What do you wish you had known?

[TmooreA]

I am about to start my 1st year of a BSN program. Any advice? What do you wish you had known when you first started nursing school?

[elijahvegas, ASN, RN, EMT-P]

some things i already knew but intensified when i got into nursing :

-dont mention prior medical experience

-dont show off your high marks--if anyone asks what grade you got on a test, answer with a letter grade down

-make some friends for networking purposes only-everyone stays at arm length or further.

-nobody is your friend unless you're officially hired together, until then these are people that are trying to get your job

-nothing is going to make sense and nothing is going to matter until 3rd-4th semester, til then just know what the professors want you to know

-many profs have heavy egos or chips on their shoulders and its going to feel more like hazing than teaching--give them the reaction they're looking for so they lay off of you and move on.

-failing a test isn't the end of the world, just make sure to do better to make up for it

-nursing school will consume much of your time, dont let it consume your life. give yourself space to breathe.

-its ok to have downtime

[symphie]

I disagree with many of the previous posters. All of my instructors genuinely cared about what I had going on in my personal life and I felt supported when I needed it. I also don't agree with keeping your classmates at arm's reach because of competition. No one will understand the stress and the load of what you're handling like your classmates will. Sometimes going to get drinks after classes to complain about how overwhelmed you all are is the best way to get through it.

You'll be in classes with ALOT of overachievers, so remember to focus on passing grades, not "the best" grades. Take it one semester at a time and just get through it. None of your future employers will ask for your GPA or what your grade was in a particular class.

Spend your first couple semesters focusing on how to master the tests. Learning the material and learning how to take the test are 2 VERY different animals. No matter how well you know the material, if you don't master how to take the tests, you'll never get through it. Don't be afraid to meet with professors. They usually have really good advice on how to master taking tests where all of the answers are technically correct.

[Ashley_SF, BSN]

I have to say many of these comments surprise me! I also went to a CSU and felt my program was very supportive. As far as keeping everyone "at arm's length" I disagree. I graduated 5 years ago and am looking to transition into another area of nursing. The friends I made in nursing school are now the professionals who are helping me transition into my next role. They're also the people I reach out to when I'm having a tough time with work and just need a fellow nurse to speak with, someone who understands how I can be both overwhelmed and overjoyed with nursing.

Not everyone will be supportive and you won't like every professor or clinical instructor. But, I believe you get out what you put in. I wish I had made more of an effort to make connections with nurses/nurse managers during clinical. I had a tough time landing a job after graduation and I think my resistance to seeming a "pest" held me back.

Be yourself, ask for help when you need it. Don't be afraid to ask questions and try new things! When you have an opportunity to try a new skill in clinical, take it! This will only increase your confidence and will aid in you the "real world."

Don't let other people's negative experiences scare you. We each have our own path, you can choose to stay in the sunshine :)

[elijahvegas, ASN, RN, EMT-P]

Poster asked for things that we realized about our experiences after the fact.

We all have great and fond memories and friends from our programs, but im pretty sure the op was asking mainly about what mistakes/misconceptions we had that we now know better, and can help them avoid.

Thats why there is an overwhelming "negative" sentiment to these replies.

We dont need to tell the OP about our favorite memories, theyll make their own, own their own.

[blenderbottle]

Thank you

[Apple-Core, ASN, BSN, RN]

1. Don't worry about other peoples grades. As long as you are passing, that's all that matters. Once you leave school and pass the licensing exam, very few places will ask for your grades.

2. Nursing school is demanding. The pace is FAST and you will have a LOT of information thrown at you. You will be expected to perform at your very best. For some people this invokes a lot of anxiety and stress, and they will talk about that. I suggest avoiding these conversations as you just end up going down a rabbit hole. Accept it's going to be demanding...end of story. No need to sit around talking about that all day long. Use the stress-energy to study instead.

3. Buy a strong backpack.

4. Take notes all lesson long, even if they don't seem relevant at the time

[Brenda0911]

It sounds like Junior High!