DISCUSS WHY YOU HAVE DECIDED TO COMPLETE YOUR BSN AT THIS TIME AND THE CONCERNS YOU HAVE ABOUT COMPLETING YOUR BACCALAUREATE DEGREE NRS 430
DISCUSS WHY YOU HAVE DECIDED TO COMPLETE YOUR BSN AT THIS TIME AND THE CONCERNS YOU HAVE ABOUT COMPLETING YOUR BACCALAUREATE DEGREE NRS 430
Discuss why you have decided to complete your BSN at this time and the concerns you have about completing your baccalaureate degree. Based on the readings in the class and topic resources, what are some characteristics of successful students and what strategies can you implement to be a successful student?
As we are discussing the challenges and concerns you may have with returning to school this week I am reminded of how I felt when I was completing my BSN. I returned to get my BSN with two young children. My husband had just started his own business so luckily he was working from home which was great except our income was variable.
Life was stressful and busy. I was determined to not let my kids’ lives be impacted. We were still going to do things and have fun with them. While they were in school I was room mom for both of their classes, I was the hospitality chairperson for their elementary school PTA, I was a Girl Scout leader for my daughter and team mom for my son’s soccer team. I taught 3 year old Sunday School. I was tired. But I was determined not to miss things with my kids. My second year of nursing school I worked as a clinical tech one or two nights a week. I was exhausted.
My house wasn’t as clean as it had been. It wasn’t dirty but things weren’t as organized as before. We had quick and easy meals. We had a lot of frozen pizza and salad, chicken nuggets and veggies dinners. One year I had a major exam the day after Easter so we had our traditional big Easter dinner on Monday night after the exam. Laundry was a challenge. I could keep it washed and dried but folded was just not always happening. So we had what we called laundry mountain. There was a space where the laundry got dumped and it was laundry mountain. Many mornings we met at laundry mountain to look for socks!
Now my older two kids look back and laugh and reminisce about laundry mountain so while I stressed about it now it is a fun family story to remember.
My best nursing school friend and I both lived near campus so many nights we put our kids to bed and would meet at the library to study. We would get a study room and study. We both knew if we were at home we would get caught up in home duties or fall asleep. We brought our supply of M&M’s and Diet Coke to sustain us. We would stay until the library closed. I remember a few times as we were both exhausted (we both worked our 2nd year. We were lucky we had gotten chosen to apply for jobs on the unit we hoped to work on as new nurses) and we would take turns taking quick naps. We would lay on the floor under the table in the study room and catch a quick nap. On a couple of occasions we would find other places on campus to study after the library closed (the computer center was open later) we even continued our study at Denny’s on a couple of occasions.
I later returned to school to get my MSN. This time there were 3 kids and I was working full time. It was again a challenge. My older two kids were older and on their own mostly. My youngest was a competitive cheerleader so many hours were spent driving her to practices, waiting during practice and many weekends spent at competitions. My laptop and I were constant companions and I have worked in Starbucks, cheer gyms, parking lots, hotels, etc. while I was doing my mom job. I learned that I could use my hot spot on my phone and work almost anywhere. I would set on the sidelines of her soccer practice – or in the car when it was just too hot to sit outside and get my assignments done.
My second to last semester was especially challenging. I had a 300 hour practicum I had to complete along with taking a class. I was working the equivalent of full time across a couple of part time jobs. It was the spring semester and that was my daughter’s busy competition cheer season. It was also what my husband like to call our “company season”. Spring is when we tended to have guests stay with us often. That semester I was either gone out of town for a cheer competition with my daughter, or spending the weekend at a local cheer competition or I had guest at my house. Or a combination of both. I was more than tired to say the least.
I share this to let you know it is doable! Yes it is challenging but you can do it. If I can – you can! And the end result is so worth it.
So don’t be afraid – just go do it!
The BSN was always part of my plan, After I got my license and I Said what next, I heard a spirit Voice say BSN. Education has always been a 2nd major part of my life. Why I say 2nd is because God is 1st without him nothing I can do. One year later it is time to move to the next level for better education and help me better to serve my patients and do not want to be limited in job prospects in the future. Assertiveness, responsibility, organization, time, and studying, are the skills a student must apply to push through Challenges that will determine their success.
I have decided to complete my BSN degree at this time because it will allow me more opportunity to advance my career and go forward in my educational goals on to becoming a nurse practitioner. Even though nursing is my second degree and I have already a Bachelors degree in another field most institutions require a BSN and most NP programs are requiring a BSN degree to advance forward and grow in this field. So i had to go take a step and move in that direction. My main concerns with this is getting back into the swing of things after having a almost 3.5 year break from school while I was in the work force. The extra coursework that comes along with BSN requires significant evidence based learning practices and reviewing peer reviewed articles and journals which may not all be found in ADN courses (Lheduru-Anderson, 2021). I intend to fill in these gaps with my BSN degree and to better prepare myself to be in a position of leadership or administration down the line.
Iheduru-Anderson K. C. (2021). Students’ perspectives of factors related to delayed completion of online RN-BSN programs. BMC nursing, 20(1), 53. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-021-00574-7
Obtaining my bachelors in nursing is important in other for me to advance in my career. Having a BSN makes a nurse become more marketable, have more career options and boosts confidence. I have some colleagues who couldn’t get hired at baylor hospital because it’s a magnet hospital and prefers nurses who have their BSN to those who don’t. I have always put off going back to school due to my family situation or maybe I was just being lazy I finally made up my mind some weeks ago to start my baccalaureate program after my brother said to me “Don’t watch the clock! Do what it does, keep going”. I realized I had already lost a lot of time in contemplation.
I believe my main challenge going back to school is finding time to do my class work while working full time and taking care of the kids especially my little one.Lately I find that I don’t have enough time to get everything I need don’t and that’s where time management comes in for me. To become a successful student, one needs dedication and commitment, good time management skills, have ways to manage stress as they arise and also have self discipline. I intend to put in the work and stay motivated through out the program.
