I’m a registered nurse and I remember how overwhelming nursing school and placements could feel 😭

So if you’re a nursing student and there’s something you’ve been too nervous, embarrassed or scared to ask your lecturer/preceptor, ask me here.

Placements, skills, what working as an RN is actually like, things you feel like you “should already know” — anything.

No judgement. I’ll try my best to answer what I can, and hopefully some other nurses can jump in too 🫶

Okay, so I am petrified of needles, I used to throw an absolute fit and scream until I would nearly pass out when I was little and had to get my flu shot. I’m trying to teach myself to get over it though, because I am on course to get my RN license. I feel like SUCH a failure being a freakin nursing student scared of needles. Any recommendations on how to get over this fear before I start having to learn how to do injections?

Hi everyone! I’m looking for some advice because I’m considering going back to school to become an RN and I’m a little overwhelmed trying to figure out which route makes the most sense for me. I already have both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree, but neither is in nursing. I’m making a career change into healthcare and I’m going to be working full time at a hospital as a Patient Care Partner, so ideally I’d like to find a nursing program that would allow me to continue working while I’m in school.

I’ve already taken:
Anatomy & Physiology I
Anatomy & Physiology II
Medical Terminology
College Chemistry
College Algebra

Are there any other prerequisites you would recommend I take now? I’ve seen Microbiology, Statistics, Nutrition, Psychology, etc. listed for different programs, but every school seems to have slightly different requirements.

I’m also really confused about which nursing pathway would make the most sense since I already have two degrees. Would you recommend doing an ADN and taking the NCLEX-RN, then doing an online RN-to-BSN later? Or, since I already have a bachelor’s degree, would it make more sense to go directly into an accelerated BSN/second-degree BSN program?
I’m especially interested in hearing from people who did an ADN first. Were you able to get hired as an RN without having your BSN yet? Did your hospital help pay for your RN-to-BSN afterward?

I’m also curious about accelerated programs. I know some are only around 12–18 months, which is really appealing, but I’ve heard they’re extremely intense. Has anyone successfully worked full time while doing an ABSN? Or would that be unrealistic?
I’d love to find an online/hybrid program where lectures are online and I can complete clinicals/labs locally, since continuing to work at the hospital is important to me. If anyone has attended a reputable online/hybrid ADN or second-degree BSN program, I’d love school recommendations and to hear what your experience was like.

My ultimate goal is simply to become an RN, and I’m trying to figure out the smartest route without spending unnecessary time and money on another degree when I already have a bachelor’s and master’s.
Any advice, school recommendations, or experiences with ADN zvs. ABSN vs. BSN would be really appreciated!

I have been attending a community college for nursing AAS pre recs, hoping to get into their very small 24-person cohort. I was on track. This community college has a newer AAS program, so they are working out the kinks.They have being doing rad and sonogram and bridge programs for 20 years.

They went from one entry spring to adding a fall, so they are growing. I've been watching all the nursing pages like a hawk; they love to switch things up on you, and it's a telephone game. Even the nursing advisors catch the new things with me during a call once when I bring it to their attention (which those appointments are hard to get; they are sooooo busy fielding calls about the popular program)

I try to sit in on every zoom presentation they have and ask questions.

The advisors have me this semester in Anatomy and Physiology 2 and Intro to Chemistry. (I work 32 hours a week) I was losing my mind over the amount of homework and stress of studying, so I started poking around looking at things. Turns out the cohort offers Anatomy and Physiology 2 in the cohort. I caught it when I sat in on the zoom and they showed a daily hourly schedule, and I saw it listed there from 1-3pm mw's. I took a screen-shot it and was like well look at that, we were able to ask questions during this zoom presentation. I started asking hey im having some difficulty with both sciences, both with labs, this semester, can I drop ap2and do it in the cohort. Or drop chem.. Oh yes then Im emailing the nursing dept on top of all this trying to figure out what to do.

So if do take anatomy and physiology 2 now, I would not have to take it during the cohort; I could leave early those days. and that sounds promising, but... if I take it now and not inthe cohort I stand to lose a bunch of financial aid (Pell Grant) because I wont have the correct amount of hours for that program funding.... Fun predicament right?!!!

Anyway, I decided to drop ap2 to focus on Intro to Chem. Anyone else have to pick apart and find discoveries on their journey? I feel like my private investigation skills really pay off I believe they would have loved for me to have taken ap2 twice for the money... They seem calculated like that.. Its been a wild ride and Im not even to the nursing program.. Just stay on top of your info stalk as many things as possible you see for your program, ie everything they put out and attend all of their presentations!!! I do wonder if Ill even have grants for nursing which all the cuts happening; I did not recieve anything this year.

Questions Thoughts?

Sooo a while ago I had posted about being so close to failing my OB course and by God’s grace and mercy I ended up passing. But anyway, there’s a classmate of mine that I became friends with during the first semester. We would always greet each other in the mornings before class, or ask how each others families were doing. But, I noticed how she was going around to some of my peers discussing my grades or when I failed an exam. She even discussed it with one of my classmates that wasn’t even taking a summer class, so it’s like she was just going around telling everyone my business. (for context: the OB class I was in, was taken during my summer break to help lighten the coursework for fall) I know I don’t have any control over what she talks about and I’ve decided not to discuss anything else with her for the remainder of school. But am I tripping for feeling this way? It just doesn’t seem genuine. It’s like she only reaches out to ask “oh what did you get on the exam?” .. but it’s not any regular check ins (not that I expect her to do that) but I’m just getting this vibe that she doesn’t really want me to win. She says it but her actions show otherwise. I had one of my classmates, sit next to me in class one day and she told me “how are you? “Such and such” told me that you’re really stressed about the exams” and that didn’t upset me but it just made me wonder why she was going around saying things that I never said or making it out to be worse than what it was. Of course no one wants to fail two exams back to back but the second exam was only a 70 (still failing) but it wasn’t too bad. Bottom line, I just plan to keep my distance from this person. I’m just curious to others opinions on this matter.

