If there is one major we forget to appreciate, it's nursing. Despite how much we need them, they often go through college without making too much noise. While everyone around them complains about their work load or their sleepless nights, nursing majors simply accept that this was the life they chose. They are capable of memorizing countless amounts of information, dealing with hours’ worth of work in a single day and running on minimal sleep. I am not a nursing major, but I live with one and have experienced some of the secrets of the nursing world first hand. Here are 11 truths I know to be true after my experience with nursing:
1. They are not nurses. Yet.
Yes, it’s great that they are in this field, learning to become someone that will help countless amounts of people, but the key word here, is learning. You wouldn’t ask an English major to show you their book, or a Psychology major to give you therapy. It’s not realistic to ask a Nursing major to diagnose every bump, cut, or rash that you may have. Not yet at least.
2. I am excellent to test on.
Whether it's practicing taking blood pressure, or trying to find my reflexes, I am always an easy test dummy. Same goes for just about anyone around. Practice makes perfect has never been a more accurate statement. And for nursing majors, you are the easiest practice they can get.
3. "C's get degrees" is not applicable.
Many people go through college drifting from party to party, and letting school come second. After all, the students getting A's are getting the same degrees as someone with straight C's. Right? Wrong. With nursing students, you need to maintain a fairly hight average GPA, and C's are more likely to get them kicked out of their program than get them a degree.
4. The proudest moments are some of the simplest.
There is something truly special when a nursing major gets their white coat, or their first stethoscope. To an outsider it seems like such a simple thing. Just a tool to do the job. But for them, it's signifying an important step in their career. Once you are around them enough, you'll be almost as excited as they are for that special moment.
5. "I think I learned about that!"
At least once a month you will hear this phrase fall from a nursing majors lips. Whether you say something about nutrition, a muscle, or even just a random piece of medical trivia, there is a pretty good chance that they have learned about it, or at least heard about it. Just goes to show how much they retain from their studies.
6. No one is truly going to understand.
As a science major I am well versed with crazy work loads, long labs, and horrible practicals. However, none of that compares to the work of a nursing major. Not only do they have all of those things, but it seems like they have a test every other day, and they are all worth about 99% of their grade. Science majors can start to understand, other majors can only imagine.
7. What is free time?
When talking about those seven thousand tests nursing majors have, it's easy to realize why they don't have a lot a free time. Five minute breaks? The perfect time for some reading. Friday night? How about a practice test? But hey, we don't want nurses that slack, right?
8. Reading the textbook. The whole textbook.
Technically, everyone should be reading their textbooks, but for a nursing majors it's more than just suggested reading. Their books have every piece of information that you could possibly think of, and not reading it is the same as making the choice to drop out of the program. They aren't going to get very far without it.
9. Breaks are limited, but glorious.
On the off chance that it's a slow week for a nursing major, let's say one test instead of five, it's one of the best weeks of their life. They can catch up on sleep, maybe go see a movie, or even just sit around without notes in their hands. Of course, it also means the next week is going to be completely horrible.
10. How the heck do you remember those words?
This has always been something that astonishes me. While I am sitting over here struggling to pronounce the word "vocabulary" nursing majors have the ability to say things like xerostomiath. Which is simply the medical term for having a dry mouth.
11. No, they would not rather be a doctor.
If they wanted to be a doctor, they would have been a pre-med major. How hard is that to understand? It's like asking an english major if they are sure they don't want to be a chemistry student. Does that make sense? No. They are two different things. And neither is better than the other. Doctors and nurses work together to create health care that's comfortable and satisfactory. It takes both parties to make sure everything works smoothly. So please, don't ask.
No matter what anyone says, being a nursing major is one of the hardest and most honorable things you can do. You are learning not only how to take care of thousands of situations, but gaining the skills to be a compassionate, caring and over all wonderful person. Nurses are the backbone to the health care system, and are often taken for granted. It's important to remember all the time and effort they put into getting where they are, just so they can make you feel better, physically and emotionally. So thank a nurse! Or at least a nursing major.
