Ash
How hard is it to become a licensed nurse?
#nurse #registered-nurses
2 answers
Melissa Haltom, MSN, APRN, FNP-C
Melissa’s Answer
How are my grades when I try my hardest?
Am I good at math and science?
Do I have good study habits or do I tend to slack off?
Am I motivated, or do I give up easily?
Am I willing to understand complex material, or will I quit when it’s too hard?
Am I willing to sacrifice doing things when others are wondering why I am choosing to study?
Do I tend to make excuses instead of doing what I know I’m capable of doing?
How bad do I want this?
What is my reason, my motivation? Will it be enough to push me through to the end?
‘Hard’ is subjective. The short answer is it is very hard, especially if you are not honest with yourself.
But I believe anything is possible. We can do hard things.
I went to nursing school when I was 35. I had a breastfeeding newborn (this is a 24 hour job 😉), a 3 year old and a 6 year old at the time. I was a single parent.
This was incredibly hard.
But I went to school. And I graduated at the top of my class and was VP of the school nurse association. I delivered the pinning ceremony speech- a great honor. I did it. Nothing could stop me.
It was hard and it was good.
I’m not bragging- I’m just telling you that hard things are possible when you have dedication, purpose, and drive.
I went back to school to get the BSN when I was working nights, still a single parent with three young children.
It was hard. And it was good.
I had cancer throughout the BSN program, but I didn’t know it. I found out the day I turned in my last assignment for my last class in that program that I had stage IV lymphoma metastasized to my bone marrow, and from head to toe. Yes, this is a true story. lol.
I survived, so I went to get my MSN FNP. My children were teenagers (a 24+ hour job 😂).
It was hard and it was good.
Go get em. We can do hard things.
Melissa
Gerald Lambert II
Gerald’s Answer
Not going to lie to you. Nursing school will be some of the hardest years of your life. It requires immense dedication, and I mean that in every sense of the word. Whether this will be your first degree or if this will be second, your strengths and weaknesses will be tested in a nursing program.
I found out I was accepted into a nursing program August 2015. I was overjoyed! The amount of prerequisite coursework was overwhelming. You have to take Anatomy & Physiology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Statistics, etc. But I digress. About a week later, my wife presented me with a positive pregnancy test. I was going to be a father! Another momentous occasion to celebrate...but then the reality hit me and hit me really hard. I was going to be a father right in the middle of my first semester of nursing school. I’ll never forget the moment my daughter was born, but I also won’t forget the paper that was due at midnight that night. I held my daughter for a few hours but had to put her back down as I had to finish my work.
Long sleepless nights were the norm for me the next few semesters but I made it work. Nursing school is NOT for the faint of heart. There will be tears of joy and sadness. There will anger for not passing a clinical exam or a skill. There will be constant moments of second guessing your choices as you find what kind of nurse you want to be.
However, at the end of the program as I walked for graduation, it was the one of the best moments of my life. Hard work pays off. Being a nurse is exactly where I needed to be. I enjoy being an RN. So will you! Good luck!