But really though...
About 6 months ago, I had the pleasure of graduating from nursing school. I went ahead and did a traditional 4 year program so I could go ahead and get my BSN over with. I wasn't sure if I would have the motivation to go back after school. For me, it was the right choice.
Before I started nursing school, I gave it a lot of thought. I knew a lot of nurses and figured "If they could do it, so can I." They all told me nursing school was hard. Little did I know, they really meant it.
Nursing isn't your typical major. As a RN, you are the eyes and ears of the doctor when they're not around (about 23 hours and 55 minutes, give or take, per day). Basically, this means you need A LOT of education crammed into those four years. You have to learn the entire nursing process, step by step: Assess, document, outcomes/goals, planning, interventions, and evaluation. Along with the classes listed below, you have to take a lot of electives. If you choose to do an ADN program, you won't have to take as many electives, but keep in mind you'll have to take a lot of these "boring" electives during your BSN program. I would take all of this into consideration when choosing a nursing school/program. Choose what's right for you!
Freshman year
This glorious year is just the beginning. It consists of a lot of your general education classes and science classes. One of the most important classes you'll take this year is Anatomy and Physiology.
Sophomore year
This was the year I took my first nursing courses, i.e. assessment and fundamentals of nursing. Some colleges wait until junior year to start any nursing classes, but I was thankful to get a head start. I also took pathophysiology and pharmacology this year.
Junior year
This was the year I started getting into more specialized nursing classes, i.e. OB, psych, and med-surg.
Senior year
The fun year (only because I was looking forward to graduation)! I took acute (ICU), gerontology, pediatrics, and leadership. I was thankful to have my leadership course last. We got to pick our top two specialty choices. I chose ICU and was lucky enough to get it! I was able to spend my last 8 weeks in the Medical ICU with my own personal preceptor. It was my most favorite clinical. By the end, I was taking a team of critical patients on my own. It was a great experience, even during the terrifying moments that come along with being in the ICU.
Even after all of the sleepless nights that I stayed up studying, I wouldn't trade my nursing school experience for the world. I met some great people and had the best mentors/professors/clinical instructors. The one piece of advice I can give to someone thinking about a nursing major is to make sure you're passionate about it. Spend a day shadowing a RN. If you don't like one area of nursing, don't sweat it. The beautiful thing about nursing is that you can change your job without fully changing your career. You can work in a hospital, office, clinic, nursing school... the list goes on. The possibilities are endless.
When you walk across the stage and grab that hard earned diploma, it's all worth it.
Not the best quality picture, but I sure was happy!
Until next time,
Jennie
*Leave requests below. I would love to hear what you want to read :)
No comments:
Post a Comment