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A faculty blog by Dr. Kristen Richmond

Most nursing students realize that nursing school will be hard. And the truth is, you want it to be hard.

Why? Because a rigorous program is essential for preparing future nurses for the NCLEX, licensing, and, most importantly, real-world patient care. Nurses who complete a hard nursing program are trained and equipped to take excellent care of their patients, including our loved ones, like children and grandparents.

A challenging nursing school pushes you to grow, learn, and build habits that will serve you throughout your journey in healthcare. Completing a hard nursing program can be daunting, but you aren’t the first to take this path. Let’s take a closer look at how you can thrive in a demanding nursing program and step into your calling with a BSN degree.

Steps for Success

Whether you’re just beginning your journey or are already deep into clinicals, setting yourself up with the right habits early in nursing school makes all the difference. Nursing school can be demanding, especially with outside commitments like a job or playing a sport. But, with intentional strategies, you can thrive both academically and personally. In my experience as a professor at ���Ĵ�ý, and as a nursing student myself, here are some of the top tips that helped me succeed in nursing school.

Discover How You Study

When you start nursing school, find methods that help you study well. Start this process early on in your anatomy and physiology courses to establish beneficial habits during your nursing education. Some students prefer using Quizlets or note cards, while others benefit from drawing diagrams on a whiteboard or rewriting and highlighting their notes. Revisiting lecture recordings  can also reinforce key concepts. Whichever approach creates lasting memories of information is how you should study. As a procrastinator myself, I would say the main goal when studying is to avoid waiting until the last minute to look at class material. Most of us have experienced 3 a.m. cramming sessions for a test, but to succeed in nursing school, you must take in information bit by bit, digest it, and then review it. Regularly setting aside time to study is crucial to succeeding. By studying effectively so that the information stays in your brain, you’ll retain important knowledge for tests and your future job as a nurse.

Manage Your Time

Closely tied to learning your personal study techniques, nursing school requires you to manage your time and your priorities well. This major demands dedication, and studying must be prioritized over other commitments. Be careful to balance studying with maintaining your own health and relationships with your friends and family. By scheduling study times, you’ll get a clearer picture of your available free time and can create a more consistent routine.

Prioritize Academics as an Athlete

For aspiring nurses who are also athletes, it can be difficult to balance your education, your sport, and your social life. It is certainly doable, but nursing school and your sports team should take precedence over activities like a late-night outing with friends. I’ve watched students choose a hard nursing program and compete in collegiate-level sports simultaneously, and this often requires some sacrifices.

Is a BSN Degree Worth It?

When you choose a nursing degree, you’re investing in a satisfying career in the future. I know firsthand what it’s like to feel God calling you to work in an area that you love. When you connect with a patient and their family, it’s a feeling that you can’t explain to others. You just know this is where you’re supposed to be.>

For me, this place is with labor and delivery. I love working with a mom, helping her have her baby, and seeing the baby take their first breath. I know that for others, their place is in critical care, helping a critically ill patient. Other people enjoy caring for the elderly, and they get to help them pass away in peace. That’s what they are called to do, and they love their jobs. Those areas aren’t for me, but God has called each of us to different areas of nursing, and I love that about nursing!

So, is a BSN worth it? Absolutely! There are hard days. But you’ll also have great days, when you know this is what you love and it’s 100% worth it.

I’m often asked by prospective students, “What is the difference between an associate’s in nursing and a bachelor’s in nursing? What makes the extra time spent studying for a bachelor’s degree worthwhile?” While you can be licensed as an RN with an associate’s degree alone, a BSN is perfect for students looking for a wide range of career options after graduation. You will also need a BSN if you want to continue on to graduate school for careers like nurse practitioner, nurse administrator, or nurse educator.

Nursing school will challenge you, but those challenges shape you into the nurse your future patients will rely on. Stay focused, stay disciplined, and trust the process. A BSN degree is worth the time and effort. As a nurse, you are going to make a lasting impact in your career!

Learn more about ���Ĵ�ý’s BSN degree and how you can connect your faith with your education.

For more guidance on how to thrive with a nursing degree, read 10 Tips for Nursing School.

Dr. Kristen Richmond serves as the Assistant Professor of Nursing and the Director of Nursing at ���Ĵ�ý. She received her BSN and MSN from Ball State University and earned her DNP from Regis College. Her area of expertise is maternity nursing. Her research for her doctoral degree, titled “Coping Skills Assess and Training for Newly Graduated Registered Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” was published in 2022.