Accepted! Now what?

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Alright guys, help me out.... I've been trolling these forums for so long, and it dawned on me: I know everything there is to know about how to get accepted to nursing school.... And that's about it! So I got my acceptance letter in the mail over the weekend and I can put all that behind me.

I suppose that was the easy part... Now I have to pass nursing school! Tips, tricks, or advice?

Thanks for the advice everyone! I'm in the thick of it now... got a B on my first Fundamentals exam; next one is coming up fast! I bought a digital voice recroder and started recording the lectures to listen to them again over the weekend (doen't make my weekend any more fun, but I htin kit will help with learning material). I learned quickly that I wasn't going ot be able to read the entire assigned reading (300 pages of reading in one week.... seriously Professor?), and even when i tried, I didn't retain much of it. I'm studying from the PowerPoints, and going through the chapters with emphasis placed on the portions that were discussed in lecture.

At least I enjoy studying nursing and patient care.... Otherwise this would suck!

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Alright guys, help me out.... I've been trolling these forums for so long, and it dawned on me: I know everything there is to know about how to get accepted to nursing school.... And that's about it! So I got my acceptance letter in the mail over the weekend and I can put all that behind me.

I suppose that was the easy part... Now I have to pass nursing school! Tips, tricks, or advice?

Here is my advice:

Forget everything you know about testing or studying...these skills apply, but differently, in nursing school.

Never, ever miss class. I am serious about that. Nursing schools attract very bright students. They are used to not going to class, just reading the book, start studying a few days before class and getting an A on a test....that won't work in nursing school.

The most valuable part of nursing school lectures are the scenarios the instructors give you. They really bring a visual to what you are doing and give you insight to how your thought process should be.

The tests are on information that will be new...drugs you have never heard of, equipment that you have never seen, labs that you have never done. That is why class and reading is important. Test answers are not obvious...all 4 can be correct...you have to pick which one is the most correct, the action you would do first, etc. After the first couple, you'll get it.

The best advice I got on this message board when I just lurked was that several posted that their FIRST SEMESTER, they got a Saunders NCLEX Book...I did test question after test question on whatever we were covering and I was happy to share what I was doing with others....b/c my grades were much higher than my peers. The ones that didn't want to put in the work, still partied on weekends, put their boyfriends #1, were gone after the first semester or two.

I would also make friends with the local hospital recruiter. Call and find out what they look for in new graduates...find out what sets them apart in hiring...this is valuable insight on what you can do while in school so your resume isn't like every other new grad applying for jobs. Every geographical area is different....find out what the needs are in you area.

Keep an open mind on area...the area that I SWORE I would spend my career in...I found a new love that I want to spend my career in.

You will hear rumors in school that you get to pick your hours, pick your pay, etc. I can tell you now that is not how the market is with nursing no matter where you live. Expect to start on the night shift and it can be a year or longer before a day shift comes available.

There is NO NURSING SHORTAGE for new graduates. They are a dime a dozen...it's the experienced nurses (5 to 10 years of experience and longer) that the recruiters are after.

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Thanks for the advice everyone! I'm in the thick of it now... got a B on my first Fundamentals exam; next one is coming up fast! I bought a digital voice recroder and started recording the lectures to listen to them again over the weekend (doen't make my weekend any more fun, but I htin kit will help with learning material). I learned quickly that I wasn't going ot be able to read the entire assigned reading (300 pages of reading in one week.... seriously Professor?), and even when i tried, I didn't retain much of it. I'm studying from the PowerPoints, and going through the chapters with emphasis placed on the portions that were discussed in lecture.

At least I enjoy studying nursing and patient care.... Otherwise this would suck!

You'll figure out very quickly that the notes and lecture are more valuable than the book...I applaud you for figuring that out.

I secretly suspect they assign tons of reading so they can say "so and so" was covered in their curriculum...but not even the professors want to constantly review that. I would at least look at every page carefully...write down anything that jumps out.

I scheduled a session with one of my professors where we spent 30 minutes going over the reading and she told me where I was wasting my time.

Now you have learned, early on...why you cannot miss class.

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UPDATE: I figured if come back here and post an update. I just took my last final exam on Friday and am proud to say, I AM DONE! I PASSED NURSING SCHOOL! I MADE IT! It was rough, it was long, but it was worth it.

I'm a rough dude (deadlift 500 lbs, 10 yrs in the military), and there were times when I cried and thought about quitting. I passed up multiple free vacations to avoid missing clinicals (only missed 1 clinical the entire time) and went to every single lecture. I said goodbye to friends and family and only visited on breaks (luckily, my wife is an RN, so she understood). I have NCLEX review next week and official graduation is on Friday. My 2010 ATI Comp predictor gave me a 96% chance of passing the NCLEX on my first try. Here goes nothing! Hopefully, I can get a job soon; this unemployment stuff is getting old!

Thanks to everyone for the advice and support!

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UPDATE: I figured if come back here and post an update. I just took my last final exam on Friday and am proud to say I AM DONE! I PASSED NURSING SCHOOL! I MADE IT! It was rough, it was long, but it was worth it. I'm a rough dude (deadlift 500 lbs, 10 yrs in the military), and there were times when I cried and thought about quitting. I passed up multiple free vacations to avoid missing clinicals (only missed 1 clinical the entire time) and went to every single lecture. I said goodbye to friends and family and only visited on breaks (luckily, my wife is an RN, so she understood). I have NCLEX review next week and official graduation is on Friday. My 2010 ATI Comp predictor gave me a 96% chance of passing the NCLEX on my first try. Here goes nothing! Hopefully, I can get a job soon; this unemployment stuff is getting old! Thanks to everyone for the advice and support![/quote']

hey congrats! I might be older than you but I think I'm walking in your shoes!

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Specializes in Hematology/Oncology.
UPDATE: I figured if come back here and post an update. I just took my last final exam on Friday and am proud to say, I AM DONE! I PASSED NURSING SCHOOL! I MADE IT! It was rough, it was long, but it was worth it.

I'm a rough dude (deadlift 500 lbs, 10 yrs in the military), and there were times when I cried and thought about quitting. I passed up multiple free vacations to avoid missing clinicals (only missed 1 clinical the entire time) and went to every single lecture. I said goodbye to friends and family and only visited on breaks (luckily, my wife is an RN, so she understood). I have NCLEX review next week and official graduation is on Friday. My 2010 ATI Comp predictor gave me a 96% chance of passing the NCLEX on my first try. Here goes nothing! Hopefully, I can get a job soon; this unemployment stuff is getting old!

Thanks to everyone for the advice and support!

Do you even lift?

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study everyday. dont run out of beer

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Amen to that!

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Every persons experience is different, some say it is easy others, difficult. From my perspective....

Buckle up, grip the railings tight and hold on for dear life.

Edit:

Congratulations on passing! And good luck to you here on out.

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Took the NCLEX on Wed. (I got ALL 265 questions) and I PASSED! I still can't believe it's over... Seems so surreal.

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Congrats!

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