Being a Nervous Newbie

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Hello all :) I have been wandering around on AllNurses forums since my junior year of high school, after I got my CNA. I love reading all the stories, questions, and support that goes on in these forums!

Here I am now, a freshman in college. I have already been accepted into a 4 year BSN program, and I'm set to begin next year.

However..... Reading these threads terrifies me. I can't afford to fail out of school. I desperately want to make it through Nursing school. I often read about people trying their hardest... And they simply fail.

I'm sure all the other newbies know what I mean :) Any advice for us? I've seen plenty but I'm always ready for more :)

Nervous Newbie

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Specializes in Neuro, Telemetry.

Honestly, you will either make it or you wont. I know that isnt very helpful, but I have found that there are those who are just naturally good at this program, those who have to try super hard and barely pass, and those who just cant hack it and will fail. You wont really know which category you fall under until you start. Of course, a lot of studying can make up for lack of natural ability to pass, so dont be discouraged if you dont just "get it" right out the gate. But also be open to seeking help at the first sign of trouble if you are not one of the fortunate souls who just get it from the start. If you are lucky enough to pick up how to take NCLEX tests and how to study right, right away, then you will be set. All you can really do is show up each day to lecture, pay attention, and take good notes. Study your heart out and practice NCLEX questions frequently to make sure you are as prepared for exams as you can be.

Also keep in mine that for every person who complains about how terrible nursing school is, there will be a handful of students who do great and dont stuggle. People are more apt to vent and post about frustrations than they are to post about positives. Its just human nature. So dont let a message board of stressed out nursing students freak you out. Just go into your program with an open mind and ready to study study study and you will do your best. GL and congrats

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Thank you for the perspective :) It's disheartening to think that I most likely will be one of the people that struggles to pass. I work very hard, and have great time management in order to get all A's in pre-reqs. But alas.... I am not naturally "smart"

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But, you already know you need to study to succeed. It's the "naturally smart" ones that sometimes struggle. They are the ones who have never had to learn how to study. Everything always comes easy to them. You will do great. I just finished my first semester and started with a class of 28-30. We have lost 5 or 6 students since day one. 2 were for personal family issues, but the others were lack of class attendance and probably lack of putting in the study time.

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Thank you for more perspective :) It's nice to hear that some success is determined by the amount of work you put in :)

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Specializes in Hospice.

Being naturally smart doesn't guarantee success in nursing school. Nursing school to me has been all about how much you put into it. I study approx. 40 hours for one test. I also work part time. I don't do much with friends anymore, but they understand, and it's almost over anyway. One more semester; it has flown by. If you are smart enough to get in, you are smart enough to succeed. Good luck!

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Interesting point!!! Thanks for that point of view :) Guess I'll just continue to work my butt off!!! :)

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Specializes in Neuro, Telemetry.

I have to agree that it doesn't have much to do with being naturally very smart. What I meant by naturally good at the program was intended to mean students who just "get" NCLEX style testing. I am definitely not the smarted person in my program. There are quite a few who are smarter than me, but just aren't good at NCLEX style questions. I am. You could ask these students questions about priority and how they would manage care for various patient scenarios and they would be spot on. Put an NCLEX question on paper and they struggle. I do understand and I do study, but a lot if what goes into my exam grades is the fact that I know how to answer NCLEX questions and don't struggle with them. So just continue to study like you do. Maybe change a bit once you take your first exam if you need to. But don't focus on if you are going to fail or not to start. No matter which type if student you end up being, the fact you work hard and study now can only help you in the program. With enough dedication, it won't matter which "category" you fall in because you can make up for downfalls with study in most cases.

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Interesting :) I'm not sure how I handle NCLEX questions yet.... We shall see I guess :)

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Congratulations on getting in! Like one poster said, if you're smart enough to get in, you're smart enough to succeed. Don't let this board scare you. I stalked it for years and it almost made me rethink wanting to be a nurse. I'm so happy that I kept with it! My first semester just ended and I have no doubt in my mind that nursing is for me.

When you start, just make sure you stay extremely organized, study daily, and don't stress. I'm one of those "naturally smart" people and not having good study habits really killed me. It took me over half the semester just to learn how to study. In the thread below, on page three, I listed out tips I wish I would have known and/or fully accepted before starting. Good luck to you!!

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-student/excited-about-starting-960491-page3.html

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Wow thanks for the link to that thread!! I had not seen it before :) It's nice to know that these threads were a bit scary to someone else too ;)

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