If you are somewhere along your nursing school journey you might have encountered some program changes along the way. Whether it is testing out a new online quiz service, policy changes, or faculty switch ups, changes are bound to happen within the community of a nursing program.
Sometimes, these changes can allow growth and improvement with how things are run. However, other times it can make life more difficult and adjusting to the new set up can be a pain. In my experience, it seems like the majority of nursing students feel as though the changes that are made have a negative influence and a lot of moaning and groaning ensues. Change throughout a nursing school program is inevitable, but it is the attitude your bring forth to that change that allows you to grow. Also, that flexible attitude will surely serve you well when you are working on the hospital floor as a nurse and face adverse conditions on a shift-by-shift basis.
One example I can give you that outlines a change is the new "Skill Blitz" that my program conducted in the beginning of the semester. In it's infancy, the Skill Blitz is advertised as being a test for the two senior level semesters where each student is randomly assigned a pair of skills to complete based off a uniformed checklist. The checklist was provided two weeks beforehand over summer break, and video modules were purchased by students for demonstration purposes.
The rules were that if you did not pass your skill(s) the first day you were to practice in the nursing student lab for two hours prior to re-comping the following week. During recomp you were to complete your initial failed set of skills and had to correctly perform a new set of skills (of which you were told beforehand so you could practice). If you did not pass the recomp you were to spend a total of twelve hours throughout the semester with the lab coordinator, practicing a variety of nursing skills.
I had to recomp due to making a simple mistake during my initial skill. Yes, that process was an annoyance when I wanted to begin focusing on lecture material - but, I saw value in the process because it allowed me to review skills that I had not done in real life and had only learned two years ago during my first semester.
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Faculty changes are probably the most difficult problem to deal with, especially since you are with that individual all semester with the goal of learning and passing your exams. If an instructor is not used to teaching, is not extremely knowledgeable with the topic at hand, or does not do a good job at explaining things to cater to student's needs - it can be very difficult and very frustrating.
I have had this experience twice throughout my two years of nursing school, and both were handled properly. The correct way to handle a faculty discrepancy or concern is to follow the chain of command - just like you should when you are working on the floor.
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The last big nursing school program change that I have personally experienced has revolved around books and supplemental materials. In my program we typically use Evolve text books, which comes with accompanying Adaptive Quizzing and video resources through Elsevier.
The supplemental packages are an additional cost to students ($100), and as all nursing students know, that can be a very large chunk of change.
Recently, my program had mandated a skills video package (mentioned above) for the skills blitz day. This package is now mandated to be purchased one time by every nursing student ($300). At first when this new cost was introduced to me, I was extremely furious.
I was fursterated because I was already spending a few thousand dollars to retake one class, and now I was being mandated to spend another few hundred dollars on a video package that I would only need for 4 months - even just for one day.
However, after I purchased the package and looked through the videos - I talked myself into feeling content with my purchase. The videos are of high quality, contain good information, and will last several years. If this was bought as a new nursing student two years ago and was used all throughout my time in the program, it would have been a wonderful resource.
The new students in the program will purchase this video package and use it - so it will be a positive resource for them to refer back to when they need it. It also eliminates some of the confusion during skills demo days when students learn the skills.
Nursing school in general is just expensive. Some semesters are more expensive than others, and faculty does understand - even though it might not seem like they do.
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Regardless of the natural inconvenience of some changes, always remember to remain respectful and respond appropriately to the situation. Always remember that your faculty members are there to facilitate learning, they are not your enemy. Sometimes they need to implement policies that they have no control over, and might even think the way that you do about them. Practicing respect will always help you go farther in life - think about how you would treat your nurse manager or your preceptor as a new graduate nurse.
You should also express your opinion differences through the right avenues. Have a conversation with your mentor, consult your school's Student Nurses Association, or go up your chain of command.
Try not to overly complain. Yes, it is second nature to want to complain and to keep talking about the problem. I am certainly guilty of that in my personal life, and would be lying if I said I did not occasionally participate in certain school related settings. However, do not make it a habit. It will annoy those who are trying to help you, and it gives you a poor reputation.
Thank you so much for reading this blog post. I greatly appreciate all of the support that I have been given throughout these past few months! Look forward to more content from me every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with weekly vlogs on Youtube every weekend!
- Michelle
#BSNbabe
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