Day in the life of a new RN Nursing student?

Published

Hi! Will begin RN-Nursing degree in January 2011 for SPC and am really curious as to what to expect in both the classrooms and clinicals. Can anyone provide a sort of a "day in the life" of a first semester RN nursing student both in class and at the hospital? Any and all info/details would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you :0)

Specializes in Hemodialysis.
I am sure your school's schedule will be different but here in KY schools are low key compared to some other states. I just completed my first semester (with a B! YAY) so here is my first nursing school schedule.

-Monday 10:00-11:00 Campus Lab- (mandatory) Which basically consisted of nursing diagnosis and rational for skills we are required to know for that week (1 skill check off about every week)

12:00-1:00 Lecture

-Tuesday 8:00-10:00 Lecture

11:00-12:00 Skills Lab (mandatory hands on practice of discussed skill in campus

lab)

-Thursday 8:00-10:00 Lecture

10:00-11:00 Media lab (mandatory computer module activites or watching DVD on skills)

-Friday 7:00a-5:00p Clinicals (manditory) 15 page history and physical assessment of a client, 2 med sheets (basically listing all the information you need to know about a medication), a complete care plan, and a flow sheet of your activities with a patient

Now that I type it out it doesn't seem so low key but I heard schools on the east coast (particually the Carolinas) are much more demanding.

LOL I'm in the Carolinas and I cringed at your schedule. Starting my 3rd semester and in an accelerated program and my schedule is going to be

Tuesday 8:00 - 11:50 Med Surg II Lecture

Tuesday 1:00 - 4:00 Pediatrics Lecture

Wednesday 8:00 - 11:50 Med Surg II Lecture

Thursday 0645-1530 Med Surg II Clinical

Friday 0645 - 1530 Med Surg II Clinical

Peds clinicals are on 2 Saturdays, during spring break, and late April toward the end of the semester when the other clinicals let up.

I guess when you add in there the clinical pick up for Thursday and Friday on Wednesday afternoons and sometimes Thursday (if your patient gets discharged) plus all the projects, it might just be my busiest semester yet.

Edited to add about the mom thing,

I too, am a mom. I struggle to find the balance in life. My husband is overseas and I have no support system. My nearest family is 400 miles away, and I moved here to go to school (and for the change of scenery). I do have day care for the little ones and after school for the middle one (mine are 12, 10, 3, and 2) Study time is difficult to manage (I'm one of those people who needs it quiet and am not so much of a visual learner, so reading a book doesn't do it for me. Reading aloud helps though.) I've had to limit all the extras in life (kids can only do one extracurricular, we don't go out and do things very often) and I order a lot of pizza. Make friends with the pizza guy, he'll save you sometimes.

It's totally doable. I'm balancing a courseload and a half each semester (literally) and I carry B's. It's hard, but I'm dedicated, and I've never had much problem with school work. Nursing is a totally different animal than anything you'll ever take in school so you have to go in 100% and be dedicated. Don't get me wrong, some days I'd love to choke my kids (like last night when I was trying to study for my final today. If you can stay up until 11:30 great for you! I can't do it. I'm way too exhausted from months of trying to balance all this and the early morning classes/clinical/commute makes me want to hit the hay 8:30, 9:00 at night. I'm sitting here yawning like crazy and it's 7:42. LOL

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I should have said that this applies to every semester of nursing school :nurse:

except each semester gets worse and more of your life is taken away! Totally worth it though!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
WOW! You guys are all awesome!! Thanks so much for all the info, it seems daunting but it helps to know that it can be done - does anyone have kid(s), I have a 2y/o (as of January 6th he'll be 2) and I have awesome family support but would like to know if any of you have tips so that I can still spend as much time with him as possible while getting done what needs to be done - my schedule is:

Mon - 1pm-3pm lecture (with travel 12pm - 4pm)

Tues & Wed - 6am - 3pm (with travel 5am - 4pm)

Thurs - 8am - 11am (with travel 7am - 12pm)

I have him set up to be taken care of during those times and he wakes up around 8-8:30am and naps 1pm - 3pm and then goes to bed at 7:30pm (he's SUPER active so he likes to sleep!) so I am thinking that when I get home at 4pm on Mon - Wed & 12pm on Thurs. I can be with him, feed him & put him to bed at 7:30pm and then commence to studying my butt off for as long as it takes (at LEAST until 11:30pm which would mean 4hrs per night, 28hrs a week devoted to study time) and then Friday do whatever I have to do at the school, be with him, study at night and then study as much as I need to over the weekend.

I'm a pretty good student and pretty good at time management and definitely aware that none of the above is set in stone and things come up but does that seem pretty reasonable to you all?

Thank you all again so much, I didn't think I'd have so many responses so soon!! Best, Christa

My best piece of advice to you is BE FLEXIBLE!!

It sounds as if you have a pretty good idea of what it all entails. I would say that the most important thing to remember is that nursing school tests are unlike anything you have ever encountered, including whatever entrance exam you had to take. You will need to adjust your study techniques to accommodate this new style of learning. Trust me when I tell you that you will encounter questions on your tests where all four answers are correct and you have to pick the BEST answer of the four. Remember your ABC's: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation; also, memorize Maslow's Hierachy of Needs it will come in hand for so many things other than tests. Buy yourself a good NCLEX book or two and a couple of Care plan books, these will become your lifelines. Utilize the NCLEX questions that apply to your tests to study for your tests.

