, and REMEMBERING, comes back pretty quickly. I have always wanted to be a nurse, and to be able to contribute to people who are sick and in need of care. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers for success!

 

[mommy*RN]

This IS a GREAT post!

I'm not a student anymore, but I do have to tell you that we did a "median" age during my last semester of nursing school and it was 31! I started my actual clincals at 25 - found out I was pg with my first baby at the end of my first semester - had the baby in July and went back to school in August to finish up. It was tough - I won't kid you...but my best friends EVER are the women I met in school. We formed study groups and even after I wasn't able to meet with them because of the baby I would sit on the phone and study with them till 1 or 2AM! Even though it was tough I really miss the friendships and (believe it or not) the drama! I would do it again in a heartbeat (no pun intended! ). Not only is the job the most rewarding I've ever had, but I know it will grow with me...right now I work VERY part-time but I know once the kids are in school or whatnot I can do whatever I want! No day is ever the same and the patient's make it so worthwhile! I have never regretted my decision to leave my well paying job to be a nurse (and now my hubby is a RN too! He got his ADN while still working his full-time job as a firefighter!)

One more thing - do you have a friend or someone who know who already is a nurse??? The greatest thing my school offered was a mentorship program. I paired with a RN I never met who worked at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and she helped me through the bumps...

Best of luck to you and keep us posted...

 

[mannasn]

As you can see, when I signed up for DIs I was Manna, SN (student nurse)!

I'm now Manna, RN! woot! I just graduated with my BSN in May and am currently working in a small community hospital ICU (my first nursing job). I'm 29, a mom of 2, a long-distance commuter (150 miles/daily) and a career changer. We actually celebrated my grad with our first ever Disney trip.. thus my presence here! I can't wait to go back.. and hope to buy into DVC after I get out of this stinking student-loan debt! Ugh!

I wish you all the best - nursing is both partially what I expected and more than not, not at all what I expected!

Feel free to PM or email me if you'd ever like to chat about nursing school or anything else!

 

[jenr812]

I truly believe that doing this at my age has been an asset. I am more focused on school and care about my grades, plus my life experiences have helped me tremendously.

 

[Chickysmom]

can you guys give me an idea of what hours you work typically? What is part-time and what is full-time in this field?

I see our hospital offers shifts from 7a - 7p and then 7p - 7a.....when full-time, what days do you work?

 

[ReneeA]

I am so glad to read this thread! I just registered for classes to start Nursing school - I have 3 pre-req's left, then can start the "program" which takes 2 years. I'll be almost 35 when I graduate. Right now, my kids are 3 & 4, and I'm already stressing out about how to juggle everything, and I haven't even started yet. Guess I'll take care of it as it happens.

 

[mommy*RN]

can you guys give me an idea of what hours you work typically? What is part-time and what is full-time in this field?

I see our hospital offers shifts from 7a - 7p and then 7p - 7a.....when full-time, what days do you work?

Hospitals often differ regarding what they consider "full-time". I know a lot of nurses who work only the weekend program and it is considered "full-time" with benefits. Hospitals often use a point system "full-time equivelant (FTE)" to show how many hrs they require for that position. A 1.0 FTE would be 40hrs a week/80 hrs a pay period 0.9 FTE would be 32 hrs 1 week and 40 hrs the next week / or 72 hrs a pay period...and so on. Im my experience anything between 32-40 hrs a week is usually considered full-time. I'm different as I don't require benefits and I don't want to give up every other weekend so when I worked in the hospital I was called optional part-time...I gave them the days I was available and they fit me in where needed.

I hope this helps...12 hr shifts are nice in my opinion because you can work "full-time" in only 3 days a week! My neighbor is a baby/mom nurse and does that...she LOVES it!

 

[Chickysmom]

So it may be possible to be considered FT when working 3 days/12 hour shifts. So that would be 3 days ona dn four off? Does the schedule usually run like that? Or do the days off shift so every week you have differnet days off? I'm just trying to get some input before bothering people at our hospital for the details....thanks all!!

 

[mommy*RN]

So it may be possible to be considered FT when working 3 days/12 hour shifts. So that would be 3 days ona dn four off? Does the schedule usually run like that? Or do the days off shift so every week you have differnet days off? I'm just trying to get some input before bothering people at our hospital for the details....thanks all!!

Yes, you will probably be considered a full-time employee and thus able to receive benefits. Hospitals differ on the way they work scheduling so chances are you won't get a set schedule like working Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and being off Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They usually mix up the days and some require a commitment of every other weekend. Quite often they will have you submit your scheduling needs ahead of time and then a nurse in charge of scheduling will try to match the days you would like to work and the days you would like to be off. Of course, that doesn't always work out...

Here in WI there are some other options. One that I always though I would enjoy was the 7/70 schedule. With this schedule you work 7 days straight - 10 hr days...then you are off for 7 days straight. This is considered full-time even though you are only working 70 hrs a pay period instead of 80. Unfortunately with my DH being a firefighter and working 24-hr shifts it would be impossible for us to work out daycare.

Don't worry about asking questions - just be aware that my answers may not be the "law" right now. I work in peds but no longer in a hospital...so things may have changed. I am hoping to get back into the hospital as soon as my kids are in school...

Feel free to PM me and we can communicate by email if you prefer too. I would love to help you through this process. You have asked some very wonderful questions and it would be an honor for me to help a future colleague out!

 

[mommy*RN]

Oh, and I need to mention that I am a bit emotional when it comes to severe health issues, and worry that I would cry at every little thing. Is being a nurse that sad all the time? And what about meds, and taking stats correctly or life saving? I'm worrying myself right out of the program and I haven't even started yet!

I personally LOVE this question! I too am an emotional wreck at times...and to answer your question YES I have cried during stressful issues (usually after they are done and I am in the let-down phase). My favorite memory of nursing school was our OB rotation. I was about 6 months pg when I got to witness a birth for the very first time. It was the parents second child and they were asked if they minded having a student in the room and they didn't. I was so awestruck by watching a new life being born that I started crying. The parents of the new baby noticed, but were very nice about it. The dad asked if I had kids and I said I was pg. He asked if this was my first time seeing a baby born and I said yes. I think he was happy that I reacted the way I did. They actually sent a note to my clinical instructor saying some very nice things about me. It was so special.

I've cried during other situations, such as a patient dying...and I'm glad I do. I think when death or senseless injury no longer have the power to affect me or bring me to tears it is time for me to look for another career.

And about the med errors - they happen because we are all human. It doesn't excuse careless mistakes, but things happen. A large part of your clinical experience and even classroom discussions should focus on how to prevent medication errors - and many hospitals are now using different methods to avoid them all together.

I could go on forever - but I won't! I think you will make a wonderful nurse. You seem to be asking a lot of insightful and thoughtful questions and the best part is you have LIFE EXPERIENCE on your side. Had I decided to jump into nursing when I was 18 - I NEVER would have made it through...but 7 years of LIFE made a huge difference. Most of the students that did drop out were in that 18-21 yr age group (not to say that 18-21 yr olds can't do it, but that was the trend in my class).

I hope this helps~

 

[mommy*RN]

I truly believe that doing this at my age has been an asset. I am more focused on school and care about my grades, plus my life experiences have helped me tremendously.

AMEN! Good luck to you!