First day of Nursing school..What should I expect?

allnurses Guide · Sep 4, 2011

It is a little true that it is like a CNA class, as the nurse of course has to be able to do all the stuff a CNA does. So learning that first makes sense.

Expect to meet a lot of other excited and nervous people.

Expect to jump right into lecture on whatever the 88 pages are about.

Expect to cover instructor expectations, to get a lot of information on a lot of different components of nursing school and hopefully some info on organizational skills and advise on any additional things you may need in regards to supplies.

Expect much of the day to be more "orientation" geared than anything.

Best of luck. Remember to enjoy the journey :)

allnurses Guide · Sep 4, 2011

Oh. And expect the classroom to be cold no matter how hot it is outside. :lol:

TropicQT · Sep 4, 2011

Our first day was a lot of paperwork and a general orientation to the program, clinicals, etc. Everyone had to introduce themselves to one another, and yes went right into a fundamentals lecture. Don't be nervous, they don't expect you to know everything the first day! Later in the first week we had labs and skills check offs, but they let you practice. Good luck, and just remember it can get very stressful, but will be the fastest 16 months of your life!!!

jesskidding, LPN · Sep 4, 2011

Lots of paperwork, orientation stuff, clinical info, syllabus reading, orientation stuff, lots of questions from students, and more questions.

We didn't get into the books the first day. Just a lot of information given to us.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Sep 4, 2011

'The first day probably not much other than hello's, expectations, syllabus, requirements then hang on....it's going to be a fast, bumpy, scary, thrilling, satisfying, rewarding, terrifying, stressful, enlightening thing you have ever done.

Welcome! Remember we are here for you..:)

vagirl76 · Sep 4, 2011

I know exactly how you feel. I start Tuesday also and dont have my books yet. They didnt give us the book list until last week. I received one and Im praying the other three will be here by Tuesday evening. Im so nervous and I have no medical background, only Social Work, so I have no idea what to expect. Good luck to us!

Valery0725 · Sep 4, 2011

thank you eveyone..since it is labor day weekend my first class is lab..n than lecture wed..hopefully ill read everything overnight tuesday and wednesday morning...Thanks for all the advice...most important thing is to stay positive...

nerdtonurse?, BSN, RN · Sep 4, 2011

If I'd known then what I know now....study all the psych you can get your hands on. You'd be surprised how many people are absolutely, positively crazy -- and I'm talking about the families, too, not just patients. Learn all you can about labs -- not just the numbers, but things like why a person in DKA who's on an insulin drip's potassium is going to fall, even if they came in with high K to begin with.

Learn everything you can about COPD, CHF, diabetes, Kidney disease (acute and chronic) and addiction -- that's going to be the 5 big diagnosis you see as a nurse, unless specialize out into oncology, psych, burns, surgery, etc., and those 5 can complicate care in any specialty area. Know what those diseases do to labs, what they cause, what makes them worse, what makes them better.

Learn referred pain. And learn how referred pain relates to the different sexes. A guy with a history of a MI complains of pain in his back, I'll look at him closely. A woman with a history of a MI complains of sudden onset nausea, pain between her shoulder blades -- and it may present as "my backache's making me nauseated" == especially if she's just a little short of breath, red alert! And if you have someone who's a long term diabetic who looks like they've got every symptom of a MI except chest pain -- diabetics often don't have chest pain, they have the silent heart attacks until they have the big one. If you're watching someone who's going for a cardiac cath and their BP drops and the HR doesn't correspondingly rise and they aren't on a beta blocker -- assume they've got a bad blockage, and tell someone!

And keep in mind when you get on the floor -- nobody gives the nurse you're with a lighter load just because she's got a student, she doesn't get more money, and if she does something you don't like or understand, ask her first, but don't do it "on stage." Some families are always looking for something to complain about, and they've got no problem complaining about you, so don't give them any ammo.

Finally, there's my first rule of nursing: Everybody dies, sooner or later. Second rule: You don't get to change rule one.

Armygirl7 · Sep 4, 2011

Hey good luck! It's an exciting time.

My top 2 pieces of advice:

Pay attention.

