Microbiology was a tough one for me. Anatomy lab was tough since we had to dissect a cat & memorize every muscle in the body. Heck, I still haven't had to nurse a cat. LOL.

I was so overloaded even my director went to bat for me when I finally had a prob. Of course I was 40 yrs. old, had 2 teenagers, & a very young child at home. Then I also lived 40 miles from town so doing clinicals as well as classes was very challenging. Thankfully I had a very supportive hubby.

I was so driven nothing could have stopped me though. Oh I forgot, the first cpl. of yrs. I was still working at the hosp. as an LPN & taking one night class at a time. Then went fulltime.
It was all worth it because my life's dream was fulfilled. Trust me, it will all end eventually.

Congrats to you and believe in yourself. You can do it! I was going for my BSN when I got pregnant with my oldest who turnes 23 this Sept (I am an assoc. degree nurse). Ironically, I attended the orientation for my 2nd attempt at my BSN the day before she graduated from college last month.

I returned to school 2 years ago, Im 53. I love it, love it, love it. Except for algebra! It's kicking my butt. Keep at it. It's worth it. If you find that you just aren't getting it, hire a tutor. I had my nephew help me with the math, it was the only way I could pass.

Congratulations on your decision to return to the educational system.

A note of caution: I used to tell all my students "Don't get behind in your homework", your first few months will be the most difficult, and when that time has passed - it will become easier. Our first year students always had the most difficult times, until they figured out what the Professors wanted.

I dearly miss the students since retiring, I think they kept us young.

Main reason you are having such a hard time now is you have forgotten how to study after 18 years, and it takes a while to get back into the groove. Also you are taking a really hard course for many when you take anatomy.
I remember when I went back to school after being out for 24 years, married with two children in early elem. school, and I drove four days a week 85 miles each way, plus had family to take care of when I got home, plus studying. I had A&P which was a requirement for my Physical Education Major, that I never ever used, A&P was really tough, and I took it in the summer. By the way, I had a minor in Elem. Educ. and I am a retired classroom teacher. I taught 3rd,thru,6th, then 1st grade for 21 years before retiring, never ever taught my Phys. Ed. Just hang in there it will get better, can't say easier, but better once you get back in the groove of studying.

To answer your question, I have to say that I hated school as well. School was so boring, dad dropped me off at he front door and when he was out of sight I left and went fishing. I finally quit 2 weeks into the 8th grade, yea I got a GED but in my opinion, it's not worth the paper it's written on. I even took a college course in business management, didn't learn much except that taxes are totally ass backwards from any common sense you might have.

But that doesn't mean I didn't get an education because I can weld, I can build a house if I wanted to. I've worked with electrical stuff as well as plumbing, I can sew, cook and even build duct work. I have worked on AC units, cars and lots of other things but I didn't get much out of school. They did teach me to read and write so that's a plus.

I'm not trying to discourage you in any way, my point is, you can learn anything you want if you have the desire to do so. I also hunt and dress out my critters so anatomy would be right up my alley since it would help with butchering the meat. So what you need to do is figure out how each lesson is related to something that will interest you and then you will find how easy it will become to complete.

Yes, for me school sucked but the process of learning is great once you find a reason to learn the "how-to's" about what ever you are doing. Life is a journey, you either ride the wave or drown in the mess, it's up to you to decide what you take with you and what you leave behind.

If nursing is what you want then ride that wave to whole distance and enjoy the ride. Just watch out for the bumps.

I went back later in life, and I hated it too, but it was totally worth it.

Someone once told me that if you are not learning, you are dying. You choose.
I think anything new is hard, but once you learn it, it becomes easier.
I guess I am more fortunate since I loved school. Got my Masters in 2000 at 53. I was very happy that day. I did it because I wanted to.

Kudos to you! At 56 I am slowly working on a Bachelors. It's a challenge, but so rewarding. Hang in there, you will be so proud of your accomplishment.