Starting Nursing Courses Next Month-Advice?

cingulargirl21 · Dec 30, 2004

Congratulations for choosing nursing! Here is some useful advice that would have helped me had I gotten it:

1. Try to read ahead as much as possible. It's tough to keep up with the reading but try to read everything at least once.

2. Study the material in different ways. Use workbooks that come with the textbooks, they help! Answer the questions at the end of the chapter, they help! The more practice questions you do, the better!

3. If you want a certain grade, realize that you will have to work 10x harder than you usually had to. This means cutting back on leisure time and replcing it with lots if studying.

4. Take care of yourself. Try hard to eat right and stay active.

5. Find some sort of outlet to relieve stress. You will need it. Nursing is stressful. Take an hour off each day to do something fun and dont feel guilty! You deserve it.....but then hit the books.

6.After exams go to your teacher's office and go over the test so you will understand what you did wrong.

7. You may want to invest in a test taking book for nursng school students. I have one, it helped so much since the tests are so different from what we're used too! Look on amazon.com for cheap used ones.........thats what I did!

8. Nursing school is a group effort. Try to make good relationships with our classmates.........everyone needs help sometimes and if you have been snotty to some people, they wont be there for you.

9. Take it one day at time. It's hard. It's brutal. But it will end eventually!

10. Work hard. Very hard. If you want to make 75% put in 85%. You must be committed to putting a lot of work into nursing school.

And remember: Your ultimate goal every semester is to pass. Sure, we all want A's but passing is the most beautiful grade in the world! Aim to pass.........don't beat yourself up for not getting A's.......you will learm quickly how rewarding passing is. Just do your best.........and if you are not sure of something, ASK! Dont make mistakes in clinical because you were shy to ask for help. Always aks for help if you need it.

Remember to keep a calender of what you have to do...do the most urgent stuff first, you will have lots to do...........try to prioritize things.......dont worry about a messy bedroom or anything.......

Good luck! I'm in my 2 semester of solely nursing courses.....I'm in a 4 year BSN program.........so this is my 3rd year but my second semester of nursing courses.........it was tough but I made it. So can you.

crb613, BSN, RN · Dec 30, 2004

Do your reading & try not to get behind. Read before class, take good notes & pay attention. Go over your notes soon after class if you can this just makes it so much clearer & it "sitcks". Be prepared in clinicals know how to do your skills if you get your client the day before look up the meds know what they are for, side effects ect. Don't be afraid to ask questions & do as many hands on skills as possible. You will probally be scared & nervous (I was) ask for help or talk your way through to your instructor before you actually do the procedure. Remember these are real people with real feelings treat them like you would want to be treated. Good luck I hope this helps.

YoungWiseWoman · Dec 30, 2004

I am so glad you posted this thread! I start classes in 2 weeks and I am soooo nervous. :imbar I am excited too, but I am getting a little scared and starting to feel overwhelmed by the expectations. Please continue posting here...this is GOOD ADVICE!

Fox · Dec 30, 2004

Can you post the names of the test taking books for nursing?

Congratulations for choosing nursing! Here is some useful advice that would have helped me had I gotten it:
1. Try to read ahead as much as possible. It's tough to keep up with the reading but try to read everything at least once.
2. Study the material in different ways. Use workbooks that come with the textbooks, they help! Answer the questions at the end of the chapter, they help! The more practice questions you do, the better!
3. If you want a certain grade, realize that you will have to work 10x harder than you usually had to. This means cutting back on leisure time and replcing it with lots if studying.
4. Take care of yourself. Try hard to eat right and stay active.
5. Find some sort of outlet to relieve stress. You will need it. Nursing is stressful. Take an hour off each day to do something fun and dont feel guilty! You deserve it.....but then hit the books.
6.After exams go to your teacher's office and go over the test so you will understand what you did wrong.
7. You may want to invest in a test taking book for nursng school students. I have one, it helped so much since the tests are so different from what we're used too! Look on amazon.com for cheap used ones.........thats what I did!
8. Nursing school is a group effort. Try to make good relationships with our classmates.........everyone needs help sometimes and if you have been snotty to some people, they wont be there for you.
9. Take it one day at time. It's hard. It's brutal. But it will end eventually!
10. Work hard. Very hard. If you want to make 75% put in 85%. You must be committed to putting a lot of work into nursing school.
And remember: Your ultimate goal every semester is to pass. Sure, we all want A's but passing is the most beautiful grade in the world! Aim to pass.........don't beat yourself up for not getting A's.......you will learm quickly how rewarding passing is. Just do your best.........and if you are not sure of something, ASK! Dont make mistakes in clinical because you were shy to ask for help. Always aks for help if you need it.
Remember to keep a calender of what you have to do...do the most urgent stuff first, you will have lots to do...........try to prioritize things.......dont worry about a messy bedroom or anything.......
Good luck! I'm in my 2 semester of solely nursing courses.....I'm in a 4 year BSN program.........so this is my 3rd year but my second semester of nursing courses.........it was tough but I made it. So can you.

manna, BSN, RN · Dec 30, 2004

I agree - great post, cingulargirl!

If you can't read it - at least just try to look over it and hit the high points before the lecture! :)

If you were/are required to buy a NCLEX textbook/CDrom - that's a great study tool for getting used to nursing school type questions. Also lots of great resources on the 'net!

Don't beat yourself up if you don't make the grades you're used to. Nursing school is.. different! :)

Try to avoid burnout! Make sure you have "me" time and not just "school" time! Hard with all those projects and exams, I know!

Get a good care plan book now! It will save lots of headaches later! :chuckle

I agree with #8 - no one understands the stresses of nursing school except another nursing student! Of course, there's always all of us here at allnurses as well! :)

Try not to get too caught up in any long term goals (sounds silly, but I have that problem - worrying about grades for grad school, etc). Just take things one day at a time and focus your energy on doing the best you can at this possible moment in time. Don't get discouraged. Study, work hard, but most importantly LEARN all you can. First semester will provide a foundation for you to build on in subsequent courses.

Good luck! :)

1. Try to read ahead as much as possible.
2. Study the material in different ways.
3. If you want a certain grade, realize that you will have to work 10x harder than you usually had to.
4. Take care of yourself.
8. Nursing school is a group effort. Try to make good relationships with our classmates
9. Take it one day at time. It's hard. It's brutal. But it will end eventually!
Good luck! I'm in my 2 semester of solely nursing courses.....I'm in a 4 year BSN program.........so this is my 3rd year but my second semester of nursing courses.........it was tough but I made it. So can you.

cingulargirl21 · Dec 31, 2004

The test taking book I got is called Test Success:Test Taking Techniques for Beginning Nursing Students, 3rd edition by Patricia M. Nugent and Barbara A. Vitale........I paid about $5 for a used copy from Amazon.com....it took time to read........but it helped alot. There are lots of other test taking books for nursing students at amazon.com....buy used!

saltydad · Jan 1, 2005

I want to thank everyone who has taken the time and effort to put their thoughts down for us. I'm 57 and this is career switch. I was very worried about how the old grey cells would work going back to school after so long, but up to now I've kept up a 4.0 So being one of the old guys, and being one of the few male guys, and the differences in nursing courses from my other courses should make for an interesting time.