| What are the requirements to gain admission | | | | The responsibilities that the new nursing |
| into nursing school? Actually, they differ | | | | students must bear become at most unbearable |
| from one school to the next but all have | | | | when actual nursing school begins. So, the |
| certain main pre-requisite classes that are | | | | nursing student is faced with a stressful |
| required for students to take. These | | | | road map right at the beginning. |
| include courses in Anatomy & Physiology, | | | | |
| Social Sciences, Biology, English I & II, | | | | Why are nursing classes so difficult? Time |
| Psychology, Life Span Psychology, a | | | | and time again nursing students have said the |
| Pharmaceutical course and a Chemistry course. | | | | same thing, which is, "how do you study for |
| Most nursing schools require a grade of C or | | | | these tests?" The frustration for the |
| better for each of the above named courses. | | | | nursing student culminates when they get a |
| | | | poor score on their exam. Usually this low |
| If this isn't enough stress, the student must | | | | score is in the C range, which is a failing |
| complete the Nursing Entrance Test prior to | | | | grade for most Nursing Schools. When a |
| getting their name on the nursing school | | | | student gets a 79 on an exam, they know that |
| admission list. Consequently, for the | | | | they have to make up those points on the next |
| associate degree nurse, the entire program | | | | test. Worst case scenario is that they go |
| can be expected to take up to three years to | | | | into the final with a grade of 79% or 80%. |
| complete. The up side of this is that many | | | | Final exams are always much harder than the |
| four year degree granting institutions offer | | | | exams throughout the semester. So, when a |
| a one year curriculum to graduating Associate | | | | student goes into the final with a failing |
| Degree Nurse (ADN) for completion of a | | | | grade or on the cusp of failing they become |
| Bachelors of Science in Nursing. It is quite | | | | unnerved. Most nursing instructors will tell |
| likely, that when the ADN graduates and finds | | | | their students not to take the final if they |
| employment, that the hospital where he or she | | | | have below an 80% and just drop the class |
| is employed will pay their tuition for their | | | | instead of chancing a failing grade. |
| Bachelors Degree completion. All of this | | | | |
| sounds very enticing to many who wish to | | | | With nursing courses ranging in the 5-10 |
| pursue nursing careers. | | | | credit hour brackets, one can imagine how |
| | | | much a grade point average could be affected |
| The nurses pay is also an incentive to enroll | | | | by a failing grade. Yet, nursing students do |
| in Nursing School, though it should not be | | | | it all the time. They sit for the final exam |
| the main reason. Hence, with the occurrence | | | | and throw caution to wind. The results are |
| of the mass lay offs from many of the | | | | that some of them do indeed pass, while |
| automotive industries, those without jobs are | | | | others fail. Those that pass the final start |
| entertaining the thought of going into the | | | | the next semester with renewed stress. The |
| field of nursing. There is a huge influx of | | | | nursing tests are what put so much stress on |
| people who are in the nursing program or who | | | | the students. |
| plan to enroll in the nursing program ranging | | | | |
| in ages from 32 to 52. Many of these | | | | Although clinical rotation can also be very |
| students bring with them a vast life | | | | grueling, most student nurses will agree that |
| experience base. Therefore it is not | | | | it is the nursing tests that they fear. |
| surprising to find nursing students that have | | | | Nursing students must be prepared to handle |
| one or two Bachelor Degrees, previous careers | | | | the stress ahead of time. Friends and family |
| in engineering, science, secretarial fields, | | | | should be aware of how much stress that their |
| emergency medical technicians and teachers. | | | | loved ones have to endure while in nursing |
| | | | school. They can assist by helping with the |
| This type of cross section was not the norm | | | | children such as picking the kids up from |
| twenty or thirty years ago, when most of the | | | | school, or bringing over dinner a few times a |
| nursing students were in their early | | | | week. Just being there to listen to their |
| twenties. There are quite a few current | | | | concerns and offering a shoulder to lean on |
| nursing students that are holding full time | | | | can help a great deal. |
| jobs and juggling kids and spouses needs. | | | | |