What is nursing school like? Becoming a nurse is a challenging process, so knowing what to expect in nursing school can be helpful. You’ll complete coursework in nursing concepts and attend in-person nursing skills and simulation labs. You’ll also have clinical rotations, which provide practical clinical experience.
Ask the question, “What is nursing school like?” to working nurses, and they will likely tell it to you straight: It’s challenging. You’ll learn quickly during your first semester that it requires you to work hard and study even harder.
While it won’t be easy, the whole experience can seem much more manageable if you know what to expect in nursing school. Using a blended curriculum model, the Utica University Accelerated B.S. in Nursing (ABSN) program compresses the traditional nursing school experience into as few as 16 months. That means you’ll complete the didactic portion online and complete skills and simulation labs at an ABSN program site in Albany or Syracuse, New York. You’ll also have clinical rotations at area hospitals starting your first semester.
Others have successfully graduated from nursing school before you, and you can do it, too. When considering what to expect from your nursing education, you’ll want to learn about the structure of nursing school and what a typical day might look like.
What to Expect in Nursing School
Nursing school combines nursing theories and concepts with hands-on experiential learning. You’ll complete coursework online and visit your ABSN program site regularly right from the start. Each Utica University ABSN student can expect to spend about 225 hours in nursing skills and simulation labs. These allow you to practice your new nursing skills in a risk-free, controlled environment.
Throughout the 16 months you’ll be in nursing school, you’ll also complete 588 clinical practice hours. Not all of your clinicals will be in the same healthcare facility. This allows you to see what working in various healthcare settings with different policies and procedures is like.
This video explains more about what nursing school is like in the Utica University ABSN program.
Discover what to expect in your first semester of nursing school.
What Is Nursing School Like?
When researching which program is best for you, you may first want to know how long nursing school is. While it varies from program to program, Utica University’s ABSN program takes place over 16 months and comprises four semesters. It is made up of three key components: online coursework, hands-on labs, and clinical rotations. Each plays a vital role in your nursing education.
Online Coursework
What is nursing school’s coursework like? In the online coursework portion of the Utica University ABSN program, you will learn essential nursing theory concepts, from clinical research to leadership. You will do so through myriad instructional methods, from assigned textbook readings and written assignments to interactive case studies, audio-visual lessons, and discussion forums with fellow students and instructors.
Hands-on Labs
Our skills and simulation labs occur at a Utica University ABSN program site in Albany or Syracuse. During this component of your accelerated nursing education, you’ll work alongside experienced lab instructors to practice key nursing skills. In skills labs, you’ll learn everything from proper hand washing and bed-changing protocols to how to conduct nursing assessments. You'll use medical manikins to practice nursing skills like intubations and injections.
Simulation labs are designed to hone your critical-thinking skills in a realistic, hospital-like setting without putting anyone at risk. In simulation labs, you will interact with medical manikins that can display various behaviors and symptoms. While working in small groups, you’ll need to apply the nursing process to develop appropriate clinical responses to various patient care scenarios. Afterward, your group will have a debriefing session with the instructor.
Clinical Rotations
Finally, clinical rotations allow you to apply nursing theory to the practice setting, where you will observe patient care in various healthcare settings and learn the ins and outs of delivering patient care, all under the guidance of experienced clinical instructors. Clinical rotations take place during the last six weeks of each semester.
Utica University students may complete clinical rotations in any of the following nursing specialties:
- Acute care
- Adult health
- Community health
- Health promotion
- Mental health
- Pediatrics
A Day in the Life of a Nursing Student
Every nursing student tackles the busy schedule of an ABSN program a little differently. After the first week or two, you’ll likely fall into a routine and find an organizational system that works for you. In general, however, nursing students may expect their day to look something like this:
- In the evening, gather everything you need for the next day to be ready to go first thing in the morning.
- Wake up in the morning, grab your backpack, coffee and a portable breakfast, and head for labs or a clinical shift.
- Eat a quick lunch while listening to an online lecture and reading through coursework material.
- Complete assignments and take quizzes.
- Use the discussion forum to interact with cohort members and attend scheduled chat sessions with instructors, where you can get your questions answered.
- In the evening, eat dinner and take a break from nursing school. Then, break out your coursework and NCLEX prep materials and start studying.
- Repeat
It’s important to enjoy some downtime now and then. Fit exercise where you can and carve out a few minutes each day to do something you enjoy, like reading for fun or meeting friends for coffee.
How to Prepare for Nursing School
You should identify the best learning environment since you’ll be doing coursework online. Some can focus in their living room or kitchen; others need a dedicated space, such as an office. Wherever you learn best, now is the time to situate yourself so it’s not something you have to think about the first week of nursing school.
Stock up on school supplies, such as notebooks and binders, and double-check that your desktop computer or laptop meets the system requirements of online coursework. Get up to date on your vaccinations and start working toward CPR and BLS certification.
Learn about nursing school requirements for Utica University and how to meet them.
FAQs About Nursing School
Prospective ABSN students often have questions about what to expect in nursing school, such as:
Is a Nursing Degree Hard?
Nursing school is challenging, and for good reason. Nurses need to be able to apply critical thinking skills quickly in high-pressure situations.
What makes nursing school so difficult? An ABSN program is a significant time commitment. It’s best to treat it like a full-time job and to deprioritize non-nursing school commitments.
Nursing school also requires a different way of retaining and applying information. In addition to memorizing and synthesizing course material, you must also master critical hands-on skills and hone your ability to think analytically and often under pressure. In other words, you must learn how to put theory into practice.
Although nursing school is difficult, you’ll have all the support you need to succeed at Utica University. For example, our students can work one-on-one with an Academic Success Coach and get personalized guidance.
How Many Hours a Day Is Nursing School?
Every day is a little different, and some days may be busier than others. On average, ABSN students can expect to put in between 40 and 60 hours per week on coursework, studying, labs and clinicals.
What Is the Hardest Class in Nursing School?
Again, different students have different experiences, and a class that may seem easy to you might be difficult for someone else. In general, however, many students find pharmacology and pathophysiology topics most challenging.
Ready to Accelerate in Nursing?
Although nursing school can be challenging, Utica University’s ABSN instructors and other staff members make every effort to support you in your journey toward becoming a nurse. It all starts when you get in touch with our specialized admission representatives. You’ll work one-on-one with a dedicated rep, who will check your eligibility and walk you through the admission process step-by-step. Start by contacting us today, and prepare to graduate with your B.S. in Nursing in as few as 16 months.
