10 Things You Should Know About the First Semester of Nursing School

A tongue-in-cheek synopsis of the trials and tribulations of a first semester nursing student. This article covers just a few of the many changes I've been through in four months. My transformation at graduation should be nothing short of amazing! Nursing Students General Students Article

1) Family Understands; Not!

Even if your family says they understand, they really don't. You may as well tell them, and your friends too, that you are being deployed for 2-4 years, depending on your program. Because you will be MIA every. single. weekend. And most nights too.

2) Buy Stock In Paper

Buy stock in Georgia Pacific. Because as much copy paper as you will use, you may as well own part of the company.

3) Buy Stock In A Printer

While you are at it, buy stock in Canon or whatever inkjet or laser printer you use. You now own Canon and Georgia Pacific.

4) Don't Forget About Your Pets!

Come to terms now with the guilt you will inevitably feel from neglecting cuddle time with your pets. They have an even harder time understanding your absence than your family. Make them homemade treats. It will temporarily assuage your guilt.

5) Say Goodbye To Your Beautiful Nails

If you have nice artificial (or even natural) nails, mourn them now. They aren't allowed in clinical. Only short, stubby, unpolished nails are allowed in clinical. It's an infection control thing that you will soon understand. Besides, even with PPE, you will be glad for less nooks and crannies that you have to scrub out after being in the hospital all day, especially if you have a patient who..... oh, never mind...... You'll see.

6) No More Haircuts - STUDY!

On that same note, figure out how to get by without a haircut for months at a time. You won't have the time for such inconsequential things as keeping up your appearance. And if you did have the time, you wouldn't have the energy. Because you would be sleeping. And if you aren't sleeping, you will be studying. And if you aren't studying, you will be feeling guilty about not studying..... so you may as well study and save yourself the guilt.

7) Failing is BAD!

If you are an A student, get over it. Your As may well become Bs, and that's ok. I haven't cried even one time over a B. And I'm a previous A student. It's not that you are trying less, or that the material is harder (it is), it's that a 90 isn't an A anymore and a 79 isn't even a C. It's now failing. Failing is bad. Bs are not bad.

? You Are Now Boring. Be Proud!

Tell your friends and family that on the rare occasions you see them that you will bore the crap out of them with all the things you've learned. And be proud of it.

9) Donuts And Coffee Your Best Friends

Accept that donuts and a coffee from 7/11 is a food group in and of itself.

10) Don't Miss Class! Make Plans.

The world doesn't stop turning now that you are in nursing. Unfortunately, things still happen to throw obstacles in your way. Make a plan now for what you will do when Junior barfs all over his teacher's shoes and he needs to be picked up from school. Because you can't miss class, or clinical. Especially not clinical.

:sleep: So, now that first semester is wrapping up, I would also add that it has been a huge, life-changing learning experience. I have learned how to study, how not to study, how dirty my car can get and still run, how many ginormous textbooks I can fit into one scrap of zippered nylon, how to tell when the neurons have just totally stopped firing and it's time to stop studying because no more info is being retained anyway..... And now, after exams, a nice, long, well-deserved break is almost here. Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, whatever you celebrate!!!

More information on "My First Semester in Nursing School..."...

10-things-you-should-know-about-the-first-semester-of-nursing-school.pdf

and sometimes they do.

lol, of course. The idea of saying, "Doesn't always..." generally means that it can go both ways. You seemed to ignore the rest of the point :D

Specializes in Critical Care.
lol, of course. The idea of saying, "Doesn't always..." generally means that it can go both ways. You seemed to ignore the rest of the point :D

" generally" is not always, which is why I made the comment.

Specializes in Hospice.

Honestly guys, this post was tongue in cheek (for those that may have missed that). I could have posted about all the warm, fluffy things about nursing school, but I haven't found any yet. Except those absolutely delish pumpkin spice cupcakes one of my classmates brought in one day. :roflmao: That said, I wouldn't give up my seat for anything. I love a challenge. I have no intent on getting mediocre grades in NS. But I am not going to cry over Bs either. For those of you holding on to your As, I am proud of you and keep doing what you're doing because it's obviously working. This isn't a competition, we are all striving for the same thing!!!

" generally" is not always, which is why I made the comment.

I'm sorry, is there something bothering you today? :)

My original statement was, "Just so you guys realize... a 4.0 student doesn't always make the best nurse. " That implies that it can go either way, meaning, a 4.0 student can be the best nurse, but having a 4.0 doesn't automatically make you the best nurse.

What you're correcting now is my rebuttal to your repeating what I had already stated originally, lol.

No one's challenging you. Can we relax now?

Thanks for your comment Lori. I will start in January....

Specializes in Critical Care.
I'm sorry is there something bothering you today? :) My original statement was, "Just so you guys realize... a 4.0 student doesn't always make the best nurse. " That implies that it can go either way, meaning, a 4.0 student can be the best nurse, but having a 4.0 doesn't automatically make you the best nurse. What you're correcting now is my rebuttal to your repeating what I had already stated originally, lol. No one's challenging you. Can we relax now?[/quote']

me relax? ive typed about 3 sentences. you're over here rewriting moby dick.

