As I sit here and scroll through my messages on Facebook and Instagram, I realized that a lot of people reach out to me, seeking for someone to identify with as they embark on their journey in becoming a RN. It makes me feel good, in the sense that someone else looks at me as someone worthy enough of giving answers to these often complex questions and problems. But it got me thinking— I wish I had someone who would have been able to give me a heads up about nursing school, before nursing school. Consider this your heads up.  

Here’s the rundown on the top 5 things I wish I knew before applying to nursing school and what I would recommend any aspiring nurse to consider. 

1. Is this REALLY what you want to do? The nursing program is a HUGE commitment. It is difficult, and rigorous, not to mention expensive, and time consuming. If you plan on going into nursing because the pay is good (which is debatable) you’ll hate it. You will wake up everyday dreading going to work if you choose to take on a career that you are not truly passionate about. Make sure you honestly want to be a nurse before signing up. I would encourage you to do your research, ask other nurses, shadow. Maybe get a job in a facility or hospital that gives you a foot in the door and a firsthand look at healthcare. Whatever you do, just make sure you’re certain.  

2. Are you informed on all of your options? This is important. I was not educated in all of the different routes that are available to becoming a nurse. The traditional 4 year BSN program is not for everyone! Do you already have a degree— The second degree option/accelerated program may be for you. Not ready to get your Bachelor’s due to time, financial constraints, or waiting on a seat in a program—The ADN is a great choice. LPN/LVN programs do not make you any less of a nurse. Choose a program that works for you! 

3. Say goodbye to free time. Nursing school is demanding with a capital D. From lecture, to clinical multiple times a week, to studying your butt off for the constant stream of assignments and exams. Throw in HESI/ATI, lab practice, coursework for your other gen-req classes, and that leaves little time for anything else outside of nursing. Lord forbid you have to work, have the responsibility of being a mom, or actually want to have a social life. Truth be told, you’re going to ridiculously busy. The end.  

4. You’re in a constant competition with your peers. This had to be one of the biggest things I struggled with. My self-esteem took a huge hit. For whatever reason, nursing students are some of the most competitive beings I have ever encountered. Everyone wants to be the best. If you failed an exam, everyone knows it and you’re often the topic of other people’s conversations where they discuss if they believe you’re going to pass the class, or even NCLEX. You encounter those student nurses who swear they’re already nurses. Calm down Becky, you’re a student just like the rest of us. Everyone always wants to know your scores and honestly, for the struggling nursing student, it can be the cause of so much anxiety. I want you to be aware of the hidden competition you’ll be entering, because it doesn’t end. 

5. Having nursing friends is a big deal. I went through most of nursing school without a real friend. Many of my classmates were very nice, and we’d talk if we had got paired at the same clinical site, or had a group project together, but outside of that I did not have “a person” especially after I got separated from my original cohort. It wasn’t until my senior year that I got a true nursing friend, and I am telling you it made all the difference. Having someone who understands your struggles and tries to help you is a game changer. It feels good to have someone to study with, or remind you of assignments due, and just to decompress with. Trust me, nursing school is not the time to be a alone. 

Perhaps the biggest thing I want to highlight is that you will want to give up. Yes you read that correctly. People often tell you about the pros but rarely do people highlight the negative feelings and thought you’ll encounter. Even the most motivated nursing student has a time where he or she are so overtaken by the workload that they may feel like throwing in the towel.

THIS IS NORMAL. I REPEAT, YOU ARE NOT ALONE.  

Nursing school is constant work. There’s no break nor an easy way to get through it. There’s no dumping syndrome of information, that most of us are use to, but instead everything you learn must be retained and serves as the foundation to constantly build new concepts on top of. It is a ton of work. There is little time for you to relax because there is always something that needs to be done. And even after all of that schooling you have to prepare for the biggest exam of them all. Then, after you pass NCLEX you will have days so bad at work that you’ll question why you became a nurse in the first place.  

Nursing is a high-stress degree, with some high-stress days on the job, that will often have you wanting to give up. On these days when nothing is working in your favor, your are tired, and anxious and just over it—I want you to remember the very moment you decided to be a nurse, the moment when it all made sense, that point where you new that you were called to help heal others and that there’s nothing else that you could imagine yourself doing. Recall the first time you completed a complex sterile procedure or your first IV Insertion, the time when you held a patient’s hand and finally felt like you belonged somewhere. Keep these things fresh in your mind not only before applying to nursing school, but throughout and even after you’re finished.

You are here for a reason and you are going to save many lives. Be confident in knowing you cannot give up, because there’s a life somewhere depending on you to apply for school, depending on you to persevere through the curriculum, depending on you to step into your calling. Dig deep. Endure. You can do this, and don’t you ever forget it!!!  

With Love,  

Nurse Z