Nursing is one of the most challenging and rewarding careers in the world. It requires a great deal of dedication, hard work, and commitment to the well-being of patients.
However, nursing students face many challenges along the way, and it’s essential to be aware of these obstacles and how to overcome them.
Most Common Challenges Nursing Students Face and How to overcome them
- Time management
- Test and examination
- projects and assignments
- Stress
- Communication
- Inferiority complex
- Financial burden
- Clinical experience
Time management
Ranging from the long lecture hours to practical classes coupled with their personal life. the time is almost little to nothing remaining for them. They have little time for their social life and work for those undergoing part-time jobs.
Nursing students have a lot to deal with when talking about time. After a hectic class, they have to experiment with the theory they just learned practically.
As such, the students have to manage their time properly else they will not be able to meet up.
Test and Examination
Examinations and tests are usually given to access your learning. It will be very bad to keep on teaching without trying to access you.
Test and examination even though taken at different level is given to be sure you have learned what you were taught. Nursing has to do with health and so you may be given situational questions, this is to test your bravery and smartness.
Although most nursing students are given numerous topics to cover within a short period of time.
Most nursing students have to put in their best so they can get their licenses else their years in the university will be ditched to mud.
Projects and Assignments
In as much as you attend lectures and practical classes, you will be given assignments and sometimes projects.
Most times the major aim of giving this assignment or project is to make you go through research or search deeper about a particular topic.
It is possible you will not be taught everything in class. Most times the reading you do during your personal time, and the research you make during projects widens your knowledge about a particular topic.
Stress
This is one of the challenges faced by nursing students. The stress of attending lectures, doing projects and assignments, and also attending practical classes.
This will give them no time for their social life. in fact, if time is mismanaged, it shows in their education. They slack.
This is quite stressful for them because they do not have enough time for relaxation or sleep. they are always researching and thinking of tests or examinations.
Communication
This is another major challenge for nursing students. Most times you expect them to communicate with you for long hours giving you details of what you request from them.
They might not have that time. Some students don’t even remember calling their parents during examination time.
You might call them, they are either in lectures, or practical classes or they are having group discussions, reading, etc.
They barely communicate except they are back home on holiday. Even as they might be filled with projects and assignments to submit immediately after they resume.
Also another aspect of communication interacting with their patient. most of them need to take time t to learn to fit into that profession. Dealing with patients can be so difficult to handle talking more of interacting with the patient.
Inferiority complex
It happens to both male and female nursing students. It may be easy for a male student to attend to a male patient ad a female student to attend to a female patient.
But when t turns the opposite, they feel tense, unfit, and confused even when they know what they are supposed to do.
Once you feel you are unfit or not up to class or standard you begin to think less of yourself.
This is an outstanding challenge in nursing school.
Financial burden
This is a major challenge n the nursing field. Students who are not included in this aspect are students under scholarship or have financial support either from parents, NGOs and etc.
Most students are solely responsible for the financial aspect of their education. this might make them delve into some business or part-time jobs.
you can imagine how they will cope with work and school.
Clinical Experience
Once heard a story as a nursing student throwing up in a theatre. This is another challenge.
They have to go through the practicals when some of them can’t stand the sight of blood.
Some students find it easy going with the theoretical class than the practical class while some other students find it exploring.
Measures to overcome Common Challenges Nursing Students Face
In as much as we have these challenges, they are several ways to overcome it
- As students, you have to be inquisitive in class. you might have knowledge about a particular topic that was not even scheduled to be taught that semester. most lecturers call it digressing.
- You have to prepare or read ahead of every class. lack of reading makes the lecture being taught become strange to you. you will be hearing it for the first time and will be lost.
- Have a comprehensive note. it is better if you write the note yourself so you will understand what you heard and what you are writing. photocopy materials, past questions and etc.
- Socializing helps a lot. Network with people who have brains, and have group discussions. Not just students but lecturers.
- avoid late submission of assignments. this is to say you have to work on projects or assignment ad submit them on time. your marks or grades may be deducted if you do not submit your assignment on time or not at all.
- Explore and read materials. use the school resource centre, library, online textbooks, and physical materials.
- Avoid reading at the last minute because instead f it adding, it may confuse you and everything you have read. Read relax and give yourself time to recollect everything you have read.
- Have a set priority. schedule your time. Manage your time well. else you will prioritize what shouldn’t be prioritized.
- Be social, and flexible, and don’t feel you know everything already.
- Be prayerful and think of the positive and negative impact of every decision you take.
Conclusion
Nursing students face a whole lot of challenges in school. from time management, financial support, clinical experience, etc.
Some of these challenges are unavoidable, it’s something you should expect even before going into the field of nursing.
