Nursing programs are increasingly competitive to obtain admission to and one of the most popular majors. So why don’t nursing students enjoy nursing school?

Nursing School Admission

According to a survey conducted by the National League of Nursing, BSN programs reject approximately 31% of qualified applicants every year. So when you finally get accepted to nursing school, it’s something to be proud of! You’ve conquered the odds and have finally made it to nursing school. But for some students, changing from nursing prereqs to the nursing school curriculum can be a big shock, and not in a good way.

Starting Nursing School

As a pre-nursing student, you likely took a wide variety of classes including anatomy, physiology, microbiology, sociology, statistics, etc. Many students love this challenge and variety because it makes things interesting while also pushing you to be your best. But once these same students start their first semester of nursing school, they are not as satisfied. Why is that?

Change of Focus

As a pre-nursing student, most schools are trying to figure out if you can handle a big workload of difficult classes and a busy schedule. Once you reach the later years of nursing school, you will have to balance clinical, studying, and possibly a job, so the nursing program needs to know that you will be able to handle this type of workload. But once you are accepted, the nursing program has already vetted you. You’ve proven you can handle a tough workload so that is no longer an issue. Now, they want to indoctrinate you into the nursing world. This sounds very negative but isn’t necessarily so. What this means is that your first semester of nursing school will likely be focused on nursing THEORY. You will learn about the nursing process (ADPIE anyone?), talk about why you became a nurse, nursing diagnoses, and a ton of other nurse-theory type stuff. Most students wanted to be learning about advanced pharm and patho, not talking about their feelings. I see a lot of these new nursing students that are upset and unhappy with their new curriculum, and even some who end up switching majors. But I think this is a mistake and here’s why: nursing school is NOTHING like being an actual nurse.

Nursing School vs. Actual Nursing

Hold up. How can nursing school be so different than actual nursing? Isn’t nursing school clinical just like working as a nurse? The answer is NO! I know this because I felt the same way as many students feel nowadays back when I was in school. It took me 2 tries to get into nursing school. I loved the challenging science classes and the tough task of improving my grades enough to get in. I finally made it in, and I absolutely hated my first semester of nursing school. The classes were nothing like I imagined and I started to regret my decision to go to nursing school. Every day I thought to myself, why don’t I like nursing school? I had shadowed nurses before I was accepted and it seemed like a great job. The blend of science and human interaction was what I craved. So why wasn’t I enjoying nursing school? Why wasn’t it everything I had hoped for?

It Gets Better

I am here to tell you that you are not alone in your feelings of hating your first semester or year of nursing school. And I am also here to tell you that it gets better, starting with your later classes in nursing school. Yes, you will still deal with a lot of BS about the nursing process and patient communication. Unfortunately, you will have to make it through that stuff. But as you make it to the later semesters of nursing school, your curriculum will likely become more science and fact based. You will have drugs to memorize, advanced patho to learn, and real clinical skills to gain. Your brain will be tested again, and you will start to feel more like a real nurse as school goes on.

Life After Graduation

One you graduate, it gets even better (hopefully). Much like the early semesters of nursing school are so different than the later semesters, so is working as a nurse. Applying for and getting your first job means that you will be moving onto another huge challenge in starting your first nursing job. You will feel like you don’t know anything, but you will be challenged. Every shift will bring new knowledge and experiences for you to learn from. You’ll start integrating your knowledge into your practice. Will everyday be great? Definitely not. But you will be pushed to become better and isn’t that what we all want?

Did you struggle with nursing school but enjoy your actual job a nurse? Let us know in the comments below!