All About Nursing School

Hey guys, I am so excited about finally getting this post up because as most of you know, nursing is my passion! I am so in love with not only the science of nursing but also the art of it. I know a lot of you have been waiting to hear about what nursing school really entails, and so I cannot wait to dive in and hopefully give you the answers to all of your questions.

So first and foremost I'll answer the question of, WHY NURSING? This is something you get asked by your professors and clinical instructors quite often throughout the span of your student career. And most of the time people tend to have a story or a very specific reason as to why they chose to get in to Nursing. But then again there are those who are simply doing it for the money or to please a parent or family member. To each his own I suppose. As for me I realized at a young age that I always wanted to develop and maintain a career that would allow me to help people, and make a difference (the science aspect). I have always been so passionate about learning about people and their lives; talking with strangers and getting to know essentially what life looks like through their eyes and what their story is (the art aspect). As I mentioned in a previous post I am more of an introverted person, but I really do enjoy getting to know people and talking on a deeper level. Really being able to connect with people and realizing that every one has a story worth knowing. I also wanted to do something that would allow me to be on my feet and moving around, as oppose to a more sedentary job. At first I was really considering going in to the police foundations program and becoming a police officer. But then I redirected my self, and with some help and encouragement from my fiancee, I realized that nursing was the perfect career for me. I also experienced losing my Grandmother (my mom's mother) at a young age due to a hemorrhagic stroke. This hard loss instilled in me the passion I have for wanting to care for people, and ensure that I can be a part of a team that will do all that they can to save a life or simply preserve it. At the moment I am most interested in acute, emergency and surgical nursing care. I also love working in the geriatrics (older adults) field.

Ok so enough about me, lets get in to the school aspect of things! Quite simply put, nursing school is hard but can be made easier if your dedicated and you put in the time and work. So just like anything else in life really, you have to put your all in to it to get the results you desire. Typically I would say that the first year is pretty much a walk in the park as you learn about the anatomy and physiology of the human body and begin to develop an understanding of the nursing courses. But then right after first year you are almost caught off guard by how much more intense the program becomes. A nursing student's schedule is most often made up of; a science based course like A&P or pathophysiology, a couple of what we call nursing based courses like nursing as a profession or chronic health challenges, an elective or just other course like statistics, pharmacology or psychology, and then you have your clinical placement which usually consists of one 12 hour shift once a week or two 6 hour shifts twice a week at a hospital or health care facility. Keep in mind this may not be the same for every single nursing school or University. Some don't offer clinical placements until later on in the program and are more theory based and vice versa. But I know my program is one that offers a lot more clinical (hands-on) placements than others do in the city of Toronto.

As I mentioned it can be quite hard to simply keep up with all of these courses, but you have to set priorities. The nursing based courses tend to be the hardest for me just because the exams are mostly based on application. Meaning that they give you scenarios and you have to choose the best suited answer or what your main priority as a nurse would be, all while knowing and understanding definitions, nursing legislations, medications and so on. So all of the answers pertaining to the question could be correct, but it is up to you to determine what the first or the best thing to do would be. They also incorporate alot of multiple multiples, meaning that there could be more than one answer. For example, it is common for them to ask these types of questions as it pertains to signs and symptoms of a disease or when asking about what the nurse should consider when giving meds as it pertains to adverse affects and patient teaching. These are just a few examples to get you to realize that it is not just about memorizing the material and definitions, you have to be able to apply the knowledge and essentially be able to think about things in advance. In this field they are also very keen on ensuring that nurses say and demonstrate the right thing and so there are a lot of questions simply based on that. If the client says one thing, what is the best possible answer from the nurse. The correct answer to these types of questions usually displays empathy all while maintaining appropriate boundaries. They are trying to prepare us for the NCLEX, which is an exam you take to become completely certified as a nurse once you have completed school. I would often complain about these types of questions, but have slowly come to realize that they are needed...in moderation I suppose lol. My fellow colleagues would not like me for admitting this but it is true!

But on another note, I absolutely love learning about the human body and all that it does on a daily just to keep us breathing, alive and in a homeostatic state of well-being. So my favourite courses tend to be A&P and patho. Our bodies are the most amazing things made up of billions of cells. Not to mention how astonishing our brain is and how it needs a constant supply of oxygenated blood and glucose (amongst other things) to essentially control our every thought and move. Did you guys know that the maximum our brain tissue can go without any blood flow, before the cells start to become damaged and die, is a total of 4 short minutes. And the heart, so incredible as well; considered a muscle (arguably the most important one) that just consistently pumps blood in and out to the rest of our body. I hope you guys can get a sense of my excitement through the screen of how beautifully amazing our bodies really are. And the work that it takes just to maintain LIFE.

Honestly throughout your clinical you will be able to put all that you learn to practice and begin to really appreciate the art of nursing. Because it is so much more than just developing the book smarts. If you ask any nurse they will tell you that you need to have good intuition and a sense of knowing when something is just not right. You also have to be able to separate yourself from your clients, and try not to cross any boundaries by developing sympathy for them. A lot of people don't know this but sympathy is never about the other person, it is about you and your feelings.You also have to come with a sense of maturity and common sense. Which you would be surprise, a lot of students lack. It takes a lot to be a nurse and you are faced with many different challenges on a daily. Every single client, family member, friend or whom ever that I have talked to have expressed that the nurses are the ones they see consistently throughout their care, as oppose to the doctor or any one else on the healthcare professional team. And that speaks to not only the importance of a nurse's job, but also the knowledge we must develop and hold on to throughout our career. As I've heard so many times, one med error or lack of care/supervision can and has lead to a person's death. Not to say that you have to be perfect, because no one person is. But I am just giving you guys an idea of the responsibilities and expectations of a nurse. I hope I am not scaring any of you who are interested in entering in to the field, lol. I am simply trying to provide the best and most honest information and advice possible as it relates to my experience! I will definitely be doing more nursing school posts on study tips and what ever else you guys would be interested in. But for now I hope you have learned some new things you may not have know before, or have just been able to develop a new form of appreciation for nurses and the profession!

Thank you for reading guys & please don't be shy to let me know if you have any other questions in the comments!

Have a happy Wednesday,

Shezel :)