Can you guys give me an example of a day in the life of a nursing student?

all517 · Aug 14, 2012

Staying healthy and fit has stayed a struggle for me! I tend to lose weight during the year, and sometimes can't seem to get away from energy drinks/running on no sleep. You need to do what works best for you... After my first semester I swore off staying up past 1am studying... It's much better to have a semi-refreshed brain and think through critical concepts than a dead one that stayed up all night! Plus, it will make you feel miserable at clinical the next day.

A typical week would be:

Monday class from 8am-4pm. Wake up around 6am (I have to commute), grab dinner on the way back, hit the library until 8. If I have an exam Tuesday... Study group until midnight.

Tuesday class from 8am-4pm (repeat). Bed by 10 or 11 for clinical Wed,Thurs,Fri. I wake up at 0430 in clinical mornings. Prepare your bag the night before.

The week changes, sometimes you have a day as a "study day". And each semester changes for us, so level 1 we had class M&Tues, level 2 we had class M&Fri... It all depends.

Depending if you have an exam Monday or Tuesday... I'd be in the library around 11-5 Saturday and Sunday. It's difficult if you have Thursday and Friday classes, because you're exhausted from clinicals but still have to hit the library after the hospital.

You go into survival mode. Focus on what you have due the next 2 days, not the whole month. And take some time for yourself!!! You need it to keep you sane After your first semester, you'll develop your own routine and this craziness will become a comforting chaos for you! :-)

bubblejet50 · Aug 14, 2012

First day u get slammed with your syllabus if you didnt get one at orientation. They outline the amount of projects, reading, and tests. Then we had ice breaker game tgen had lecture over 100 pages of reading. Then it was time for the next class...lol

First year I was at school from 7am-330pm mon-fri. I lived off campus because I was a nontraditional student. I did cry that first week. But it does get better.

HopefulNurse2011 · Aug 14, 2012

Mon- clinicals 7a-7p, tues- off (shocking), wed- lectures 9-6, thurs-lecture 7-6 (break in there too), fri- lecture 7-11. Each class we have alot of readings anywhere from 7+ chapters in one class plus w/e other class readings you have. Its common for about 17 chapters for one week amonst the classes, well that was once actually.

I will be stalking this thread bc i want to know what type of assignments you all do for your classes, also what courses are you taking together?

How are your quizzes/test given? online or in class?

Has your clinical days ever been cancelled for any reason?

QuarterLife88, MSN, RN, NP · Aug 15, 2012

This is a very general version of what my first year looked like:

Mon: theory for 3 1/2 hours

Tues: lab day 3hrs

Wed: off

Thurs/Fri: clinical (16 hrs total)

Sat/Sun: catch-up on studying/projects/papers/careplans

For second year it will look like this:

Mon: theory for 3 1/2 hours

Tues: off

Wed: off

Thurs/Fri: clinicals (16 hrs total)

Sat/Sun: same as above

During 1st yr, some weeks were worse than others. You could always count on a theory exam, a lab skill and a careplan all being due in the same week. Hell week.

Nurse Lynette, BSN, RN · Aug 15, 2012

We have clinicals from 0630 to 1500 on Monday and Tuesday

Off on Wednesday for "study"

we have lecture from 0830 to 1600 on Thursdays

Off on fri/sat

Sunday's we go to our clinical site and gather our patient info and prepare our care plans for clinical on mon/tues

Nolli · Aug 15, 2012

I'm at the tail end of my 1st year and the schedule was nicer at the beginning than it is now even though I had more days of class and clinical. These days every monday and friday its get up at 0720 and do my usual morning thing leave by 0745 to walk to class and class starts at 0800. I have Pharm I and Adult I back to back and class ends at 1120. I go and get lunch, hang out with friends and head back to class at 1200. Afternoons I have Nutrition I and Pathophysiology until 1520. On wednesdays I do review sessions as well until 1630 then go back to apartment/dorm and study eat and relax before bed which on most nights is 2330 and on mondays 2300 since I have to be up early on tues. Tuesdays are clinical days (currently, but you can have thurs and sat as well based on your assignment) and start at 0400. I lay everything out the night before and make sure I have last week's careplan ready to turn in, ipod (we're issued them and they come with software like epocrates etc), watch and steth. I get dressed in scrubs, eat breakfast, brush my teeth and put my hair up in a bun. I leave by 0445 at the latest because I have to make the train and I have to walk a bit to get there. Clinical is from 0600 to 1300 and then I come back get a shower and start working on my careplan. I may have 4 day weekends, but those two days I have off before sat and sun are really study days and homework days .

Katie71275 · Aug 15, 2012

For us,

It was class M-F 8-3 most days of the week until clinicals started, then classes were 2days a week 8-3, a half day on Friday, and clinicals started at about 2 days per week and again half days. As we moved further in the program, our classes stayed similar, but clinicals increased..so instead of 7-11, it would move to 645-1pm then 645-3pm.

There were weeks we would be off from clinical and that was either a real off day or was used for ATI testing or for skills check offs.

As for the other questions, Im a mom to 4 kids, so my husband and I live off campus of course. I would suggest working out daily if you can and bringing your lunch to clinical/class if it's an all day affair.

Stephalump · Aug 15, 2012

M: Lecture from 10-12, then I have study time at the school blocked out from 12-2.

Tu: Lecture from 10-1, Lab from 1:40-3:30

W: Clinicals from 6:30-6:30, although we get there much earlier to get ready.

Th&Fri - Off, although we do have to keep our schedule open for things that pop up, and I have study time and study groups blocked out on those days.

I love my schedule the more I look at other people's!

nlynrob · Aug 15, 2012

I start in September but we had orientation in June and that's when we got our schedules. Mine looks like:

Mon: Pathopharmacology 8am-9:15am, Foundations 9:30-10:45

Tues: Health Assessment 8am-9:50

Wed: Patho 8am-9:50, Foundations 9:30am-10:45, Philosophy of Human Behavior 12:30pm-1:45

Thurs: Foundations lab 11am-2pm

Friday: Health Assessment lab 8am-11am, Philosophy 12:30pm-1:45

I'm not sure about clinicals. I'm guessing we'll hear about it at the second orientation Sep. 3rd but I'd like to know! Did anyone have clinicals along with any of these classes? This is my first year doing actual nursing classes and not just re reqs so I've never experienced clinicals and I'm a little anxious.

momtojosh · Aug 15, 2012

i chose my own schedule as there were many classes to choose from:

mon-nothing

tues-9-11 lecture....then i work as an LPN 2-6(my short shift)

wed-3-9 clinical at a nursing home

thurs-nothing

fri-9-11 lec 11-1 lab.....then work 2-10

sat-2-10 work

sun-nothing

I do have a 1 credit online class as well....so 7 credit hours total.....ALL my co-reqs are done...A's in all of them...only took one at a time though,so this should be an eye opener!!!

i hope i am not regretting that i scheduled my classes the same day i work......i did this so i could have some days off thru out the week to study,clean,be a wife,be a mom and gramma....:cheers:

alovelymother · Aug 15, 2012

I start the 29th. My schedule is pretty nice.

Monday 1p-5p skills lab

Wednesday 9a-1p lecture

2p-4p pharm

Thursday 6a-2p clinicals