A 77 is considered failing in this program. Long nights of studying are expected. Early mornings devoted to work are required. Is this the life that college students want?
Most would probably answer: no. But for nursing majors at Fairfield University, this lifestyle is the norm.
Senior nursing major, Michelle Goncalves ‘11 said, “We average about eight hours extra of class per week compared to other majors, between labs and especially clinicals… Last year, during junior year, we had about 16 hours of more class per week than your average student.”
The Fairfield School of Nursing is a rigorous program that selects students who are willing to put in the effort to maintain their status within the school.
According to nursing major Ryan Lee ‘11, “You have to devote a lot of time to maintain good standing.”
According to enrollment statistics from the Fairfield University website for the 2009-2010 academic year, the School of Nursing had 262 undergraduate students enrolled for the day division, and 127 undergraduate students enrolled for the night division, totaling 389 undergraduate students accounted for the year.
In comparison with the 1,754, undergraduate students enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Nursing has a relatively small enrollment number. This is due to the selectivity of the nursing program.
With the harsh standards and the rigorous course load, it may seem difficult to understand why students are so attracted to the program. However, Fairfield’s Nursing Program has maintained a high standard of excellence in the surrounding community.
Fairfield Nursing: A Respected Program
According to the University’s Nursing School homepage “[The] School has affiliations with more than 50 agencies so you can practice nursing in a variety of clinical settings. You’ll develop and sharpen your patient-care and critical-thinking skills in multimedia classrooms and a modern Learning Resource Center.”
Goncalves said, “I am from Connecticut, and Fairfield has an incredible reputation amongst the Connecticut hospitals.”
Another nursing major, Cathleen Keating ‘13, knew during her college selection process that she wanted to pursue nursing.
Keating chose Fairfield for the same reasons that Goncalves did—the highly respected nursing program that this university offers. “Fairfield has an excellent nursing program–one of the top programs that the college offers–and out of my top four colleges, it had the best reviews.”
Keating noted, “It also has a very high passing percentage rate of the nursing test, called the NCLEX-RN, that I need to take and pass after my four years here at Fairfield.”
Nursing majors agree that although a significant amount of work is expected in the School of Nursing, the highly respected program deserves the hard work and dedication of these students.
School of Nursing vs. College of Arts and Sciences:
Students from all of the different schools that Fairfield offers take many of their classes together. However, their daily routines are drastically different due to the different priorities that each of these students holds.
Becky Mohns, ’11, enjoys the flexibility that her major in Communication allows. “We can take electives for our major. I have the opportunity to take other classes I’m interested in and it can count toward my major. For example, it enables me to have a Marketing minor and take management classes and possibly also minor in management.”
Krislin Yosuico, ’11, another nursing major, does not share the same flexibility as Mohns. Yosuico notes that although she gets to take classes outside of her major due to the core curriculum required at Fairfield, many of her extra classes are lab practical and other nursing-related courses.
Both Mohns and Yosuico discussed that much of their extra time during school is spent in the library, but each have different priorities while there. Mohns notes that many of her courses have short term assignments, such as minor and major essays or group projects, while Yosuico said that many of her assignments require long-term studying habits for major tests in the subject area.
Every college student has a different experience, and Yosuico can attest to that. Last year for example, on an average Wednesday, she woke up at 5:30 a.m. and drove to Greenwich Hospital for a clinical session from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
When she arrived back at Fairfield, she packed her backpack for an afternoon at the library. Upon completion of her studying for the afternoon, she returned home for dinner and either relaxed for the evening or traveled back to the library for a nighttime review session if a test is in the near future.
So Why Do It? Why Pursue Nursing?
Many say that college is supposed to be the best time of your life. Despite the difficult course work and the long hours spent working outside the classroom, these nursing students agree with this broad statement.
Lee said, “I came into Fairfield as a biology major. I knew I had an interest in the medical field, but I was not entirely sure what practice I wanted to take part in…I was unsure when I first transferred, but I felt as if I had to make a decision quickly to declare a major. I am very satisfied with my decision though, I love being a nursing major.”
Similar to Lee’s situation, nursing major Lauren Kennedy ‘12 also switched majors to join Fairfield’s School of Nursing.
“I originally came to Fairfield as a biology major, with intentions to become a doctor. But I realized that nursing had everything that I wanted in a profession and was more what I was looking for in a job so I switched into the School of Nursing during the spring of my freshman year,” said Kennedy.
Kennedy has not regretted her decision since, as she enjoys the work load from the classroom as well as the hands-on experience of the clinical rotations.
Keating knew well before she entered college the path that she wanted to follow upon graduation.
“I know already that I want to work in the field of geriatrics. I have volunteered at a nursing home in my town at home for the past two summers, and I will be returning there this summer. Once I have clinical experience, I can actually do some of the medical work at the nursing home.”
Although many nursing majors are still unsure of the field that they want to pursue, all of them can agree that the road to get there will be tough.
Many nursing majors also agree that although the work is difficult, those long hours of studying pay off in the end with the sense of accomplishment that these students experience.
Emily Kelly, a junior nursing major, says that although stress may build up during the semesters, she is satisfied with her decision as a nursing major. “So many thoughts spin in my head, but at the end of the day, I remind myself that I chose a great, respectable major that’s not just a job, but a service to society.”
Kelly also notes that since the nursing experience differs from the experience of other college students, the nursing school students form close bonds of friendship due to their similar situations.
Senior nursing major Suzie Potter agrees with Kelly, “Be prepared to work harder than you thought you would have to. Be prepared to be completely dependent on coffee. But also be prepared to meet an incredible group of people that become an amazing support system through academic, personal, even social bumps in the road. It all pays off in the end.”
[…] However, Weihs stated that the Nursing School at FU, formally known as The Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies, “is a challenging major and a rigorous course load. That rigor could contribute to student’s development or condition of anxiety”. […]