What should I do before starting an ABSN program?

hsamuel · Apr 4, 2014

If you like to read then find a good book and get started. Once nursing school begins, even if you are an avid reader you won't want to pick up another book when your day of studying is over. On the plus side, reading for fun will get you used to concentrating while reading for school

sarsoora8 · Apr 4, 2014

If you like to read then find a good book and get started. Once nursing school begins, even if you are an avid reader you won't want to pick up another book when your day of studying is over. On the plus side, reading for fun will get you used to concentrating while reading for school

Thanks for your advice hsamuel! I honestly don't have time to read for fun..lol. Between kids, housework, church, soccer, and the million and one other things that need to get each week, I barely have any time for myself. I'm basically typing right now with one hand and feeding the baby with the other...just craziness:)

When I do get some free time, I'm either online trying to prepare for nursing school by getting as much advice/info as possible or spending quality time with the kids b/c I know this next year is going to be difficult on the whole family...which definitely saddens me in a way

Pink Magnolia, BSN, RN · Apr 5, 2014

I wish I would have listened to what others told me, but I'm hard-headed! Do not do anything! They will prepare you with what you need when the time comes. They do not expect you to know things before you learn them. I promise. Just relax and enjoy your time. Take a little vacation before school. Trust me on this. When you start school you will do nothing but studying 24-7!

NYCRN21 · Apr 5, 2014

Hi sarsoora8, I'm in the last 3 weeks of my 12 month ABSN program now, and I can tell you, it's a LOT of work!!! Having said that, it's completely doable. There were a few times where I was really stressed out, but overall it wasn't as hard as I anticipated it to be. My first piece of advice is don't let the stress psych you out!!!! It happened to me a few times and it makes you worry about getting through the program more than you need to. Like a lot of people said, I would suggest making sure you have a good grasp of your anatomy and physiology, since I assume you've already taken that class. It's important to know what is normal functioning before you learn how to take care of abnormal functioning! Also make sure you have a good pair of shoes for clinical because you will be standing a lot and doing a lot of heavy work...if you're going to invest in anything, have it be your shoes! I honestly don't think at this point it's worth learning lab values and things like that because if you're anything like I was before I started my program, you have no idea what they mean anyway! It's great to know that the normal Na level is 135-145, but if you don't know what that means, there's no point in spending your last available few weeks memorizing values that have no significance to yet. And in about 6 weeks you're going to know them all like the back of your hand just from studying and being in clinical.

Really try and relax the next few weeks with your family and friends because you're not going to see them a lot until next year. It will be worth it in the end though, I promise! The year will go by so fast, I can't believe that I'm just about finished now. There were a lot of parents with young kids in my program and they were able to make it through, so you will too :) Best of luck!!

sarsoora8 · Apr 5, 2014

Thank you pink magnolia 611 and gennisajenius! Everyone has different advice, and I truly appreciate everyone that has posted to this thread! I'm quite nervous as you can probably tell, and I hope I can get through this year without losing my sanity.