Acceptance letter to RN program,what to expect?

hodgieRN · Apr 9, 2013

Congrats on getting in! As far as what to expect...that's kind of broad question to answer. I'll do the best I can. Studying, being tired, exams, no life, clinicals, i don't know. There's lots of threads about what to expect in nursing school. Honestly, you'll probably get more info out of that.

Don't worry about screwing up. You are going to be taught everything you need. And honestly, students are their worst enemy. Don't get caught up in being a perfectionist. You won't do every single thing right and you will just set yourself up for freaking out. See it all the time on here. If you mess up on starting an IV, that's doesn't mean you are going to be a horrible nurse who should spend the whole day crying. There's gonna be a lot of information thrown at you and you won't be able to lock it down the first time, every time. Just make a note of it, change it, and move on.

Find study groups early on and make friends. Stay clear of people that want to compare grades for competition and there might be some people who are catty. Stay clear and do your thing. Study as much as you can.

When you go to clinicals, always have an extra pair of socks in the car. Things can soak through the shoe.

Never stand directly in front of patients with trachs. You are in the line of fire and they can hack goobers 10 feet, no problem.

Never pull up a pt in bed unless their arms are crossed at their chest. The second you pull them up, they will grab for the rails and you will throw out your back.

Always assess the hands in the morning when you say hi. Some patients are confused and go digging during the night...they love grabbing your forearms when you talk to them.

Don't buy an expensive stethoscope in the beginning. It will be lost or stolen. The tiny differences you hear with good scopes won't do you any good until you have a well trained ear anyway.

Learn the medical terminology now. Learn the base words. All the -itis, -opathy, -oscopy, pneumo-, cephal-, anterior, posterior, ventral, dorsal, lateral, medial, etc. It makes a difference when you really start reading.

ameliagal · Apr 9, 2013

Thank you so much:yes:

hodgieRN · Apr 9, 2013

no problem!

SubSippi · Apr 9, 2013

Congrats! Nursing school is really tough, but in my opinion, it starts getting a little easier towards the end, once you learn how to study and have a good foundation.

Expect to feel lost, and like you may be in over your head sometimes. If you fail a test, or a make a mistake, remember that it's that hard for every single person. It's supposed to be hard, you're learning how to (for the most part) take care of people who are so sick, they have to be admitted to a hospital! If you make all A's, then that is great, but if you make some (or even mostly) C's...let it go.

Also, don't just study from the book or your lecture notes. Use the Saunder's NCLEX CD (which I'm sure you'll find out about once you start) and study using those questions! I failed my first three tests in my med/surg class my first semester, and once I started using those questions, made A's on all the rest of the tests and ended up with a solid B in the class.

I agree with the other poster about learning medical terminology, also. It's a huge help, and almost like having little hints sometimes when you're taking a test. And if you're not sure what a word means when you're reading, look it up!!! That may sound obvious, but it's easy to assume you're pretty sure about a word, and think you've got it figured out through the context, but I've been wrong at times when it made a difference.

If you're not already assertive, expect to become that way. Clinicals can be sink or swim, and is a time when you are expected to take your education in your own hands. If you stand around and wait for someone to show you something new, you'll experience much less than if you ask questions, ask nurses if you can come watch or help with whatever they're doing, and are the one who is always the first to volunteer. I also think that nurses and instructors can tell who is really excited to be there, and I have found that they are much more likely to grab those students when they're on their way to do something interesting. There was a time when I saw a nurse walk by two students standing in the hall on her way into a patient's room, and right before she opened the door, she looked up and saw me and told me to get in there, she had something to show me. I got to help her change a dressing on a really complicated wound that we normally didn't have on our floor, and I'm pretty sure the reason she grabbed me was because I had asked her several times if she minded if I came with her while she was doing something for a patient.

Nursing school can be intimidating, but it can also be a ton of fun, and you will be amazed at how much they manage to cram into your brain in two years. Good luck!!!

Dbohr1012 · Apr 13, 2013

I start Fall 2013 for my ADN also! Congrats!!