I am now an expert on passing your first semester of nursing school, having just done it myself. (you'd see me wink here if you saw me in person)
Here's what you need to know:
1. Just getting to the first day of class is a big first step. Wading through all of the assorted paperwork and requirements is its own good preparation for what you are up against. Get in the habit of reading all directions carefully. Twice.
2. Get there early on day one and sit in the front. This will assist you greatly in step 3.
3. When any of your instructors are talking, shut your mouth and listen. Believe it or not, the things your instructors say are much more likely to help you than the things your classmates say. If you are a bit less polite than me, you might want to firmly instruct your classmates in this same idea early on.
4. Read your textbooks carefully. Sometime during the semester you will figure out that nursing tests are not like other tests. Many of the questions will be about what YOU should do. So pay attention to those sorts of things. Know when you should be washing your hands, when you should or shouldn't put on a mask, etc. You'll need to study the other things too, but really focus in on those nursing actions when you study.
5. Study early, often and regularly. While you probably don't need to spend every waking hour studying, it would be good to read your chapters before class, review after class, have a regular time each day for study, and find that extra time right before each exam as you can.
6. Skills. If you have skill check-off sheets like my program does, just memorize them word for word. Start doing this ASAP. You can pretend they are lines you have to learn for a play. Even if you don't understand all of the words now or don't know exactly what you should be doing on each step, just go ahead and start learning it anyway. This will save you lots of grief and heartache.
7. Clinicals. If you have clinicals during your first semester, whatever you do, don't be shy. If you have ever spent time in a hospital as a patient, or even just spending significant time with someone else who was a patient, think about whether the doctors and nurses asked you if you wanted to have your vitals taken or wanted your wound looked at. No. They just said, "I'm going to take a look at you now." That's going to be you now. You can be polite in how you say things, both to the patient and to the staff, but you really need to just jump in there. If a nurse or doctor is there with you go ahead and ask them questions about what they are doing. They normally won't mind. Or just tell them you'd like to watch and then move into a good position to see. This is the whole purpose of you being there, to practice your patient care skills and to learn from others.
8. Technology. For the most part technology will be your enemy in nursing school. Turn off your phone at the beginning of class and leave it off until after class. Leave your laptop at home. Take notes with paper and pencil. There are several studies showing that students perform far better on exams when they take notes by hand, as well as studies showing big drops in performance when the temptations of messing around during class are available. Give yourself every advantage you can here.
9. Be pleasant and polite. This means with everyone. Make every effort to treat your instructors well. Don't gossip about them after class. Same for your classmates. And the nurses at your clinical site. You will need to work with these people and they will play a big role in determining how you do. Some of them will be easy and some will be difficult, but treat all of them well.
10. Mistakes. This is probably the most important bit of advice. Mistakes are your biggest learning opportunities. While its preferable to learn from other people's mistakes, you'll make plenty of your own. Don't get mad when one of your mistakes is pointed out. That's how you are going to learn. Don't get mad when you get a test question wrong. You can argue about it and discuss it, but your main goal should be to figure out why your instructors thought the OTHER answer was the RIGHT one. Ask about what would happen if you made a mistake in various scenarios.
Good luck to everyone getting started in school and those who are continuing like me. Feel free to add other bits of wisdom below as well.
i am new to this site, and i did not know where to post a new thread or discussion, that's why i just stuck this question in here since i was reading this discussion. I am starting my nursing program january the 8th. i've been freaking out since i heard about the tests that are usually based on critical thinking, where we are given case studies and possible answers to choose the best one from them. my question is about these case studies. do we get tested through case studies scenarios on all nursing classes or just a certain class, and the rest of the classes have their own methods of testing our knowledge. please anyone who has an answer for me i will appreciate it.
PaulBaxter, you are brilliant. Just brilliant. I just made it through my first quarter and everything you said is gold. It's hard to say which one is better than another because every comment is spot on, but if I could chose only one it would be No. 10. Kwitcherbitchin, you're probably going to get kicked around the block by those nursing school tests and the sooner you get down to problem solving the better.
I recently graduated an ABSN program and my bit of advice is to get in the habit of doing NCLEX questions daily early on - even when your answers are wrong they are good learning opportunities when reviewing the rationale for both right and wrong answers.
I started by doing 4-5 day (on most days) in the second term of my program and increased the number incrementally to 25 (minimum) pay day throughout my last term. Passed NCLEX on first attempt with 75 questions.
Ahhh.... I'm older than all the other students in my cohort and I've been through another professional program. I remember saying to quite a few of my classmate (while trying to find a study group that would accept me) that it would be worthwhile for a study group to start focusing on NCLEX-style questions ASAP. Every person I approached responded, "We don't know enough to start practicing the NCLEX." I tried to argue that it wasn't as much about content as processing but got blown off.
