GBCN first year

meeep, BSN, RN · Jan 21, 2014

I am in the same boat, and would love to hear this as well!

bravera · Jan 22, 2014

Hey there! I'm a rising senior at GBCN and will be overseeing your class. First of all, I want to say Mercer is a wonderful school and we're happy to have both of you join us!

You absolutely, positively have to attend orientation. You'll be introduced to faculty, receive important information in regards to preparing for clinical, and become familiarized with campus. That being said, don't take too much of it to heart. They definitely will give you the scare tactics speech and you'll probably go home wondering what you've gotten yourself into. I won't lie to you, it's tough...but it's possible. You'll make it through just fine!

At orientation, you'll have the option of signing up for a peer mentor, a senior student who will be assigned to you to help you transition into nursing school. I highly suggest you do this! Not only will you get free notes and tips, but it's not uncommon for seniors to hand down books and other supplies you'll need for success. Also, if you aren't on Facebook, you might want to reconsider. The professors make a closed Facebook group for your class that consists of your classmates, the professors, and some seniors to help answer any questions, share photos, and relay information.

The first two weeks are extremely tough. You'll probably be on campus from 8-4 every single weekday, but this isn't the norm. You'll get to the point where you have at least one day a week off. You will also spend a ton of time in simulation labs practicing skills on each other and mannequins that emulate real patients. The professor overseeing labs also holds optional open lab sessions the week before validations, so you have plenty of time to perfect any techniques you may feel uncomfortable with before not only validation, but your first clinical placement in November. In case you're curious, your first semester, consists of a combined pathophysiology/pharmacology class, fundamentals of nursing, professionalism of nursing, and community health class. Most of your time is definitely going to be devoted to those first two classes, but don't neglect the other two.

As for advice...rest while you can! You're going to be living and breathing nursing soon, so spend as much time sleeping in and having fun with your friends and family as you can. That being said, I don't mean you won't ever have any time to do anything but nursing once you start, but there will definitely be weekends where you'll feel guilty because you have to study for your usual weekly exam or cram for the ATI.

Try to get started on your vaccines and titers ASAP to save yourself mid-semester heartache and scares from the faculty!

If possible, try to create a situation in which you don't have to work. I don't mean to say it's impossible to work while in nursing school, but you really will be more grateful if you have little to no other responsibilities besides your coursework. The faculty will tell you that you cannot work more than 10 hours a week, if you really feel you must work.

Get your textbooks as soon as possible, and, yes, you need all of them. You'll be assigned so much reading every week that your eyes are going to roll into the back of your head. Do not fall behind on these readings, or you'll spend the rest of the semester trying to catch up and be miserable. Don't neglect the textbooks either. A lot of classmates fail to use them and are very upset when they see a couple of the very same NCLEX practice questions found throughout the chapters on the exams later on

As scary and rigorous as nursing school is, the professors are all wonderful and very kind-hearted. They've been teaching for a long time and are very sympathetic (they are nurses, after all!). They understand that it's tough and are willing to work with you, but if you don't put forth the effort, they can't do anything for you. We're a very close-knit community here and you'll soon find that your classmates and faculty aren't just your colleagues and instructors, but your family as well. I'm really happy here and I haven't met a single person here who wasn't happy with their decision to attend GBCN, even if it wasn't their first choice school.

If you have any more specific questions, feel free to PM me :) I'd be happy to give you some tips.

manali92 · Jan 22, 2014

Thank you so much Bravera! I will be sure to pm you if i have more questions, but this information will be more than helpful! :)

laurastanley · Feb 1, 2014

That post was perfect bravera thank you! I was just wondering about the student body dynamic.. I'm only 19 so I'm scared I'll be the youngest person there amongst a bunch of older people who went back to school or who already have a different degree

bravera · Feb 8, 2014

There are a bit of older students, but don't let that intimidate you :) I'm only 22 and my closest friend in the school is older than my mother and on her third degree! You definitely won't be the youngest there though, and most students don't already have a degree. Some of them will have backgrounds as registrars in the ER or CNA certifications, but don't worry--they wouldn't be there if they knew it all and will be learning and struggling right alongside you, regardless of age!