Nursing school is unlike any other experience. I have enjoyed my first semester, but I have never been so tired in my entire life. You will find yourself doing things you thought you could never do, you will clean more poop than you've ever thought possible, you will give bed baths until your are sick of the thought of bed baths, and you will change more occupied beds than you even knew existed and you will swear you changed some beds 10 times a day and more than likely, you will be correct.

Utilize your instructors, that's what they are there for, to teach you and to mentor you. Make sure you follow all the directions they give you. Also, ask your clinical instructor for a list of the commonly used medications on the floor you will be doing your clinicals on and get a head start on your drug list. Get with your clinical group and divide the list between all of you and have one person compile the master list and send it out to the group.

Keep ALL your care plans on your computer, you CAN recycle them. You just need to make a few changes to them when needed to make then correspond to a different patient.

Realize that lecture tests will cover not only the material presented in lecture, but also anything that was covered in your clinicals and skills labs and check-offs. You may need to study from books other than the assigned textbook to get the best understanding of a concept and to thoroughly know the material.

Above all else, realize that you can take a night off from studying to decompress, it is allowed.

My schedule was as follows:

Mondays - Clinicals 7a - 7p

Tuesdays - off (once we were through with pre-clinicals skills) I utilized this time to get my reading done, do care plans, research papers, etc.

Wednesday - off - to utilize the open lab to practice our newly learned skills before check-offs

Thursdays - Skills lab 9a - 12p

Fridays - Lecture 9a - 2p

I usually took Fridays off after I got out of class to just enjoy my family and friends.

I hope that helps. Good Luck in Nursing School, it goes by fast.

Cin

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hemodialysis.

OMG I'd love to have your schedule!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I just finished up my 1st semester. Our schedule was REALLY easy!

Monday-Tuesday - 9-11:30 Fundamentals Lecture

On either Monday or Tuesday you have an hour long skills lab.

Wednesday - Thursday - 8-3 - Clinicals

Friday -NOTHING!!!! (Best part of the week!)

If we had skills checkoff we had to come in on one of our clinical days, so that week we only had clinicals once!

I agree with the being flexible part. For me, I found it best to take one day a week for myself, usually Saturday, to do whatever I wanted... That helped clear my mind and prepare me for the upcoming week. I also took the afternoon after an exam for myself (generally Monday afternoons). Seemed to work out well, I came out with a B average!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Our upcoming schedule for the spring semester is....

Monday:

Research Methods 9-10

Pathophysiology 10-11

Mental Health 11-12

Acute Care 1:30-4

Tuesday:

Clinical

Wednesday:

Same as Monday

Thursday:

Off

Friday:

Research 9-10

Patho 10-11

Mental 11-12

I like it

Up Vote Up Vote ×
IrishGrrl-I wouldn't worry about having a kid (or two). I'm not a nursing student yet, but my cousin is about to graduate the ADN program that I'm applying to and she is graduating with a mom of 5 kids. She said she does better than students in the class with no kids and are younger than she is. It can be done! It's all about time managment and you seem to have that down already. GL! :)

Yes, but does this mom work? It is very hard to work 40 hours a week and go to nursing school with any previous medical background. I guess I am jealous. I was surprised to find out how many people do not work while in nursing school.. I guess it's smart on their behalf.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Yes, but does this mom work? It is very hard to work 40 hours a week and go to nursing school with any previous medical background.

I have no idea, but my guess would be no. The school she attends strongly suggests that you do not work full-time your first year as a student. I know that's not feasible for some (or even most) people, but I was giving an example of an extreme situation (mom w/ 5 kids) and she is doing just fine in a rigorous nursing program.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Electrophysiology, Medical-Surgical ICU.

My 1st semester wasn't that bad and I have a husband a a child who will be 2 in 2 days :-)

My schedule was like this:

Monday: math 9-10, pharm 10-12, work 1-630,go home ,go home cook, clean, and study all at the same time + more studying!!!

Tuesday: work 8-530 + study at work and after work

Wednesday: math 9-10, work 11-2, clinical 3-9

Thursday: work 8-530+ study study study

Friday: math 9-10, lecture 10-1, work 2-530 the off to church

Saturday: clean, study, play w/ baby/hubby

Sunday: church all day (a me day)

Ps: I work 30 hrs a week and. Had and american history class online, and didn't need the math class ended up with 3B's and an A :-)...culd have done better but ill take those grades ;-)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

It seems as though everyone has multiple days they have lecture or lab or clinical or all of the above. My schedule seems so simple compared to everyone elses.

Monday - Lecture 9:10-12:40

Tuesday - 1st part of semester lab 8-3, 2nd part of semester clinical 7-3

Tuesday - Micro 5:15-7:45

Thursday - Micro Lab 5:15-8:15

I basically go for a few hours Monday, all day Tuesday and then Thursday night. I am totally off Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

I really LOVE my schedule this semester!

Last semester wasnt bad either; I had lecture and lab from 9-3 on Wednesday and clinicals from 7-3 on Thursday.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hello there!

I recently got accepted into a nursing program in southern California. I am beyond thrilled but obviously nervous. I begin in January, and will be taking night classes as I need to maintain my day job. My question is regarding clinicals. I'm sure they vary from place to place, but what are they like? (Especially in the beginning). Is it mostly shadowing, or do the nurses just let you go at it? I know they are with you every step of the way, but how stressful/challenging is it? More than the course load, I am a bit nervous about clinicals. Also, do you know if many students find work after graduation from the connections they made at their clinicals? Does that happen often? Today, I hear many recent grads complaining that they can't find work, and that surprises me considering the amount of time they are spending at hospitals during rotations. Perhaps that is a different question for an entirely different post, haha.

Good luck to you all!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion