Is nursing school hard work? The general perception is that its easier than becoming a doctor. However, nursing is a noble profession that needs passion, kindness and a drive to serve humanity. Nursing often requires you to swallow up your anger, leave your frustrations at home and work hard at changing other people’s lives. Yes, there are certain aspects that are challenging, such as the long hours and lots of studying, but what matters is, how you make it work for you. It starts off like any other school, with classes first thing in the morning and moves to on-site practice, later on.

Clinicians are also mostly scheduled during the morning, so you will be managing both clinicians and your classes, from the crack of dawn. It is important for you to succeed at both, to achieve your goal at nursing school.

It can also be very tiring, but what you need to make sure is that you dedicate a good amount of time to school. If you study at the right pace and prepare yourself, there is nothing stopping you from your ambition.

In the Southern United States of America, 74% of nursing grads find job placements within 4 to 6 months after graduation from a nursing school, which is much higher than the national average of 65%. Remember, attending community college instead of an out of state university won’t affect your job placement. Don’t lose hope just yet. By completing the BSN and MSN programs, almost 89% of the graduates find employments.

Here are some crucial tips for you if you are planning on applying to a nursing school in future.

1. Pre-plan

Getting into nursing school can be quite difficult and most of them have early admission programs. With some planning, research and hard work, you can get a spot in nursing school, while you are still in high school.

While in high school, you have a chance to look into the eligibility criteria for nursing school, such as the required GPA and SAT score and start working on it. This would take a lot of stress off your shoulders. Going into college, knowing that you already have a possible spot in a nursing school will be a huge relief.

2. Keep your GPA up

Most college and nursing school websites mention what their GPA requirements are. Try to maintain your GPA above or at the required numbers. You want to put in some extra effort so you can pick good professors. Having a good professor can make or break your time at nursing school, especially in anatomy and physiology classes.

You can pick from several professors for your subjects, but you are likely to get a professor with a higher rating, if you have a top GPA.

 

3. Develop studying habits

It’s an absolute must that you acquire good marks in your prerequisite classes, before you start nursing school. Your classes are the training ground on your path to success. This is where you work on your note-taking skills and develop some studying strategies, to keep your head above all the coursework that will be thrown your way. Buckle down, study hard and figure out what works best for you in classes. Studygs and how to study provide excellent guides to help you cover up your curriculum at its best.

 

4. Stay organized

Nursing school is fast-paced and you are going to have tests on at least 5 to 6 chapters. You might get overwhelmed by the amount of work you get. The best way to tackle such a situation is to break everything down, hour by hour and day by day.

It is going to be vital for you to keep a calendar or schedule. Write things down, like what chapters you need to study and which case needs your attention. Keep all your notes in one place and keep them organized, chapter-wise, so you won’t have to go around looking for them when you finally sit down to study. Look into this Life hacker guide to managing your time in a foremost way possible.

 

5. Understand clinicians

As mentioned earlier, the process of getting into school basically starts with taking prerequisites. They represent the classes that you need to get into programs such as, anatomy, physiology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, microbiology, research writing, and nutrition.

But working with clinicians is a real-life practice that is integrated into your program, perhaps twice or thrice a week. Students are split into groups, and then placed at different hospitals, long-term care, or nursing homes to look after patients admitted there.

Here, you apply everything that you have learnt in school. You follow nurses around and they guide you. Working with patients is an amazing learning experience for most pre-nursing students.

 

6. Practice kindness

Kindness matters every time and at every interaction with your patients. Being kind makes a world of a difference to a patient’s current situation. Advocating for the patient’s wishes and being competent in the skills is your number one priority. Thinking before acting and communicating is the key to enhancing your newly obtained knowledge and information.

 

Some valuable things to remember

• Admit when you need help. You will never be absolutely sure in your practice unless you ask questions.
• Always make a mental list of things you will need for class or clinic visits.
• Take time out to eat and hydrate yourself at all times. You can’t be a good nurse if you are not well.
• Be quick when getting the reports back to the head nurse, it may be a matter of life and death.
• All shifts come to an end. Practice patience and stay calm.
• Take initiative when needed. Have courage and be kind.

Nursing is a noble and rewarding career to get into. Depending on how you tackle nursing school will decide if it is hard or not. If you take the time to prepare and plan, things will be a lot easier for you.

 

Author Bio:

Kamil Riaz Kara is an HR Professional and Inbound Marketer. He has completed his Masters in Administrative Science from the University of Karachi. As a writer, he wrote numerous articles on management, technology, lifestyle and health. Visit his website KamilWrites and check the latest post on Education & Career.

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