New to the game...

[ashland88]

Hi all,

I am a new nursing student and was wondering if you have any suggestions on things to do to prepare for school... ie: what are valuable purchases, what to expect, what can I do to prepare.

I have already gained a list of books and have purchased a few, but I really would like some advice from the professionals (that have survived what I've heard will be a killer first year).

Any info is greatly appreciated! Thanks a bunch!:)

[Cindy-OB RN/CCE]

I had a Davis's NCLEX book and it was a great study guide to use for tests. Some of my school exams had the exact same questions as the NCLEX book.

Cindy

[puzzler]

Hi Ashland and welcome to the world of nursing.

My only suggestion is that you learn how to study.

By this I mean--do you learn best by: seeing (reading), listening (I made my own audio cassettes to listen to in my car--I drove 80 miles one way to school), doing (I usually re-wrote my lecture notes, made them neat and more organized).

I found that I also did best with a study group, just be sure the group really wants to study and not just socialize.

I am sure you will find what works best for you. Truth is I used every method I could dream up. Try to keep it enjoyable rather than a "chore"

Good luck

[nur20]

Let your mind be a sponge. That's what seperates the average nurse from a great one. It may seem unimportant at the time but i guarantee you that you will encounter this info somewhere during your career, in some form or fashion. Think outside of the box. Learn, not just what's before you or what is required of you to pass a test but go beyond that. You may think it's a killer now,but oh, how grateful you will be !!! Good Luck !!!

[JillR]

The best advise I can give you is to take one day at a time. Do not look too far ahead or everything will seem to be way to much and overwhelming. Don't try to work ahead, it will just put too much of a burden on you. When you get into clincals, do not be afraid to do all the skills you can and let the nurses that you are with know what you need practice with. Ask any questions that come to you mind that you cannot find the answers to in a book. Remember that no-one can memorize everything, the most important thing you can remember is where to find the information. Knowing how to use your references is the best skill you can have. Good luck. I am sure you will do fine.

[Mijourney]

Hi ashland. Welcome. I agree with the previous posts. It's great that you are asking about personal management skills for nursing, because that's very important. This is something that was not emphasized when I attended nursing school eons ago.

I recommend that you have some form of a personal planner to help keep you on track and that you take the pains to stick with it because it will help you gain success more quickly once you're out in practice. Organization and prioritizing is everything in this profession. I also recommend that while you're in the library or at the internet studying that you take time to read an article or two each evening from a trade or professional journal. Best wishes.