I’ve been accepted into an ADN program. I have two kids, 3 years old and 10 months old. How much can I realistically expect to miss out on with them during nursing school? This is a major decision in deciding if I pursue the program! Thanks!
I thought this was interesting, so I wanted to post here and see if anyone else has experienced something similar or any input is encouraged.
I’m in a hybrid nursing program with one on-campus lab day per week. We have two lab sessions (4 hours and 2 hours) with a lunch break in between, totaling about 7 hours. During our first lab, the nursing director explained that we stand because it mimics real-world nursing practice. We have to stand in place in one spot at waist high tables. We are not allowed to sit at all.
I understand the reasoning behind this, but I’m noticing some challenges. We stand in place for about 1-1.5 hours during presentations, with brief 10-minute breaks twice throughout the lab. After the presentation is over for a certain section we do skills practice for about 20 minutes or so. I’ve noticed cohort members leaning against tables and shifting their weight frequently, which makes me wonder if prolonged standing is affecting our ability to concentrate on the material. I know for me it is.
I’m not opposed to standing.. It definitely prepares us for clinical work but I’m curious if continuous static standing for extended periods is the most effective learning environment. One cohort member mentioned feeling nauseous during lab, and I wondered if that could be related to the prolonged standing without position changes.
Has anyone else experienced this in their program? I’m interested in hearing how other schools approach this balance between realistic preparation and student comfort during learning.
I go to nursing school out of state and am now back home for the summer. I wasn’t working during the semester but was working as a CNA at a SNF just prior to moving for school. Since I have nearly 3 months at home, I was wondering if there were any temporary healthcare job ideas (with relatively fast onboarding) that would be good for the summer? I’m thinking something that’s flexible where I can pick up as much as I want. I also have two week long vacations between now and the start of class so flexibility is ideal. I was considering doing agency CNA but not sure how long that process is. Any similar ideas would be appreciated!
TLDR: Looking for temp nursing support/healthcare job ideas while home during the summer from out of state nursing school.
Posting this because I wish someone had handed it to me earlier. These are the lab values that showed up over and over in practice questions. I made flashcards and just hammered them until they were automatic. Knowing these cold frees up so much brain space during the actual test.
Potassium: 3.5 to 5.0
Sodium: 135 to 145
Calcium: 9.0 to 10.5
Magnesium: 1.5 to 2.5
Chloride: 98 to 106
BUN: 7 to 20
Creatinine: 0.6 to 1.2
Glucose (fasting): 70 to 100
Hemoglobin: 12 to 18 (varies by sex)
Hematocrit: 36 to 52
Platelets: 150,000 to 400,000
WBC: 5,000 to 10,000
pH: 7.35 to 7.45
PaCO2: 35 to 45
HCO3: 22 to 26
INR (normal): 0.8 to 1.1, therapeutic on warfarin 2 to 3
Digoxin therapeutic: 0.5 to 2.0
Lithium therapeutic: 0.6 to 1.2
The therapeutic drug levels (dig, lithium) trip people up the most because the questions love to give you a number just outside the range and ask what you do. Memorize the ranges and you instantly know if it is toxic.
What lab values did your program drill that I might have missed?
Question: Has anyone else with a FT high paying job taken on a PART-TIME or Per diem CNA role for exposure, extra cash?
- I just finished my 1st semester of my ADN program.
- We start clinicals for the first time in Sept
- I am a Part-Time student; only taking 1 class each term (Evenings only); Graduating in 2028
- I work remotely as an Epic consultant for the same hospital that is hiring for CNA * apprentices *
- My school + FT job + CNA job is all through my Employer; so I would have 3 different profiles at one company/ health system
- Apprentice pay is $19/hr
- The job is PT (24 hrs or less/week) from 11p-7:30a
- I am the sole earner for my family of 5 and I desperately need extra income (I’m drowning financially). No one else can work; just ME (due to an unavoidable, inescapable situation)
- I do NOT have CNA or BLS license yet; that’s not a requirement. They’ll allow me to get it after I get hired.
Despite having 10 years of experience working in Health IT (Epic) I have never worked on the floors. I have either worked in the hospital’s IT/corporate office (off-site) or remotely.
I applied for the apprentice CNA position and I actually desperately want and need it. They will train you and pair you up.
I want to be taken seriously and will emphasize my commitment and humility during the interview.
Do you think I’m doing too much? Do you think the recruiter will think I’m weird or have concerns about my capacity? I’m sure she can see my salary. It’s clearly not a demotion but could this raise red flags? I need extra money and would really benefit from the experience since it will help me gain understanding of the floors before i start clinical.
Any interview tips considering the complexity of my situation?
Hey everyone,
I’m a 28-year-old guy in nursing school, and I’m finding the workload and fatigue way harder than I expected.