However, now that we're entering our second quarter, I doubt there's anyone in my cohort who'd disagree with that approach.
So my advice would be to focus on learning the THINKING. We're all top level students who know how to get the content. If you can't find people to study with who will focus on the reasoning, then you are better off doing it on your own because this is the majority of what nursing exams require.
I begin nursing school on 1/20! Very excited and very nervous....I am older than most classmates, but am hoping that won't be a hindrance in starting up a study group. Will use the advise posted here. Thanks so much!
PaulBaxter, you are brilliant. Just brilliant. I just made it through my first quarter and everything you said is gold. It's hard to say which one is better than another because every comment is spot on, but if I could chose only one it would be No. 10. Kwitcherbitchin, you're probably going to get kicked around the block by those nursing school tests and the sooner you get down to problem solving the better.
You are too kind. Hope school continues to go well for you.
i am new to this site, and i did not know where to post a new thread or discussion, that's why i just stuck this question in here since i was reading this discussion. I am starting my nursing program january the 8th. i've been freaking out since i heard about the tests that are usually based on critical thinking, where we are given case studies and possible answers to choose the best one from them. my question is about these case studies. do we get tested through case studies scenarios on all nursing classes or just a certain class, and the rest of the classes have their own methods of testing our knowledge. please anyone who has an answer for me i will appreciate it.
thanks
Every school handles case studies differently. Make sure you understand how the professor grades his/her case study assignments. That being said, the text book is a wonderful reference for working the case study problems. Read it first, especially in Assessment and Fundamentals before trying to do the case studies, especially if the first attempt is the grade.
I begin nursing school on 1/20! Very excited and very nervous....I am older than most classmates, but am hoping that won't be a hindrance in starting up a study group. Will use the advise posted here. Thanks so much!
There will probably be other older students in your group, but don't discount the young turks - some of them are pretty sharp!
i am new to this site, and i did not know where to post a new thread or discussion, that's why i just stuck this question in here since i was reading this discussion. I am starting my nursing program january the 8th. i've been freaking out since i heard about the tests that are usually based on critical thinking, where we are given case studies and possible answers to choose the best one from them. my question is about these case studies. do we get tested through case studies scenarios on all nursing classes or just a certain class, and the rest of the classes have their own methods of testing our knowledge. please anyone who has an answer for me i will appreciate it.
thanks
I just finished my first semester, too, and the best advice I can give you in addition to the OP is:
Get ready to learn why the right answer is not always the right answer. By way of explanation, what I mean is that nursing schools (at least mine and any I've heard of) love to ask questions like "Pick the most correct answer", or "Which patient needs to be seen first?", or the dreaded, "Select all that apply", which is the bane of nursing students everywhere, it seems.
Sometimes the answers to the first two are obvious, other times, far less so. The critical thinking is based on a couple of things, one being priorities: Remember your ABCs (Airway, Breathing, Circulation) and Maslow, when you learn about him, for those. (And yes, I know CPR now teaches CAB)
The other good advice I can give you is if you have not taken a medical terminology class, grab a book and start teaching yourself. That knowledge is invaluable. Lastly, before you take a test, BREATHE! Relax, take it easy. Anxiety is not your friend in practice when you graduate (ever seen a nervous nurse?) and it's not your friend now. They're teaching you more than just how to answer questions by the book. Nursing school is a whole new animal, compared to other kinds of education. Congrats on getting in- now the "fun" begins. (You'll sleep again in about five months, between semesters.)
OP, I'm not meaning to steal your thunder here, just adding another perspective.
I've read that the nursing diagnosis handbook 9th edition by ackley is really good but it was from 2011. There's a 2013, 10th edition now. Does it matter which edition we buy for more accuracy?
I've read that the nursing diagnosis handbook 9th edition by ackley is really good but it was from 2011. There's a 2013, 10th edition now. Does it matter which edition we buy for more accuracy?
The 10th edition has the 2012-2014 NANDA diagnoses while the 9th edition has the 2009-2011 NANDA diagnoses. But I know we have the 2015-2017 NANDA diagnoses now, so I'm assuming an 11th edition is in the works. The 10th edition was a required text my first semester, and I've used it for every care plan I've written. It helps me organize information and understand the nursing process.
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loula114
12 Posts
hello everyone,
i am new to this site, and i did not know where to post a new thread or discussion, that's why i just stuck this question in here since i was reading this discussion. I am starting my nursing program january the 8th. i've been freaking out since i heard about the tests that are usually based on critical thinking, where we are given case studies and possible answers to choose the best one from them. my question is about these case studies. do we get tested through case studies scenarios on all nursing classes or just a certain class, and the rest of the classes have their own methods of testing our knowledge. please anyone who has an answer for me i will appreciate it.
thanks