Specializes in Medical Surgical.

You know what is so crazy? I actually thought about bringing in pumpkin spice cupcakes for my classmates!!!! LOL :)

me relax? ive typed about 3 sentences. you're over here rewriting moby dick.

All I was trying to do was explain why I wrote what I wrote, so that we can find common ground. Also, I tried PM'ing you to avoid using this thread any further, but you either have PM's turn off (if that's even possible), or have me on ignore. Either way is fine. You're a student, very sure-minded and from what little interaction I've had with you, you don't seem to be willing to bend, that can be dangerous (free advice).

If you'd like to continue the discussion, enable PM's, or un-ignore me, and PM me. That way, this thread can remain free from it (which is what I meant from the "Can we relax now.")

Pharmacology is not that bad. There is just a LOT of it. Start as early as you can and get a head start and you'll be fine. Honestly, with the proliferation of great videos and tons of good material out there, you can teach yourself on YouTube and websites for free so when you get to class, you will already have the basics down. And the older versions of the textbooks can be had for cheap on Amazon or Half. I bless my lucky stars that my wife took a look at the stuff I would be learning (she works for Kaplan) and set me down months ahead of time to start working on the things I would be taking. She started cramming me on remedial prealgebra in February and I began pharmacology in November - and so far, I am actually keeping up fine.

1) Even if your family says they understand, they really don't. You may as well tell them, and your friends too, that you are being deployed for 2-4 years, depending on your program. Because you will be MIA every. single. weekend. And most nights too.

2) Buy stock in Georgia Pacific. Because as much copy paper as you will use, you may as well own part of the company.

3) While you are at it, buy stock in Canon or whatever inkjet or laser printer you use. You now own Canon and Georgia Pacific.

4) Come to terms now with the guilt you will inevitably feel from neglecting cuddle time with your pets. They have an even harder time understanding your absence than your family. Make them home made treats. It will temporarily assuage your guilt.

5) If you have nice artificial (or even natural) nails, mourn them now. They aren't allowed in clinical. Only short, stubby, unpolished nails are allowed in clinical. It's an infection control thing that you will soon understand. Besides, even with PPE, you will be glad for less nooks and crannies that you have to scrub out after being in the hospital all day, especially if you have a patient who..... oh, never mind...... You'll see.

6) On that same note, figure out how to get by without a haircut for months at a time. You won't have the time for such inconsequential things as keeping up your appearance. And if you did have the time, you wouldn't have the energy. Because you would be sleeping. And if you aren't sleeping, you will be studying. And if you aren't studying, you will be feeling guilty about not studying..... so you may as well study and save yourself the guilt.

7) If you are an A student, get over it. Your As may well become Bs, and that's ok. I haven't cried even one time over a B. And I'm a previous A student. It's not that you are trying less, or that the material is harder (it is), it's that a 90 isn't an A anymore and a 79 isn't even a C. It's now failing. Failing is bad. Bs are not bad.

8) Tell your friends and family that on the rare occasions you see them that you will bore the crap out of them with all the things you've learned. And be proud of it.

9) Accept that donuts and a coffee from 7/11 is a food group in and of itself.

10) The world doesn't stop turning now that you are in NS. Unfortunately, things still happen to throw obstacles in your way. Make a plan now for what you will do when Junior barfs all over his teacher's shoes and he needs to be picked up from school. Because you can't miss class, or clinical. Especially not clinical.

:sleep: So, now that first semester is wrapping up, I would also add that it has been a huge, life changing learning experience. I have learned how to study, how not to study, how dirty my car can get and still run, how many ginormous textbooks I can fit into one scrap of zippered nylon, how to tell when the neurons have just totally stopped firing and it's time to stop studying because no more info is being retained anyway..... And now, after exams, a nice, long, well deserved break is almost here. Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, whatever you celebrate!!!

Hahahahaaa...I LOVE this post! I just wrote a few similar tips to someone else on here, apparently you and I both COMPLETELY understand the printer ink conundrum! Great tips!

Specializes in OR 35 years; crosstrained ER/ICU/PACU.

This is excellent, because it's so true. After graduating in 1979 with an ADN, and working ever since in Nursing, this brought a huge smile to my face! I too, was a return-to-college mom (2 girls), balancing school & clincal with motherhood. Thanfully, my next-door neighbor was the best, letting my kids come over when they got off the bus from school with her kids. My GI husband was also very supportive when he was home. Keep up the good work, but strive for those A's: I graduated 2nd in my class, with a 4.0 GPA. I mean, if you think about it, do you want the nurse who aced the class taking care of your family, or one who only knows 80% of the material? Just sayin'......;)

I love this! I can so relate. Hopefully (fingers crossed) I'll be able to manage my time a little better as I go. For some reason I've had a lot of life stuff happen during this first semester, so for much of it I've simply been trying to survive. I'm ready for a break so I can get some rest and reorganize!

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