Follow directions.

If your Prof. sends you an email with deadlines and assignments and what-all - read it thoroughly until you understand it! If it says do this or read that by this date or bring this or that by this date then: DO THAT! If the instructions say tie your hair back, no big jewelry or long painted nails then: tie your hair back, wear posts, and cut your nails!! I was always amazed by students who thought the rules didn't apply to them. Does not bode well for their future I can tell you.

It is painful when one of your fellow students looks the Professor in the eye and says sheepishly "Oh, you need that today?" And you're sitting there like HELLO did you read the email/syllabus/instructions??? The Professor usually sighs with disappointment- they've met THAT student before and that student is a big fat drag for everybody!

If you need to be drug tested before clinicals - get it done right away and be polite to everyone you meet at your clinical facilities - they DO talk and word does get back to your program director and clinical professor if you are rude or act entitled etc. We had a student held back an entire semester for being rude to someone in the clinical setting.

Spelling counts, and behavior counts in Nursing!

Nursing school is rehearsal for how you are going to manage your nursing practice once you have a license. Think of it that way. Strive for excellence - be on time (meaning 10-15 minutes early!), be systematic in how you approach your work (to do lists, deadlines etc) ask questions when you don't understand or know something (don't pretend to know and then do it wrong), don't be defensive - keep an open mind.

Also don't talk during lecture - ask pertinent questions YES - but no sidebars with your neighbor or chatting while the Prof is talking.

Be the professional you are studying to become!

It's an awesome and fascinating experience - enjoy!

cydavis · Sep 4, 2011

Congratulations! I would advise you to NOT make a habit of staying up all night to get reading done. I too have a family and I can assure you that lack of sleep catches up to you very quickly! You will feel overwhelmed numerous times during the semester and beyond. They will throw a lot of material at you but you need to be able to comprehend what you are reading, not just regurgitate numbers or symptoms back at them. Find people in your class that you can study with and support each other. Hang in there, and take care of yourself! Good luck!

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Sep 4, 2011

Hey good luck! It's an exciting time.
My top 2 pieces of advice:
Pay attention.
Follow directions.
If your Prof. sends you an email with deadlines and assignments and what-all - read it thoroughly until you understand it! If it says do this or read that by this date or bring this or that by this date then: DO THAT! If the instructions say tie your hair back, no big jewelry or long painted nails then: tie your hair back, wear posts, and cut your nails!! I was always amazed by students who thought the rules didn't apply to them. Does not bode well for their future I can tell you.
It is painful when one of your fellow students looks the Professor in the eye and says sheepishly "Oh, you need that today?" And you're sitting there like HELLO did you read the email/syllabus/instructions??? The Professor usually sighs with disappointment- they've met THAT student before and that student is a big fat drag for everybody!
If you need to be drug tested before clinicals - get it done right away and be polite to everyone you meet at your clinical facilities - they DO talk and word does get back to your program director and clinical professor if you are rude or act entitled etc. We had a student held back an entire semester for being rude to someone in the clinical setting.
Spelling counts, and behavior counts in Nursing!
Nursing school is rehearsal for how you are going to manage your nursing practice once you have a license. Think of it that way. Strive for excellence - be on time (meaning 10-15 minutes early!), be systematic in how you approach your work (to do lists, deadlines etc) ask questions when you don't understand or know something (don't pretend to know and then do it wrong), don't be defensive - keep an open mind.
Also don't talk during lecture - ask pertinent questions YES - but no sidebars with your neighbor or chatting while the Prof is talking.
Be the professional you are studying to become!
It's an awesome and fascinating experience - enjoy!

Great advice. In other words, follow the rules, don't be viewed as a rebel if you don't want the instructors to swoop down on you and land on you with both feet.

Also, be nice and respect the right of other students to hear the lectures. Even if you have pre-read the material or maybe you are bored, others have not read it and want to hear the lecture. This was very hard for me as an Instructor - having students talking while I was trying to lecture. I had to ask a couple to leave the room once. Bummer for me and everyone else. But I had to protect the interests of the students who actually wanted to hear what I was saying. Bottom line - the Golden Rule.