As the spring semester ship begins to thaw into summer, it is safe to assume that the once new-to-the-scene freshmen are now well adjusted to the Pace normalcies. They now have the ability to distinguish between The Office of Student Assistance (OSA) and Student Development and Campus Activities (SDCA) and can effectively navigate their ways through Miller and Lienhard. They have developed their own routines which likely incorporate Paulie’s Thursdays, Townhouse Fridays and Michael’s Tavern Saturdays. Schedules of freshmen students have little variation from one to the next, at least for the time being. The years to come are what will distinguish the Greeks from the non-Greeks, the go-getters from the lazy and the nursing majors from everyone else.
That’s right, nursing majors are classified as a separate subgroup of students at Pace. They’ll be the ones wearing Crocs and navy scrubs on a Tuesday in Kessel, and sweatpants and headbands on a Thursday night in the library. With coffee being poured into their circulatory system through intravenous insertions, the robotic disciples soak in textbooks while the rest of the student body soaks up beer and soon, sunshine.
“There are no assignments in nursing, it’s all exams,” said junior nursing major Taylor Watson. “There are a bunch each week but we always have one on Fridays at 8 a.m.”
The grueling schedule that nursing students adhere to requires them to function at high capacity both nocturnally, in order to complete hundreds of pages of reading, and diurnally, when they are scrutinized in clinical and academic settings for how much of the reading was actually retained. More than half of the time the major also entails a very rude awakening.
“By the time we graduate over 50% of students either drops out or switches majors,” said Watson. “People tend to think that the program will be much easier than it actually is – which is far from a walk in the park.”
One failed class can be made up but two failed classes results in a forced drop from the Lienhard School of Nursing’s program. Most students do not consider the extra work and effort to be worth it while others, quite contrarily, will do whatever it takes to get that Bachelors.
“[Nursing] is the only thing I truly want to do,” said second year nursing major and junior psychology minor Lee Beck. “I choose to stick with it because it’s my dream.”
That reasoning in and of itself can be said for all of those who have chosen to pursue the nursing path. Similar to how Derek Jeter had a childhood dream to play for the New York Yankees, and similar to the way that James Taylor had a childhood dream to play the guitar for a living, nursing students specifically in Pace’s rigorous program had a childhood dream to be a registered nurse. The nursing career path makes the seemingly far-fetched careers like Astronauts and back-up dancers seem within reach. Some students have predisposed qualities that ensure further assistance.
“The teachers definitely notice me,” said junior nursing major Andrew Dalessio. “It’s simple, I get extra attention.”
Being that nursing students are predominantly a female cohort, the few males are at an advantage. Memorable students often get more attention and in this case, males are memorable. Teachers are not the only ones that notice Dalessio’s presence. His fellow, female peers will happily take him under their motherly wings.
“Make friends with the smart ones,” said Dalessio. “That’s what has helped me the most!”
It is safe to assume that all nursing majors are “smart”. Making friends, however, is the key aspect being that outsiders are far less equipped for the all night group study sessions necessary for this major.
“If I’m not studying, I know I’m failing something,” said Watson. “Napping, going to the gym and hanging out with friends all come after studying, which never ends.”
While some students find that the constant studying stresses them out, others utilize the crunch time to their benefit.
“We are given the syllabus for the entire semester that says what we have to read, what paper is due and when, and when our tests are.” said Beck “I try to manage my time around the syllabus so that I don’t fall behind on the readings, which will add up to many hours.”
The readings that the students are assigned are very different from the ones of most majors. Most non-nursing students’ study habits are tailored to specific exams. Crunch studying, the last minute intake of information in order to achieve a passing grade on a test, is the main tactic for many. However, the information that nursing students are required to remember is nearly impossible to learn if the crunch study approach is used.
“When we study, we study for life,” said Watson. “We have to know this stuff.”
Being able to retain information is crucial in the field of medicine, and the Pace nursing program makes sure that its participants are well aware of this. Regurgitation and reverberation of information is useless if students cannot prove that they understand concepts to the high standards of the program. Many people come to grips with the strict guidelines only when they realize that the system has a method to its madness. For example, most programs implement “clinicals”, or in layman terms medical practice, during the students’ junior year. At Pace, sophomore year is when students are able to test the waters of nursing, giving the them a leg up on experience than students at other institutions.
“As much as people complain about how hard nursing is or how it makes life so difficult, we all love it here.” revealed Watson. “The staff and faculty are amazing; they’re all really encouraging and want to see you succeed. It’s all about taking advantage of your resources.”
Pace provides students with ample resources to utilize, not even just in nursing. There are tutors available as well as support systems formed by the students themselves. Student Nurses at Pace (SNAP) is based in Lienhard, with a special, quiet zone and other perks specifically for nursing students when the library just won’t cut it.
The passion that these students have for their future is what keeps them on track. The friendships that they create through academics are just as strong, if not more so, than the ones made socially.
“Pace is the way to go,” said Watson. “Yeah, it’s really hard, but you just have to try.”
Like anything that may sparkle in the light or emit some glimmer of hope on the gloomiest of days, the satisfaction of completing the nursing program at Pace is enough to keep the drive alive in the zombie-like nursing students in Lienhard’s program. Although they may only emerge once a week when most students are fast asleep, they never fail to leave questions to be asked in the minds of by-standing students. Why don’t nursing majors respond to yes or no text messages? How can they pull all-nighters multiple nights a week and still function better than most?
Some mysteries are better left unsolved and others, are better left for the nursing majors.