Nursing school can be challenging at times, and some students find themselves struggling at some point in the program. After years of answering questions and comments from nursing students, we’ve noticed some traits or bad habits that some students possess that may lead to struggles. In this video, I’m going to give you four reasons why some nursing students struggle:
1. Indecision
The problem with some nursing students is that they have one foot in nursing school, and the other foot on a banana peel. In other words, they are always questioning whether they want to remain in the program, switch their major, drop out, or whatever. And every time something bad happens, they question it even more.
The problem with indecision is that it divides your focus. In order to excel at anything, you must have focus, and you can’t allow yourself to become distracted by other options. I love the tactics that a lot of military commanders would use when they would sail to some new territory for war. They would pull up in their boats to the new land they hoped to conquer. After all of the men and supplies were off the boats, the commander would then order the men to “burn the boats.” They did just that.
Then, the general would tell all of his men that they had but two options: Win the war or die. They usually won the war, because they knew they had no options to retreat.
That’s what you have to do in nursing school. You have to eliminate all other options and “burn the boats.” You will succeed. You will get through the program, or you’ll die trying!
Some nursing students get caught up in a pessimistic thinking pattern, and it robs them of their energy. You’ll meet a lot of negative people in nursing school and on the job. In fact, some people are like porcupines–they have a few fine points, but they are hard to be around.
Negative students will begin to complain about every class and every exam and so forth. You’ve got to learn to stop complaining and start thinking positively. Think about it—complaining about a difficult class, isn’t going to do anything to make it easier. In fact, when you begin to think negatively about everything, it actually makes it harder. Then, you actually create a mindset that will lead to failure.
Consider the story of the two shoe salesmen:
Two competing companies were both looking to expand their business, so they each sent out a shoe salesman to scout out new territories so that they could expand. The first shoe salesman arrived in a remote, third world country. He went down to every village and completely surveyed the land. After realizing that no one there wore shoes, he angrily phoned his company. “This project is a disaster,” he said. “Nobody here even wears shoes. I want you to get me on the first plane out of here.” He then returned and had a mediocre career selling shoes.
The second shoe salesman arrived in the very same third world country. He also went out and surveyed the land. After realizing that no one there wore shoes, he grabbed his phone and called up his company. He said, “Listen, I want you to send me every pair of shoes and socks you can get your hands on. We’re going to make a fortune! These people don’t even know about shoes yet!” He went on to become a multimillionaire.
Both men had the same opportunity. One had a positive outlook, the other a negative outlook.
You’ve got to learn to squash those negative, pessimistic thoughts. Think positively. Even if you have a hard class or get a low grade, buckle down and give it all you’ve got. You’re going to make it! You are destined for nursing greatness!
3. Poor Organizational or Time Management Skills
Many nursing students struggle with staying organized and managing their time well. The good news is that this is a skill that you can learn and improve with time. Staying organized will help you stay on track with assignments and exams. Managing your time will help you get more work done in a shorter period. So it is crucial that you learn how to manage your time well and stay organized. We’re going to have some videos on this soon, so stay tuned for more tips on organizing a schedule and managing your time!
4. Poor Study Habits
The final reason some students struggle is that they have poor study habits. Perhaps you haven’t yet learned how to study and memorize information in the most efficient way. Or maybe you don’t know how to think critically for your exams. We’re going to be doing a series of videos in the coming weeks which will detail all kinds of study tips for nursing school (or college). We’ll go back to the basics and offer you tips on how to take notes, study, etc. So stay tuned for that as well.