Nursing student survival tips

Nursing Students General Students Toon

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Many will be starting nursing school for the first time this year. Do you have any tips to share?

Macaroni and cheese and hot sauce?? Yikes!

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Congratulations! That's what I keep telling my boyfriend. "I'm broke now, but one of these days..."

Stay organized. Study a little everyday. Don't wait until the last semester to do nclex questions (the rationales help you with studying).

Ask questions!!! We get a lot of students where I work and often times I see them standing against the wall with their eyes as big as saucers like deer in headlights. I remember that feeling but it's important that you cultivate your nursing experience and be proactive in finding answers. I have begun to take the students aside for a couple of min. to explain a few things that they might hear but not understand. It makes a big difference as I know that a busy staff seems difficult to approach, but it's an important lesson to learn about nursing in general. If a patient asks me a question or has a problem I am not familiar with I have to do everything I can to find the answers. Same for students. :cool:

Specializes in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology.

I'm only about to go into my third quarter but I have learned a few handy things to get me by:

1) Clif Bars (especially the Mint/Chocolate Brownie one with the added caffeine) and a bottle of water with some Emergen-C packets mixed in make the most of your break time in clinical.

2) Sleep is most important.

3) Do not get hung up on trying to learn every little detail because that's not what this is about. Critical thinking is what it's about!!!!!

4) The brain book Nurse Nacole talks about on her blog has helped me SOOOO much in my last clinical that I will never stop using it.

5) If you don't understand something, look it up. If you are curious about something that you may not have covered yet, look it up. When you do cover it, your brain is like, "Hey, I remember this!" and you gain a deeper understanding and the advantage of repetition of the concept, putting you further ahead -- plus, you're less likely to forget it than if you wait around to learn it in lecture.

Specializes in ED.

sewnmom -

What is the name of the app you used on your cell? Thanks for sharing all of that amazing advice and I will keep it in mind when I start this fall!

There is one thing that I always tell others and that is that if others before you can do it, you can too. Anything is possible if you are determined to succeed.

Specializes in None yet..

sewnmom, you sound like an incredibly competent woman! Thanks for the tips.

My crock pot is my best friend. Get one that has very adjustable settings- my first one only had a few so I still had to rush home if whatever I was cooking wasn't either 8 hrs low or 4 hrs on high. My new one lets me set the time and temp separately and automatically goes on warm when it's done so I do not have a thing to worry about once I start it.

It's so easy. Take a couple minutes to throw some stuff in in the morning, have a meal that is decent and healthy ready to go in the evening, have leftovers for lunch the next day. Plus it makes cheap cuts of meat taste good and tender! And crockpot liners make for easy cleanup.

Just get organized. Set aside time to study and time to do all of your other stuff. Don't let people tell you it's hard because truth be told, IT'S ACTUALLY NOT!! I know some heads are going to spin on that one, but it's not hard. It's just different. You have to pay attention to lecture, don't get crazy with the readings if you don't have to. There is a lot of reading. It's perfectly okay to summarize. The test are different. you have to get used to Select all that applies, and Best answers when there are more than one option that fits. Don't start sweating bricks before you're butt's in the seat. If you apply yourself, and seek help if you need it, you really can't mess this up. Just get your head in the game and brush up on your A&P before you get there. You'll be good to go. And this is coming from an actual factual passing nursing student. Don't be overwhelmed! I swear, I spent my first month trying to do every single reading they assigned, but when I realized that wasn't going to happen- because I am a working mother of two and my life can't just stop- I made a new game plan that was realistic for me and I excelled. This isn't your first go round with school. You made it to your nursing program and you know how you study- that's not going to really change. Once you see how the tests are, you'll adapt! Be confident and PRAY! :up:

And also eat Oodles of Noodles! Funds will be tight, but you'll survive!

Specializes in Long Term Care, Assisted Living, Agency.

Oh boy, reading through these comments is just too funny.

Specializes in Long Term Care, Assisted Living, Agency.

I am the type that never cooks too much. I mean I love to cook , and do so like two or three times a week. But through nursing school, I think I like the idea of cooking a whole week worth of meals on a day like sunday and packing them neatly in zip lock bags, so I can hopefully save some bit of time for studying throughout the week.

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