How can I Prepare for LPN school

rbaez4 · Apr 17, 2008

The fundamentals has alot of critical thinking, They do put alot of questions on test regarding the critical thinking theres also alot of rationale when going through the chapters. VERY IMPORTANT, alot on our tests as well. I am in an LPN program in Miami, Not sure how they will start u off, As far as Anatomy I do suggest u get familiar with it and a bit of advice Focus on the endocrine system, Its coming back to haunt me.....

Good Luck...

TIFANIBAZE,SVN · Apr 18, 2008

I JUST FINISHED LEVAL 1 NURSING AND IF MY SCHOOL IS ANYTHING LIKE YOURS GIRL MAKE PLANS FOR ANYTHING THAT MIGHT GET IN YOUR WAY NOW SO YOU HAVE TIME TO STUDY FUN FUN... WHAT I DID WAS WAITED TILL I GOT THE PRINT OUT OF THE CLASS AND WHAT WE WAS DING EACH WEEK AND THEN THAT WAY YOU KNOW WHAT YOU NEED TO STUDY I WENT AND MADE FLASH CARDS WITH ALL KEY TERMS ON THEM AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT STOOD OUT AND I DID GOOD THAT WAY ALOT OF OUR TEST HAD MOSTLY KEYTERMS SO IF YOU KNEW THEM YOU WOULD DO GREAT:typing

DaniLPN2RN · Apr 18, 2008

I would take this time to relax and enjoy the time you have. Once you start school it will be hectic. Like someone else said, make plans for anything that could go wrong while you are in school ... then make a back up plan, and a back up for your back up. It is an intense program with a lot of information in a short period of time. It is manageable, but you don't want to have to stress/worry about anything else during this time.

I have been in my program for a month now and I've gotten a great schedule worked out. We get our weekly schedule on Thursday for the following week. I spend the weekend reading ahead for all materials we are going to learn. I make flash cards with abbreviations and definitions. I keep the flash cards with me at all times ... so I can review them whenever I have a few minutes no matter where I am.

Congratulations on being accepted into a program. :yeah: The next few months will be filled with anxiety and excitement ... especially as the day draws nearer. I had butterflies for about 2 months before we actually started. I absolutely LOVE it!! I'm sure you will too. There is a lot of helpful information on this board.

Good Luck!

peridotgirl · Apr 19, 2008

Hello KATIE. I am an LPN student/ high school student and I have been in my LPN program for a while. My advice is to actually enjoy any time you have left becuase you will being studyng, studying, studying your butt off... not, I'm not joking. Once you start you wil barley have time to stratch your nose, so please enjoy this time while you can. If your anything like me (lol) and want to get ahead and strive for the best and you cannot resist the temptation to do some nursing, then by all means pick up that Foundations of Nursing textbook and read a chapter or two. It wouldn't hurt. The A&P book is great also, but don't "pour" all over it. Focus on the critical thinking, which as another poster commented, is in the Fundementals of Nursing textbook. I say focus on disease processes and signs and symptoms, clinical manifestations of the patient, and nursing interventions. I hope this helps you and I wish you the very best of luck in LPN school. It will be difficult and stressful at times, but you can pull though. You will make it. please let us know how it goes for you. If you have any questions or just wanna talk feel free to PM me. :yeah: :heartbeat:):typing:nurse: :nurse:

Jules A, MSN · Apr 19, 2008

Hi,

Congratulations! I'd find out what NCLEX book your school recommends and start reading a bit and practicing the questions to get used to the testing method you will be seeing for the next year. Like the others said, have fun also while you can.

P.S. I was wondering if you couldn't take the A&P class this summer to reduce your load in the fall. We had to have all our pre-reqs finished before they accepted us and I'm glad because it would have been a lot more work.

pinesbear · Apr 20, 2008

Congrats on being accepted!! Now starts the worrying and anticipation. I am 2 months into my LPN program. The first couple of weeks were consumed with trying to figure out how to study for 3 different instructors, what they expected on the tests, and how to deal with 3 different styles of tests. Relax, have fun, and have confidence in yourself. One thing that really helps me is a study group-be mindful of who you decide to study with. Try to find 3 or 4 people that have the same personality as yours, as a big difference will be distracting and defeat the purpose. Secondly, identify everyones strenghts and weaknesses and do not be afraid to attack your own weaknesses. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed with a certain chapter or section, break it up into small sections and take a short break in between frustrating sections. Relax, have fun, and have confidence in yourself! As impossible as it seems, keep yourself well rested, your memory and your test grades will thank you! Hope this helps. Good Luck! :yeah:

sincere74 · Apr 20, 2008

I SUGGEST INVESTING IN THE LPN NOTES 2ND EDITION GREAT POCKET GUIDE AND MOSBY'S PHARMACOLOGY MEMORY CARDS THESE TWO ITEMS ARE VERY HELPFUL TO ME. I BEGIN MY LPN PROGRAM APRIL 21, AND I TOTALLY FEEL YOU ABOUT GETTING STARTED EARLY YOUR ON THE RIGHT TRACK. GOOD LUCK TO YOU, KEEP IN TOUCH :typing :bow:

Fiona59 · Apr 20, 2008

I would say enjoy your freedom. Get all your medical and dental appointments out of the way. Are your vaccinations up to date? If not get them done and save the stress of the mass innoculations that some schools do.

Stash some emergency cash, freeze some meals. Make a list of emergency contacts (you never know when you might need someone).

Review the A&P but don't go overboard. Enjoy the sunshine and freedom because when school starts you will miss them.

mrsraisinkain · Apr 22, 2008

I have to agree with most of the posters on the page... get some R&R in while you can. I started school April 1. Holy Moly it's been a really busy few weeks. I posted a thread on here similar to yours https://allnurses.com/forums/f99/getting-ahead-help-273502.html before I started school and that was the general consensus there.

I did purchase the med calculations book Pagandeva2000 recommended in that thread. It's a great book and I found it pretty inexpensively on amazon.com. I looked through it, worked through some stuff, and brushed up on my basic math knowledge. My math class has started off very remedial so it's worked out for me because I had the option of skipping the class the first couple of days so I've gotten out of school early a couple of days because I felt confident about my math!!

Attendance in school is so very very important. Like somebody else said, make sure all your doctor appointment for yourself and your children are all out of the way before school starts. Also, if you do have kids make sure that you have babysitters galore. In orientation they told us that we need a plan A, B, C, and D for childcare.

Good luck to you!!!

natrgrrl · Apr 22, 2008

Congratulations on getting into nursing school. I remember how excited I was last summer, probably like you are now. I am finished with all my classes now and just waiting to take my final and finish up clinicals. Then NCLEX-PN.

If you are anything like me, you want to be prepared. Some things I wish I would have known before starting NS are things like medical math, how to use a stethoscope properly, medical terminology, and most importantly, how to study effectively.

If you are learning how to study effectively at the same time you are learning about how the heart works and how to apply the nursing process, you might get overwhelmed.

Good luck. And stay excited about your future career as a nurse.