First semester nursing student

buffalo2122, ADN, BSN, MSN · Jan 27, 2015

BREATHE. you'll be just fine. Get a study group together with a couple close classmates, I know that helped me a ton during nursing school. Figure out now how you study best, is it alone? with friends? flashcards? pictures? reading your notes? recording lectures? hands on? In order to excel as a student you first figure out HOW you learn best then all you do is use that to study your buns off! Best of luck to you on your new journey!!

emilyGS21 · Jan 27, 2015

I am going to try and figure out how I study best for these nursing tests! Thank you & thanks for the advice

2k15NurseExtern4u, BSN, RN · Feb 5, 2015

Relax chile.

pmabraham, BSN, RN · Feb 7, 2015

Good day, Emily:

I've found this article helpful from pre-nursing to being a RN student (it is my first semester as well): https://allnurses.com/pre-nursing-student/how-to-get-846733.html https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-student/tips-for-surviving-831174.html is another great article. One of the major key's to success is organization and discipline.

Our program follows concept learning (they call it a flipped classroom), and is in a 6+1 format where we have 6 weeks of theory including clinicals followed by one week where we have cummulative finals. It is extremely intense whereby we frequently have as many as nine chapters to read in a few days in addition to various assignments (aka homework), pre-lecture quizzes (to ensure we are reading the material before class), exams pretty much every week along with skill checks. Then you have to find the time to practice clinical skills which often require at least one if not several partners (i.e. for several of the vital signs, three people were need -- one person doing the skill, a patient, and another to verify the accuracy of the one performing the task). By the way, for one to pass the vitals skills, each of us had to be within +/- 2 of the instructor (i.e. radial pulse within +/-2, apical pulse, respirations, blood pressure).

I believe the only way to stay on top of it is to be disciplined and organized. Make a plan, while you live by the plan evaluate the plan, be flexible in adjusting the plan as needed.

Thank you.