Admitted to the Intensive Nursing Program. Now what?

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I just got admitted to the Intensive Nursing Program (yay!) which starts in January 2015. The program is intensive, it runs full-time for 2 years (6 consecutive semesters with a 2 week break in between), which allows me to write the licsensing exam in March 2017.

I'm here to ask for any useful tips on how to prepare for the program, how much you can work (part-time job as a receptionist at a veterinary clinic) while in the program and what to expect throughout the program. Basically any advice you're willing to share!

I know your social life decreases drastically, but I still want to maintain a relationship with my boyfriend of 5 years (he'll be starting a job as a junior auditor at Deloitte in October 2015, so he'll be busy too), and my family and friends. As well as have some time for myself to keep my sanity intact.

Please help me!

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Specializes in ICU.

It's about planning. I have 3 different planners and I write in all of them. I have a dry erase board in my kitchen that I write my schedule and my son's schedule for the upcoming week so we don't miss anything. Today is Saturday and my son is with his dad for the weekend. I have my ATI proctored test scheduled for Monday morning. I will spend today with my boyfriend and tomorrow studying. My boyfriend is not a planner and it drives him crazy when I want specific times on when we meet up. But I told him I have to schedule everything in my life right now or I will forget something. So he is getting better with it. He understands my life is crazy right now. His is too. So it's about planning and compromising. If you let nursing school take over your life, you will be burnt out before you even graduate. My nursing instructors stress that you need a good life balance and they are correct.

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Specializes in MICU.

Hello,

as Heathermaizey has mentioned, planning is the ultimate thing to do. I am remaining with 3 weeks to complete my 1st semester. It had been one of the most wonderful experience I have had in my schooling. Its not hard as folks puts it. In fact its easy to get 100% in Nursing school than prep classes, that's according to me. Why? I never changed my study habits (reading a whole chapter as is, answer questions at the end of chapters, have extra text book, for example, If my school is using Nursing Fundamentals by Potter and Perry, I have an extra fundamentals success by Pat Nugent- THIS BOOK IS GOOD!!!!, going through the topic questions and rationale, then I search for online quiz-lets on the same topic and read through, when exams time comes, I find out that all questions and rationale that I have gone through are in the exam, I end up with a 100%). While other students who have changed their study habits finds Nursing school so hard and demanding, its good to do it your way. Follow your trend and you will be fine.I had a study buddy during my prep class, ofcourse she was also a A's student. When we started Nursing school, she never wanted anything to do with study group because she wanted to go solo due to her tight schedule. Understandable! I had made some friends in school and we formed a study group. This study group was strictly meant for exam review. We all make like 30+ questions on our own, or any question and individual finds interesting online or in any other text book. We take whole day to go through all these questions. Everyone has to have questions!. At the end of every exams, we will find out that about 50-60% of the exams came from group review. It doesn't matter if you have study group or not, I have seen one student in our group failing in every exam, not because she doesn't study but because she knows it all and better than her peers.

We are like a family in our class of 21 students. I feel so blessed to be in the program with my classmates.

Sorry for the English!!! It is my 2nd language so I try to write better ahh! All the best for any student nurse reading this, go and rock it, its possible!!!!

Note: Remember to get materials for your first semester from your respective instructors, you can start reading those assigned chapters earlier so by the time you start in January, everything will be a revision to you. Good stories and learning objectives in those chapters that you need to know now because when the semester starts in January, you will probably have no time to study them all. More tips, you can email me through allnurses email. Thanks

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.

It's totally doable. My program was a traditional BSN in 4 semesters. Yes, super intense, but doable. Most people worked as well. Staying organized, planning ahead, planning meals, making studying a huge priority, and figuring out the balance with your relationship will help keep you sane. Additionally, find that one thing that keeps you sane- reading, going to the gym, meditating, whatever it is, and DO NOT let it go. You will need something to help keep you on an even keel. You'll have times of high stress, of course, and keeping yourself balanced will make all the difference.

Congratulations and good luck!!

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Specializes in ICU.

I study better alone. I feel like people talk about a million other things than what to study about. And one person's opinion may be different than mine. I make flashcards and study myself and have been able to pull A's and B's on my tests. As long as I can do that, I feel my method of studying works for me. I like to use Quizlet on my ipad. We also got a huge box of ATI books. I do the questions in there on the section we have been studying right before the test. It gets me in nursing question mode. Nursing school questions are different than regular class questions so I have to get into that mindset before the test.

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