For context, this is my third degree. I previously did a Bachelor of Science double major psychology and computer science and then a Master’s in Computer Science (both completed). I did well academically in both, A's and A+'s, (except for first year of first degree), and over the years I built pretty strong study habits that helped learn to actually study (I started my first degree with terrible academic performance) but finished with top marks in every course. Even last semester, while taking nursing prereqs, I was able to study from around 9 a.m. to 5-9 p.m. (depending on what was due) and still function pretty well.
But now that I’m in my BScN program, I’m finding that after lectures I am completely wiped out. It feels different from normal tiredness. Yesterday, for example, I was so exhausted after class that I felt like I had a migraine and could barely look at my laptop to read.
I’m trying to figure out what’s going on. It could be the longer/faster lectures, the volume of content, stress, nutrition, or just not being in the best physical shape right now. I also haven’t received my student loan yet, so my food situation has not been ideal, and I’m mostly packing whatever lunches I can from food my siblings have bought.
I do think I need to start taking my health more seriously. I want to add exercise back into my routine, but I’m worried about whether working out after class will help my energy over time or just drain me even more. Will it change the more I do it again? I'm 5ft 9inch tall, and about 150 ib, so im normal bmi.
For anyone who has dealt with this kind of nursing school exhaustion:
I was thinking of doing 1 to 2 hours at the gym Monday to Friday, maybe chest/back, arms, legs, abs, and cardio, but I’m wondering if that’s too ambitious while adjusting to the semester.
Would appreciate any advice from other nursing students, especially mature students or people who came into nursing after another degree.
TL;DR: I’m a 28-year-old nursing student on my third degree, and nursing school is making me unusually exhausted after lectures in a way I haven’t experienced before. I’m wondering if this is normal nursing school fatigue, a nutrition/sleep/stress issue, or a fitness issue. For those who have dealt with this, did exercise and a better routine help, and what kind of workout schedule was actually realistic during nursing school?
Hi, I failed out of nursing school on the 26th of March. I did not get a 78 in one of my classes. Since that time, I’ve been debating if I want to go back to that school to finish getting my LPN, the only thing is the mental aspect. My mental health deteriorated so bad due to the immense pressure. I’m feeling very indecisive about this.
So I made and submitted 10 med cards for my class, uploaded them to the site only to get a snide email from a professor about how “it’s meant to reinforce knowledge, not be ‘easy points’”; what’s the best response to this because I hand wrote each med card on word (Apple Pencil) and have a time stamp of when I created the document and when I finished the document (go figure they’re both from this week). Is it wrong to feel upset about being wrongly accused of this? I tried to be proactive and now I feel like I’m being pushed and having my reputation impacted because I’m trying to get things done before they’re due (so I’m not struggling this semester).
It’s gross. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Hey guys,
Currently just finished Nursing Funds and got 3 semesters left. I work for a crappy healthcare system(no where near the level of the other systems in my state) but I work in are Recruitment and not in a clinical area.
So I am thinking about getting an ER Tech job or NA position because I believe I want to go into ER/Psych after graduating (i want to learn two specialties at once so i am in for a ride).
However, I can’t leave my job right now or at least until after the next semester as I have to pay so much out of pocket in order to wrap this year up.
The issue is my stress level due to working technically two jobs and school at the same time, i cannot risk my grades at all. I passed with a B+ but I know Med Surg may be triple difficult and I cannot afford to repeat a Nursing semester. For context next semester I have one day(sometimes two) during the week and 7AM to 5:30PM clinical day on Saturday.
What would you guys do in this instance? I plan on quitting my main job and focusing on clinical work after next semester as this year I am working on my financial health but feel very behind as all my classmates are working in healthcare already.
What kind of calculator did you use?
would a regular scientific calculator work or would i need a graphing calculator?
I'm a student in Atlanta and I've been applying everywhere for PCT or MA positions and just keep on getting ghosted. I know a lot of postings say they'll train on the job but it seems like they still want someone who's already certified?
Am I missing something here? Would love to know what actually worked for people!
Hi all. I start my bridge program next month. Will be starting clinicals in the fall, though. This is a 3 semester program, so things will be moving pretty quickly and I want to get ahead of it all. I’m wondering how you’ve gone about networking during clinicals and if/how you were able to secure a spot after graduation?
When I look at applications, it seems like many places want 1-3 years experience (HTX). So I’ve been looking at new grad residencies, but there aren’t a lot so I imagine they’ll be super competitive. I don’t mind applying anyway, just wanting to broaden my search. Have any of you had any success securing jobs within your clinical sites after graduation?
Who would you recommend I try to form relationships with to get my name in the hat? And how would you go about it? I don’t want my behavior to be seen as inappropriate, but don’t want to miss something that could help me secure a job quicker.
TIA.
I’m currently pursuing my bachelor’s in nursing and I’ve been debating whether it’s worth trying to pursue another degree or major alongside it.
