How to Fail at Nursing School

You are pursuing your dream career. You have been accepted into a nursing program. Now what? Do you have what it takes to succeed?

Nursing school is not easy. It shouldn’t be. You are learning to save lives. So, successfully navigating nursing school takes more than just showing up to class. (Although you need to show up to EVERY class.) It takes effort and perseverance. Here are some of the pitfalls students encounter that lead them to either pass or fail at nursing school:

Failing to Prioritize

Nursing school and all of the work and classes that go with it can easily get overwhelming. This, combined with not knowing how to prioritize your time can lead to nursing school failure.

You should start by prioritizing your emotions. Get yourself ready to face intimidating subject matter that your feel will be difficult for you, and practice stress-busting techniques such as meditation.

You will also need to prioritize you school-life balance. You may need to ask family members to help you by taking on extra responsibilities when you need to study or are feeling stressed.

Prioritizing class and study time may be obvious, but it's a must. Map out what part of the day outside of class that you will spend reading and reviewing notes. This should always come first, and not be simply squeezed in between time spent doing other things.

Prioritizing while in school will help you further your career, as well. It will help you hone your multitasking skills. Nurses are master mutitaskers. So, plan to start prioritizing now because you will continue to need this skill throughout your entire career.

Failing to Study

This may seem like a no-brainer, but not taking the adequate time to study has killed many nursing careers before they even start.

You should expect to spend two to three hours of study time outside of class for every one credit hour you take per week. So, if you are taking one four-credit class you should spend eight to twelve hours studying for that class every week.

You must organize your study time in order to inject the massive amount of knowledge you are learning. Sit down with your calendar and map out study time each day. Then stick to your calendar. This takes dedication. However, this will help you avoid cramming for tests. Cramming is never a good idea and typically doesn't end with an A on an exam.

Failing to Finance

Failure to plan school financing tends to be a big issue for nursing school students. Before you apply, you need to look at the total cost. Add up tuition, books, and supplies, along with your cost of living. This is the minimum you will need. So, be sure to set a budget and figure out how you will pay for it.

You will also need to get you job in order. Nursing school will take up a majority of your time. If quitting is not a feasible option, you will probably want to look into working part-time.

You need to have your finances in order before you start school. The last thing you need while attending nursing school is to stress out about how you are going to pay your bills and/or tuition.

Knowing the potential downfalls of other nursing students will help you avoid the same mistakes. At Athena Career Academy, we help guide students through the enrollment process so you know what to expect every step of the way. For information about our nursing program, contact Athena Career Academy today.