Nursing Programs & Careers | EveryNurse.org (2024)

FAQs

What is the hardest class in the nursing program? ›

Overall, being an intensive care unit nurse is not for the faint of heart, and it just may be one of the hardest nursing specialties out there.

Nursing requires a variety of skills, including empathy, critical thinking, communication, and more. You do have to be smart for nursing school, but “smarts” aren't limited to just getting good grades. There are different types of intelligence that play an important role in getting through nursing school.

Nursing school should be hard. Good programs take a rigorous, immersive approach to preparing you for patient care. There are pressing deadlines to meet, lab skills to master, and challenging exams to take. You may have moments of feeling exhausted, burned out, or defeated.

An undergraduate degree in nursing is the easiest type of nursing degree to pursue if you are interested in starting or advancing your career in nursing.

Nursing credential: CNA

As the name suggests, CNAs assist nurses with patient admittance and vitals. It is the lowest-level credential related to the nursing field and the quickest point of entry. That said, it's important to remember that CNAs are not technically nurses.

Licensed vocational nurses (LVN) and licensed practical nurses (LPN) are some of the lowest-paid nursing roles, but that is due to the fact that the educational requirements are less than most other types of nurses.

Yes, with hard work and dedication, an average student can become a nurse. Despite what many people think, being a top student isn't the only way to succeed as a nurse.

Does nursing require a lot of math? ›

It is a good idea to know the types of math you need to be able to do, but it is not necessary to know advanced algebra or calculus. As long as you are taught correctly and have a basic knowledge of math, most nursing students will do just fine without having to take high-level math classes.

If your first answer is because you live to help others, that's a good sign. Nurses must possess a fundamental desire to care for their fellow humans and an ability to empathize with patients and families who may be scared, stressed, or in pain.

NPs have additional responsibilities that RNs don't have, so you can expect NP school to be a higher level of difficulty than RN school.

ASN programs are for students with a nursing dream and no time to waste. BSN programs not only provide knowledge and skills training, but they emphasize developing nurse leaders. Alternatively, ASN programs are skills-driven, training nurses for work in busy clinical environments.

Everyone is different, but in general, it is recommended that nursing school students study anywhere from 2-4 hours a day. Committing class material to memory is essential to becoming a registered nurse, so the more time studying, the better! What should I know before starting nursing school?

Health Assessment: the hardest semester of nursing school

Health assessment will likely be one of the initial courses you'll take in nursing school, and it involves delving into the various body systems and learning how to assess patients from head to toe.

Ethics in nursing is a core class because of the many difficult ethical situations that nurses face, no matter where they practice.

The National Council Licensure Examination, or NCLEX, is a critical exam that every nursing student must take to become a licensed nurse. Passing the NCLEX is essential to begin your nursing career, but it is also one of the most challenging exams you will ever take.

Nursing school is competitive to get into and challenging to get through. Because programs require many credit hours, nursing students sometimes end up taking multiple difficult courses in one semester. Think of late nights studying for exams in addition to clinicals where you'll gain hands-on nursing experience.