Nursing school, I noticed no matter whether you go straight into the major or waiting until a little later, life happens. Life events such as pregnancy, marriage, moving and a list of other opportunities or changes occur. I, myself was proposed to during the Christmas break of my second year and orchestrated a move towards the end of my final semester. Other students in my class had gotten married, moved, and had children during school. These events will happen.
Every nursing student and nurse can tell you how tough nursing school is semester by semester. When a life event that cannot wait, like a pregnancy, or a move that must occur, the student needs to be mindful of their priorities. A fellow student, who started the program already six months pregnant scheduled to be induced over the Thanksgiving break. After the break, she came right back to class and clinical never missing a day. Another classmate had a wedding during the summer break. This, in theory, should work considering the big day took place when there was no school, but the problems came for the semester before her big day. The planning alone is exceptionally stressful, without adding the studying, exams, projects, and clinical of nursing school.
The student who finds themselves both in school with life events needs to step back a second. You want to look at your priorities. Make a list of assignments, exams, and study times, then make a list of tasks or plans regarding your life event. Examining both agendas, you need to ask yourself is this doable. As I have made examples of my own classmates who have been able to make it through nursing school, some people may not have the same outcome. When looking at the lists think about your options. Continue with nursing school and the life event; with a stable support structure of family and friends who can help you make time for studying, and planning for the occasion, it will be hard but can be accomplished. The second option, continue with classes and hold off on the life event, moving, getting married; ask yourself can it wait until after nursing school, can it be postponed until you are able to give 100% of your attention. And, the third option, if the life occurrence cannot wait, pregnancy or a move that must occur immediately, and you feel that you are unable to finish and pass a semester, you should reach out to your adviser and professor and consider giving the school a break for a semester. Pushing school back a semester or two does not sound like advice you ever want to hear but it is more comfortable then failing a class, then retaking it. Retaking a course is both time-consuming and costly.
The best advice I can give you as a student try your best to void scheduling any significant life events while in nursing school, if avoidable. If it is something that needs to be dealt with, be honest with yourself and make the best decision as far as how to continue with school. Do not overwhelm yourself, and create more stress than need be. Reach out to your programs professor for the best options. Life happens you can’t really stop it at times.