Accepted in Nursing school....any advice

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Hello to all,

This is my very first post. I'm starting with nursing school this coming fall and I'm kind of nervous but excited at the same time. I have been working as a nursing assistant at a hospital since October last year and my coworkers (nurses) kept on telling me that I'm going to be way ahead (knowledge-wise) than my classmates. I still can't stop being nervous though because I don't know what to expect in nursing school. Any advice???

Thank you!

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I'm starting in the fall also! I've been a CNA since I ws 17 so I feel somewhat prepared for the beginning clinical experiences but everything else?! Ugh! I am so nervous. I've been reading a lot of student nurse blogs ( i even started my own), forums on here and other sites, and have been brushing up on my A&P. Good luck!

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Specializes in Emergency Room.

I've worked as an ER Tech for over 2 years now and will be starting a BSN program in the fall. One of the travel nurses that I work with did a BSN program and worked as a CNA before he went to school and he tells me that I'll be ahead of my classmates as well so I will take his word for it. I too plan to review some A&P before I start but I am curious to see how well I will comprehend the material. Good luck!

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You sure will be ahead of many! I have been an EMT since I was 18, and have recently been an anesthesia tech and surgical aide right before being accepted to my BSN program which starts in a few months. I have helped with sterile procedures, ambulated patients, prepare IVs, and all other kinds of nursing-related activities! I do however wish I had the opportunity to become a CNA (I lived in the middle of nowhere, and EMTs were needed!) because even though I can administer o2 before the preop nurse can even detect a lowered SpO2 and know more about fractures, surgery, and airways than many, I am having to catch up on learning the basic nursing procedures (which are equally important, trust me!!) and it's kind of embarrassing. If you have ANY clinical experience communicating with, working with, or assisting nurses and other professionals, you will be ahead! It is different for everyone, but just remember to treat your patients when you are a nursing student with the same manner as if you were an assistant.

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

To the OP: you are going to be far ahead of your classmates in terms of basic nursing skills because you have experience with doing many of those basic nursing tasks. You may have to modify some of what you do somewhat to satisfy your instructors in how they want you to complete a specific skill. What this means for you is that you will be able to spend more time in your clinicals learning how to put things together clinically, as opposed to focusing on individual skills. You will also be able to devote more time to your academics rather than focusing on your skills because you know them.

My advice is to watch, listen, learn the way your instructors want you to do things and then do them that way. Probably the largest difference between doing something as a CNA and doing something as a nursing student is that you will be expected to think about the underlying pathology and rationale for the things that you do. You are no longer going to see stimulus X do action Y like a CNA does, you are going to think about what is likely to be the cause of the symptoms and signs that your patient has and how you might attempt to correct that within the nursing domain. Some of my fellow students are CNA's and they seem to have a more difficult time making the mental transition from CNA to nursing student because they are used to doing stimulus response instead of critical thinking.

In my opinion, if you can make the transition from CNA thinking to nurse student thinking relatively easily, and he picked up the academics fairly well, you will have a relatively smooth 1st and 2nd semester nursing school experience.

Nursing school is stressful. You don't need to stress anymore than necessary because it is detrimental to your health and well-being if you do. Trust the process.

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Thank you all for the advice!

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Specializes in total care of quadriplegic patient.

All of the above comments are right on target. Just take it one day at a time and DO NOT get overwhelmed. Also, try to cut down your work hours as much as financially possible to make room for studying.

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haha there is so much advice to give!! lol :)

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Because of your nursing assistant job and your experience, you may have it a little easier than others who have no experience whatsoever in a nursing related field. You will probably find the first semester of nursing school not as bad as you are now thinking it is. Relax. Some of it may be a review of what you already know. You'll learn new things and new ways of doing things than you're used to doing them. Consider youself lucky you are in the position that you are in. :)

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