Week 1 – This is Nursing School?

My first week of NS was well, strange. I completely expected to hit the ground running. To be so overwhelmed with NS that I couldn’t think about anything else in life. The first day was a bit anticlimactic for me. We went over the student handbook, the instructors fiddled with the computer/projector for about 30 minutes (it’s amazing how no one can lecture without a PowerPoint anymore), went over the syllabus, then lectured for about 15 minutes before handing us some dress up clothes (PPE) and some glo germ. It left me feeling like something was missing.

Where is all the hard core I keep hearing about? Where are all the blood, sweat, and tears?


The second day wasn’t really any better. We have three different instructors for our skills class so that gets a little confusing for me. We had a new lady we hadn’t seen the day before lecturing for a few minutes then we were let go to wreak havoc on the poor unsuspecting mannequins. Turning them and strapping them down with restraints. No instruction before hand, no demonstration. Nothing.

You mean you just expect me to know this stuff already?

Lucky for me, I have done most of this before. All of this so far is basic CNA stuff (aside from applying the restraints) so it has been a review for me. I am worried about when we get into the things that aren’t CNA stuff. Without any kind of demonstration I feel like I might be lost.

So where does this foley go again?

The third day (second class) is when things got a little interesting. A research paper, a group culture project, a personal nutrition project, discussion boards, case studies, quizzes, in 8 weeks rather than 16. Now I see where things get a little out of control. I wouldn’t say I am feeling overwhelmed just yet. We still have one more class to go on Monday that we haven’t been to yet so we will see what is in store after that class. For right now, there is a lot of work but it all seems manageable.

Please let's keep it this way.