Part of me feels like I should focus only on nursing because it’s already demanding, but another part of me worries about limiting myself career wise. I’m interested in things like psychology, public health, healthcare administration, and even business.
I’m also trying to be realistic financially since I already have student debt and still have a couple years left of school. I plan on getting my CNA license so I can work while in school.
For people in nursing or healthcare:
Did you double major or pursue another degree?
Was it worth it?
Or is it smarter to focus on nursing first and specialize later?
I (18, FtM) am currently going into my first year of nursing school. I took a year of biology at my previous university, but had to transfer due to wanting to be in nursing. I also recently have been diagnosed with CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), and one of the major symptoms I experience is brain fog. This brain fog typically hits around exams (typically in classes when it comes to memorizing formulas), compared to when I'm doing something such as working up on my feet (as I've worked in outdoor environments, leading trips, and at restraunts).
Since I need a 75% or above, I had requested from my psychiatrist and GP for an accommodation request for formula cards (as I have less issues with the brain fog when I have something to jog my memory. I think because being able to jog my memory results in less cognitive load or something. I'm not sure about the science LMAO). However, I'm really beginning to doubt myself and my ability to even be in nursing after my disability cordinator had said roughly "We probably won't be able to do that. Memorizing is a core part of nursing as it relates to patient care. We can't garuntee success."
Anywho, I really need some advice from anyone who might suffer from CFS or fatigue from chronic illness, and how they manage it throughout nursing school. Or just general advice! Thank you so much!!!
Hello everyone. I am writing this as a stressed-out and burnt-out student in my out-of-state ABSN. I feel so lost and all over the place. My program is 11 months, and my first semester is 11 weeks long. I keep trying to push through, but I really am struggling. Since the start of my program, my relationship of over a year and a half has deteriorated. We barely talk and sadly argue a lot. I keep trying my best in clinicals and class, but I am in such a bad mood. I had a great week in patho and pharm last week, but this week I'm beyond lost. Patho and Pharm are interesting to me, but I have so much on my mind, I feel like I'm always breaking down. I truly like nursing, but I'm struggling to stay afloat. I talk to the advisor, but they aren't much help. Their solution is either to drop out or drop classes. I really do not want to give up because I want to do nursing, and I have no clue what other career field I would enjoy. Any advice would be appreciated.
I (M20) got kicked out of my local community college program bc I failed med surge. I don’t even know what to do anymore, this honestly feels so unreal, and I will never hear the end of it from my parents, bc they fund for my education. They will think I’m a failure and I genuinely need some advice rn bc I cannot stop thinking about this. I’m questioning if I should continue to do nursing.
I received my senior preceptorship placement today and I was placed on a med surg unit. I had selected ED and ICU as my preferences because my dream job is to work in the ED. I was planning on getting my foot in the door for employment through my senior preceptorship placement in an ED, but now I'm not so sure what to do.
I've had a couple job interviews for ED and ICU roles but no offers yet. Ill be graduating in less than 90 days (accelerated BSN). Do I just start putting in regular online applications to ED roles?? Or should I just pursue employment on the med surg floor where I will do my preceptorship and try to get an ED position after I have a year of nursing experience in med surg? I'm not particularly interested in med surg nursing but having a job by the time I graduate is my top priority.
Hey y’all, I’m in semester 3 out of 8 for my BSN program. Originally, my dream was to become a dentist, but I decided to go for nursing after I had my child and a few of my priorities changed. I felt that it was better to get through a quicker program which would give me more time back to soak in the moments during my child’s youth, would provide a good income and stability, and wouldn’t get me into any debt.
I’m in California, so with dental school, I was looking at about five years(preqreqs/DAT studying included), and a minimum of 500K debt, but likely even higher than that factoring in interest and cost of living.
I still feel like I made the right decision for my family, but emotionally I struggle every semester feeling like I am spending my time studying for a career im not passionate in. My plan is eventually to somehow rejoin my career in nursing with dentistry, either by becoming a CRNA and assisting in dental sedation procedures, or just going to dental school in a few years once my kid is older. At that point though, I’m not even sure if it would be worth it though because again of the crippling debt.
Lately, I’ve just been going through a lot of transitions, including moving, car troubles resulting in needing to buy a new car, and family issues, and I’m honestly just feeling really depressed right now about my career. Just looking for some encouragement, thanks🥹
My clinical group is great, we work well together with assignments and have no issues. However, when it comes to individual work and exams some of them call me and ask if I did any of the readings or if I started on an assignment masking it as a "hey I called because I wanted to check up on you". Some will also ask for your score or grade which is why I leave right away after an exam.
I can't avoid them unfortunately because I am forced to work with them. Please let me know how to set boundaries or avoid people like this because its stressing me out. Especially when I ask the same question back and they say " I read the whole textbook" or "studied the whole day".