Ok after I typed the title I realized that it sounds like someone died, so let me set your mind at ease, no one has died.
As I said in some previous posts, I am currently in the "dread" 3rd semester (of nursing school, not of school). I know you might think I'm exaggerating the terribleness of this semester but I'm seriously not. For some reason this is the semester that gets people. In orientation (yes orientation) the professors talk to the new students about 3rd semester & how hard it is. Honestly I don't remember them doing this (although I'm sure they did), but it's gotten so bad that a friend of mine said that a student completely dropped out of the program this semester after JUST GOING TO ORIENTATION because of what they said about 3rd semester! I mean come on!
As I've stated before I in NO WAY think that 3rd semester is the hardest semester. In fact, to me, this has by FAR been the easiest semester we've had. I mean we've got 2 lectures & 2 clinicals. How is this that hard people? Honestly I feel like this is one of those things that just becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You've heard it's the hardest semester, therefore it becomes the hardest semester. You've dreaded it all the way up to it & now that it's here you make yourself a basket case & get behind & then guess what? It's pretty hard. Now before you go thinking "Oh it's just easier for her b/c she's got the time to study, or she's just really smart" (Ok you may not be thinking the last one, but you know what I mean). Let me just say empahatically that I am by FAR not even close to being the smartest student (or even group of students) in my class & I dang sure don't put in the amount of time studying that I wish I could. BUT, what I do is, I STAY ON TOP OF MY CRAP!! I make sure I check my calendar EVERY OTHER DAY to make sure I'm not missing an assignment. If I have clinical coming up I MAKE sure that my paperwork is done WAY before the day before clinical. And believe it or not I actually STUDY for my tests. THIS is how I'm getting through 3rd semester with a high B & a high C (which I'm determined to turn into 2 A's). This is how I've already passed Med/Surg clinical & am getting through OB clinical.
Is the Med/Surg content hard? Well that's relative. To me it's a lot of rehash of patho mixed in with some new content, but it's not stuff we've never heard of before. My point is, it's doable. I mean I have 2 kids & I sacrifice study time to take them to the ballfield for practies, go to their games, make dinner, wash their clothes, just basically be a mom. Could I give more time to school? Of course. Would I have straight A's right now if I did that? You bet I would! But again the point is that THIS SEMESTER IS DOABLE. And it's doable in a big way, so it makes me super sad to know that we've already lost 3 people for sure & possibly 5 people total before this semseter is even over, and that my friends SUCKS!!
See our university opperates with the nursing students as cohort groups. Because of that we all get pretty close over these years of nursing school & when we lose someone it means that they have to leave our cohort & join the semester behind us. Even if they only fail one part of the semester they are not allowed to move on with us, they have to stay behind & join the other semester's cohort group & just make up the part they missed. So far our group within our group has been lucky & we've stayed in tact, but not so for this semester. This semester we just lost one of our main members of our little group & I am so super sad. We've kind of been like the three musketeers since school has started & yesterday she dropped Med/Surg. It broke my heart, but I knew that it was in her best interest. I wish I could have done something to help, but I know that if I had been in her shoes I would have done the EXACT same thing. Still, the sting of losing someone you've been mucking through the trenches with for the past year & a half really hurts and I hope that we don't lose ANY MORE this semseter. Already our class is dwindling. And yes we've heard from the beginning that the number we start out with probably won't be the number we graduate with, but dangit, we really wanted it to be!!
In the end is 3rd semester the hardest semester? I can't answer that, but I can say that it's the semester of the fallen nursing student and it completely SUCKS!
As I said in some previous posts, I am currently in the "dread" 3rd semester (of nursing school, not of school). I know you might think I'm exaggerating the terribleness of this semester but I'm seriously not. For some reason this is the semester that gets people. In orientation (yes orientation) the professors talk to the new students about 3rd semester & how hard it is. Honestly I don't remember them doing this (although I'm sure they did), but it's gotten so bad that a friend of mine said that a student completely dropped out of the program this semester after JUST GOING TO ORIENTATION because of what they said about 3rd semester! I mean come on!