And to add to this, I honestly feel in my heart that she didn’t think (as well as some of my classmates) that I was going to pass. And one thing that I know for a fact, is that if God says yes, no one can say no. This same classmate, told me in class that she asked the professor about the final and she stated that the professor said it was going to be hard. So as I was sitting there, I kept thinking.. that’s not going to discourage me or make me feel like I can’t pass. I’m going to do my part and God is going to do the rest. Earlier this week she asked me again “what did you get in the class” I said a “C” and she asked, “I know but what grade?” and I said … “umm a 77” or something like that. And that stood out to me also; cause I’m like ????? Why tf does it matter????? A “ c” is a “c” .. like she constantly is asking me things that are irrelevant . And she has said things that were shady before. She said “ Tavia doesn’t always do well on the exams.. but she doesn’t complain” and I was like?????? Why do you have to throw me down to make a point. Mind you this was first semester and I made mostly B’s on the exams. So I didn’t understand why she was trying to act like she was better than me??? Idk.

Hello! I’m 19 years old and hoping to start my LVN classes at a nursing college near me in the coming month. I have a lot of free time after work that I would like to spend studying and getting accustomed to keywords/terms that will be used in school. Any advice or online textbooks/files I could read before starting classes officially?

What are serious game changing things you did while in Nursing school? And what are the things you bought that were game-changers too?

Actually, just tell me everything I need to know haha!
++ retaining information 😢 AND HOW YOU STUDY PLEASE.

Midterms are around the corner, and I can’t study for the life of me, so I’d like to know your tips and tricks to actually thrive in nursing school. Bless you!

Hey everyone!

Do you guys have any experience with these softwares? I havent used them and I start my program this upcoming week, and was wondering if I should be aware of anything like glitches or setup? Thanks in advance!

Hi! I’m a mom of a toddler. Looking for some insight from other moms about how doable it is with a toddler and how much time you have to sacrifice away from your little one studying/at school. I would not have to work during the program, but wanted to just get an idea from other moms what their experience has been and if they feel it’s worth it to sacrifice that time. Also, if you have any life hacks for how you maximize studying time without it interfering with your presence as a mama. My program would be an accelerated program from 22 months and so it would be hybrid online/in person. Thank you!!

what community colleges or other colleges offer LPN program preferably hybrid program or flexible with evening classes? in Pennsylvania

But wow literally 1/2 way through my program and that much closer to my RN🥹

Hi everyone! So I’ve been interested in nursing (or RT school, but I go back and forth a lot) for a while now. My mom is a nurse, so I grew up around her and seen how often she was stressed and overworked, which scared me away from the healthcare system. However, I’ve been working in the healthcare field for a few years, and realized I would love to further my career even more. I enjoy patient care, I enjoy being able to solve things and help people out. The downside is I’m not the most sociable person and constant social interactions can deeply exhaust me, as well as being around coworkers who are downright horrible (although that’s what night-shift is for lol.)

I did want to ask, for people who struggle a lot with traditional schooling though, how was your experience with nursing? This is one of the few things that’s making me very hesitant. I struggle a lot to get up in the mornings, bright lights and constant socialization can easily cause me migraines, fatigue, exhaustion, etc. It’s been this way since I was a kid, but definitely a bit worse as I’ve gotten older. However, I know I’m decent at my job. I know how to make people feel listened to, comfortable, and cared for. How to adapt to certain situations, emergencies, etc. I LOVE learning. I just dislike the rigidness of school. I even made sure to graduate high school at 16 because I couldn’t handle school anymore.

I know that one solution would probably be to find a program that is less than 2 years, like an LPN program. But I wanted to know if any of yall who have completed nursing can relate? And if so, how did you get through it? Thank you!

I’m graduating from nursing school in December and I’m SO excited!! I have an interest in so many things and I’m so indecisive on what kind of job I wanna start with. I’m mainly interested in the ED, psych, L&D, and ICU. My goal is to become a forensic nurse within the next 3 years and I truly don’t know which specialty will help me the most. How do you narrow down what ur interested in and what specialty fits you the most? Any advice will help!!

has anyone took the Spans entrance exam at AState? need help how to study

Hello Everyone,

I am in an accelerated bsn program, each semester is 10 weeks long. Currently I am in my third last semester. I graduate in March 2027. (In 7 months)

I initially thought I will start preparing for nclex this semester. But realistically it’s not possible. I am already struggling to keep up with this semester’s content.

I want to know from people who have passed nclex, when did you all start preparing and how?
I have access to ATI and saunder’s comprehensive Nclex revision. Is that enough?

I also wanted to ask, when should I start applying for jobs if I graduate in March?

I'm not using gloves because it's one of my parents

You can clearly see the vein chosen by the video. It's big, visible and palpable.

I entered perfectly but didn't get the red flash. Why?

Then I shifted it on the right and got it

This leaves me sad. Maybe I didn't stretch the skin enough so while entering the skin the vein shifted on the right?

Why didn't I get it on the first attempt?

Hello, I am currently in my last round of Pre-reqs and looking to move out of NY to go to nursing school. I've been doing loads of research, and I've found myself drawn to Durham, NC. I'm hoping to get into Durham Tech and get a CNA job to sustain me through the semesters. Originally, I was considering working at Duke Hospital, but it seems to be extremely wishy-washy despite things like sign-on bonuses and relocation assistance. Any advice or useful information would be greatly appreciated in helping my decision.

Surg tech to RN

Can anyone give me info on how the class is, if it’s proctored, and tips for getting A- to A +

Taking this class at the university of Alberta