I'M SO HAPPY THE FIRST SEMESTER IS DONE....well it's almost done :-). I currently have A's in all the classes && let me say, I've never had to work so hard for an A in my life. I'm used to studying the night before and acing a test. This took some effort. All i have is a drug calculation final (easy), and the nursing and pharmacology final....both of which shouldn't be to hard (according to 2nd semester students). This semester wore me out! I mean, at times had me close to tears and made me want to quit, but I'm glad to have persevered.
My question to you all is: what do you think was the most challenging aspect of the first semester? Before the semester started, I undoubtedly thought I'd have the most issues with Pharm, but surprisingly, that was the easiest class for me. What turned out to be a nightmare was Nursing Theory. The lectures were often times extremely vague. The powerpoints were just outlines of the chapters, which in turn forces you to read the whole chapter! And wow!...the reading....omg i don't even wanna reminisce on that. Not having a clue of what was going to be on the test was absolutely horrifying. Skills and Clinical were excellent though, I had an awesome instructor for those classes :-). All in all, this semester was Nursing Bootcamp, the introduction of what's to come no doubt.
Well if time managment is the toughest part it should be pretty easy for me because when I psych myself out about how hard something will be (apI, II, patho, micro) I end up devoting more time than is probaby needed and actually doing much better in it becuase I'm so scared of getting behind. The "weeding" out process also gets me a little frightened, not because i'm scared i can't emotionally handle the pressure (which i'm not entirely sure that i can) but up until this point i kind of have problems with authority and being told what to do in a rude fashion haha. I'm sure i will be getting over that reeeally quickly (and shutting my mouth!!)
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Waking up hungover and having to drag my butt into clinical at 6am to give people "showers." Blah... what a waste of my time.
What would have been a better use of your time since caring for the Pt. was a waist. I am sure they would have rather had a nurse that wasn't hungover as well, I can't stand the smell of people when they are hungover. They just reek!
Specializes in SNU/SNF/MedSurg, SPCU Ortho/Neuro/Spine.
the hardest thing for me was how to learn how to start thinking like a nurse, and start the network of information on my brain to start "r/t -ing" and get to the point...!!!
for those of you who haven't started yet, it really wasn't too hard. Like another poster said, the hardest aspect is time management. Balancing nursing theory, skills, clinicals, pharmacology, and drug calc is a lot. and at my school if you haven't taken writing 102, you must take that as well the first semester. yes....it's a lot. the material itself wasn't so hard, it's just the volume of material and trying to figure out what will be on the exam........IMHO
I'm elated at finishing up the first semester, but also looking ahead to Med Surg and OB. For me, the hardest thing was getting past Dosage Calculations. The math is not hard, it was the nerves and knowing I had three chances to pass or get kicked out. Long story short, I went down to the wire before finally making a 100 on the darn thing. Skills check offs were stressful, just because they were going on the same time as the Math test and a Theory exam. Honorable mention would go out to the last two exams (Nutrition,Comfort,Elimination) & (Psychosocial,Growth & Development). The Psychosocial was particularly challenging. Note to incoming first year students....get used to the frustration of sorting out different NANDA labels (Nursing DX) for the Psychosocial unit. I don't care if I ever see Altered Role Performance vs Ineffective Coping again!
I believe the hardest thing about the first semester is adjusting to the pace. Every time you turn around there is a different paper due, major exams every week, validations on skills, care plans, etc. Once you figure out a rhythm with it all it seems to be less daunting. Don't get me wrong, I have finals next week and then I am done for 3 months (YEA!) but I now that I know what to expect next semester I am comfortable with it.
Waking up hungover and having to drag my butt into clinical at 6 am to give people "showers." Blah... what a waste of my time.
Pray tell, why would helping your patients shower be a waste of your time? Are you too good to help your patient shower? Or do you fail to realize the importance of cleanliness for the health and comfort of your patient? I'd also like to know why you felt it was a good idea to drink the night before your clinical so you could be hungover in the morning when your taking care of patients. I'm certainly not perfect or "holier than thou" but its statements like yours that make me really concerned about how some people will be as nurses...
I echo the adjusting to the new way of thinking and the time management. It took me a good month, month-and-a-half, to find my rhythm. Juggling school with a family was difficult at the beginning but as I found better ways to make use of my time (studying 1/2 hour here, 1/2 hour there) versus trying to get a 3-hour time block at once, it got much better. Clinicals were my favorite part, I really hate sitting in lectures.
I'm really excited to start 2nd semester next week. I'm excited about psych.
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criticalRN10
185 Posts
Well if time managment is the toughest part it should be pretty easy for me because when I psych myself out about how hard something will be (apI, II, patho, micro) I end up devoting more time than is probaby needed and actually doing much better in it becuase I'm so scared of getting behind. The "weeding" out process also gets me a little frightened, not because i'm scared i can't emotionally handle the pressure (which i'm not entirely sure that i can) but up until this point i kind of have problems with authority and being told what to do in a rude fashion haha. I'm sure i will be getting over that reeeally quickly (and shutting my mouth!!)