Advice re: references for grad school

[Amxixi29]

I am a new RN grad with just a few months of working experience. However I am planning on going back to school soon. I just have a question for everyone who has or is applying to grad school right now. I am planning on applying within the next 2 years for an MSN program. The school I am applying to requires that there be 3 references who all must be RNs with at least a Master's degree.

My concern is that I am not sure who I can ask to give me a good reference. I have a nursing instructor that I really liked who I can ask to be my reference. I plan on shooting her an email soon to ask because I have not seen her since graduation in May. And she was my theory and clinical instructor during fall of last year. I did mention to her during that time that I would someday ask her to be my reference and she was fine with it. I am just worried that she may forget me in the sea of many students she has taught since. The second person that I would ask used to be my manager at the unit that I work at right now. She hired me when I was a student tech and then proceeded to hire me as an RN. However, right before I started working as an RN on the unit she retired so she never managed me while in my new position. Now there is a new manager but I don't know her well enough to comfortably ask her. I am thinking maybe within another year...if I choose to wait to apply, then I can ask her. But if I choose to apply sooner, I cannot think of another person to ask as a reference...help!!

Can anyone share where your references came from? I was a good student and always did well in clinical but never was very close to any of my instructors (whom some I personally did not really like). I feel like I should have worked harder to stand out during school so that I would feel more comfortable asking my past instructors to be my reference. I don't want to email someone out of the blue asking for a reference and they don't even remember who I am. That would be horrible!

If anyone has any advice or suggestions I would appreciate it so much...Thanks!! :balloons: