Advice for a future nursing student?

[Guest808169]

Hello.

I got accepted to the Bachelor of Nursing program at Humber College for September this year. I just finished their General Arts & Science program and it was relatively easy. I don't want to fall into a false sense of security and struggle when I start in September.

My first semester looks like this:

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• Anatomy And Physiology 1
  
• Nursing As A Profession
  
• Professional Relationships
  
• Introduction To Psychology
  

Second:

• Anatomy And Physiology 2
  
• Nursing And Wellness: Clinical Practice
  
• Nursing And Wellness
  
• Lifespan Development
  

How can I prepare for the the first year? What can I expect to learn in these courses? Are there any books that I can purchase to help prepare for specific courses or the program in general? I am willing to study all summer if it will lessen the load for when I actually begin my studies.

Any other general tips provided for a fellow nursing student would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for taking the time to help. :)[/TD]

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[Soupysoup]

Congratulations!

It looks like your first semester will be a nice transition from Arts & Science to Nursing. I can't say for sure without looking at course descriptions but I can give you some general advice from my experience

A&P 1: Know all the bones in the body & major characteristics (so femur - greater trochanter, linea aspera right or left? etc.)

Basic knowledge about cell division, metabolism & how the body functions

Know all the organs of the body & their characteristics & general knowledge about their roles

Nursing as a profession: History of nursing, major nursing theories (Brenner, Nightengale, Erickson etc.), nursing stereotypes, qualities of a good nurse, learning how to writer professionally (probably lots of self reflection on what you think nursing is - what nursing means to you, how you will become a good nurse) Jotting down some ideas now would really help with future papers.

Nursing & Wellness: First "real" nursing class YAY! Fundamentals! Know your vital sings, how to do basic assessments, what does a healthy person look like? Professionalism & preparations are mandatory. You can look up videos on youtube about Basic Nursing Skills such as - bed baths, changing briefs, transfers etc.

Professional Relationships: Boundaries, speaking with patients, interviewing. What is the role of the nurse, and what is the role of the patient?

Intro to Psych: Just what it sounds like. You can look up some theorists but this class should be a breeze.

SEMESTER 2

A&P 2: Know all the muscles in the body & their attachments. It also is very important that you know how to correctly spell these. More in depth about the organs of the body especially the kidneys, brain, stomach. Endocrine and Exocrine glands are closely examined, along with their effects elsewhere in the body.

Nursing & Wellness 2: Moving on forward in more advanced skills... hard for me to say exactly what.

Lifespan Development: Know vital sings for the different age groups. Know milestones for the age groups. How would you know they are healthy? How would you know they are sick? Look up stages. Look up communicating with the different ages.

I hope this helps and gives you an idea of what you can begin to study before hand. If it were me I would begin working on A&P and check out some videos on youtube that interest me about basic nursing skills. Consider picking up some cheap used textbooks or use Google as your ressource.

[Guest808169]

Thank you so much soupy :)

It definitely helps having a general idea of what to expect in each course. I actually had an A & P course in the GAS program so I'm comfortable with that. I'll look into what you mentioned.