As I've stated before I in NO WAY think that 3rd semester is the hardest semester. In fact, to me, this has by FAR been the easiest semester we've had. I mean we've got 2 lectures & 2 clinicals. How is this that hard people? Honestly I feel like this is one of those things that just becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You've heard it's the hardest semester, therefore it becomes the hardest semester. You've dreaded it all the way up to it & now that it's here you make yourself a basket case & get behind & then guess what? It's pretty hard. Now before you go thinking "Oh it's just easier for her b/c she's got the time to study, or she's just really smart" (Ok you may not be thinking the last one, but you know what I mean). Let me just say empahatically that I am by FAR not even close to being the smartest student (or even group of students) in my class & I dang sure don't put in the amount of time studying that I wish I could. BUT, what I do is, I STAY ON TOP OF MY CRAP!! I make sure I check my calendar EVERY OTHER DAY to make sure I'm not missing an assignment. If I have clinical coming up I MAKE sure that my paperwork is done WAY before the day before clinical. And believe it or not I actually STUDY for my tests. THIS is how I'm getting through 3rd semester with a high B & a high C (which I'm determined to turn into 2 A's). This is how I've already passed Med/Surg clinical & am getting through OB clinical.
Is the Med/Surg content hard? Well that's relative. To me it's a lot of rehash of patho mixed in with some new content, but it's not stuff we've never heard of before. My point is, it's doable. I mean I have 2 kids & I sacrifice study time to take them to the ballfield for practies, go to their games, make dinner, wash their clothes, just basically be a mom. Could I give more time to school? Of course. Would I have straight A's right now if I did that? You bet I would! But again the point is that THIS SEMESTER IS DOABLE. And it's doable in a big way, so it makes me super sad to know that we've already lost 3 people for sure & possibly 5 people total before this semseter is even over, and that my friends SUCKS!!
See our university opperates with the nursing students as cohort groups. Because of that we all get pretty close over these years of nursing school & when we lose someone it means that they have to leave our cohort & join the semester behind us. Even if they only fail one part of the semester they are not allowed to move on with us, they have to stay behind & join the other semester's cohort group & just make up the part they missed. So far our group within our group has been lucky & we've stayed in tact, but not so for this semester. This semester we just lost one of our main members of our little group & I am so super sad. We've kind of been like the three musketeers since school has started & yesterday she dropped Med/Surg. It broke my heart, but I knew that it was in her best interest. I wish I could have done something to help, but I know that if I had been in her shoes I would have done the EXACT same thing. Still, the sting of losing someone you've been mucking through the trenches with for the past year & a half really hurts and I hope that we don't lose ANY MORE this semseter. Already our class is dwindling. And yes we've heard from the beginning that the number we start out with probably won't be the number we graduate with, but dangit, we really wanted it to be!!
In the end is 3rd semester the hardest semester? I can't answer that, but I can say that it's the semester of the fallen nursing student and it completely SUCKS!
Being a nurse is pretty demanding...sadly, nursing school weeds out some good candidates. I don't think it is fair of your school to set you guys up like that by telling you the 3rd semester is the hardest. That kind of talk messes with a person's head!
ReplyDeleteStick with it, you're on a roll!
Yeah I mean I get preparing people, but come on. If you're putting that amount of fear into a person that they drop out before they even begin!! That's too far. I only have 5 more weeks to go & I couldn't be happier!! :)
DeleteOh my gosh, where has your blog gone???
DeleteI'm totally going to miss your blog!! Boo!!! Lots of people write blogs about their patients!! They just change a few things around.....
DeleteI think 3rd semester was our "hardest" too because we lost the most people out of our group 10 or so I think. 4th semester we lost 5 which is still pretty bad, but the night cohort lost 15. So I guess it is all relative because we were the ones that where supposed to of had the "hardest" instructor, yet they had the highest fail rate at the final.
ReplyDeleteGood job!
Ugh! I hate losing people!! It's one thing if they drop out of the program all together, like if they just decide nursing isn't their thing, but to see them fail & get left behind, it just really sucks!
DeleteNursing school is tough and I think most programs have some people who fall by the wayside. Stick with it for you and your family.
ReplyDelete