How to handle Nursing school.

margin261 · Jul 24, 2016

Ok, you sound really motivated- which is good. But the reality of nursing school will be difficult for you if you don't cut yourself some slack on the 'perfectionism'.

First of all, I don't remember ever being responsible for 1,000 pages of material in a week- will it seem like that at times, yeah it will.

I, too, made As in pre-reqs (full disclosure: except micro: B) and then start the nursing program & don't pass my 1st test! It was crushing! The main reason is the tests were all NCLEX style questions when all I was used to were content based questions. It was a difficult adjustment to make & many programs are like this. So just learning the facts doesn't cut it, you have to know what to do with the info.

So the sooner you can let go of the ' I have to make a 100 on all the tests' the better off you'll be, because it's not likely to happen in nursing school. And it's ok. You need a certain gpa to graduate & then no one will ever ask about your grades again. It just matters if you pass NCLEX.

Nursing school is stressful. Reading about it doesn't do it justice- you won't fully understand til you're in the middle of it. You'll need to develop coping strategies to de-stress: go out with friends, exercise, binge watch netflix, etc. getting strung out over not making 100s will not do you any kindness & it would serve you well to be kind to yourself now & have some strategies in place before you start the nursing program.

There are areas , AFTER you become a nurse, that perfectionism tendencies are good to have- that help you in your own practice, with time management & organization. But for now- you're young, in college- have some fun! Oh, and good luck!

guest723 · Jul 24, 2016

Thank you very much for your reply! It means a lot.

Take care!

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jul 24, 2016

1. Do not disclose to classmates that you are a good student. You may become the subject of gossip, unofficial academic competition, and tutoring requests from classmates who lack your intellectual horsepower. Keep your grades to yourself.

2. It is not about what you know. Rather, it is about who you know and how they feel about you. Stay on good terms with your professors and always portray yourself as a safe student who is interested in lifelong learning of the nursing profession.

NICUismylife, ADN, BSN, RN · Jul 24, 2016

The first semester of nursing school was the most content-wise and then the following semesters build on the foundation from first. Yes, we had weeks where we were responsible for reading 22 chapters in the textbook(s)--that was for all 3 classes total. Pretty much the entire first semester was like that. I was able to maintain my 4.0 by the skin of my teeth.

1. Know how your instructors test. Is it a test bank from the textbook? Then study the textbook, take the chapter quizzes, study the boxes and diagrams especially, utilize any online resources provided by the textbook publisher, memorize the nursing interventions laid out in the text for each disease process. Understand which ones are priority. etc.

If your instructors make up their own test questions, then record the lecture and re-listen to it. Study the powerpoints, recopy lecture notes, create charts based on the lectures. If your teacher stresses something repeatedly, KNOW IT. You still need to utilize your textbook and other resources, but spend a lot of your time on the material your teacher has put together for you.

2. Look at the objectives for each course section. Go through your book and notes and really study those items until you can ask the question and answer it sufficiently without looking at any resources

3. Utilize ATI and Quizlet and other apps that can help you study when you're on the go, waiting in line at the grocery store, etc.

4. Do not study for 10 hours on end. You are no longer studying to pass a test and then forget the info. You will utilize this info the rest of your life. Every single thing you learn one semester will be built upon next semester, you have to know it backwards and forwards. You need to study to retain. You need to understand the why behind everything. You will not see straightforward questions anymore. You will see "critical thinking" questions. You will see questions where every single answer is right and you have to know which one is the "MOST" right. True story. You need to study every single day.

5. Utilize study tips, for example, study according to your learning style, listening to the lecture repeatedly won't help you if you're not an auditory learner, for example. Study in short 20-minute bursts. This will help you retain the info better. Color code your notes. Seek out ways that help you fully understand the material: watch youtube videos, go to your schools skills lab and act it out, do case studies, draw diagrams, etc.

6. Take care of yourself. Your brain will not function well if you don't take care of it. You need at least 7 hours of sleep. Your short-term memory is converted to long-term memory when you sleep, you can study all day and all night but if you don't get enough sleep, it won't be converted to long-term memory and you won't retain it long-term. Eat healthy, stay active, do something you enjoy every once in a while, or you will lose your mind.

7. You need to let go of the "all-or-nothing" mindset. You can't have that mindset as a nurse and you can't have that mindset as a student. In my last 2 semesters, not a single student (our of 60 of us) earned an "A" in Med-Surg. Not.a.single.student. I earned a 4.0 all through my pre-reqs, and even during first semester, after that, no one did. Repeat: NO ONE. You can't let that break you. Be happy you passed, and just keep trucking.

GOOD LUCK!

Zyprexa_Ho · Jul 24, 2016

No one is ever stupid or intellectually challenged to the point where they cannot succeed in their academic or professional career.

I beg to differ. Someone with an IQ of 70 is not going to be able to be a brain surgeon no matter how hard they try.

enuf_already · Jul 24, 2016

I beg to differ. Someone with an IQ of 70 is not going to be able to be a brain surgeon no matter how hard they try.

Agreed! Some people are not going to be successful in college or a career that they may dream about doing because they truly do not have the skills necessary to achieve that dream.

I would love to be a singer who travels the world (even as backup to a big name) but the fact that I have a horrible voice will hinder me no matter how hard I try or what kind of grades I make in music theory and piano.

Someone with an intellectual disability may struggle with specific skills--and I'm not talking about a learning disability. A person with an IQ of 45 will likely need help with daily living skills so there will be people limited as to what they can achieve based on their intellect.

OP, I would like to add that there are honestly some people who should not be nurses. These people usually wean themselves out (either fail or drop out) but some do occasionally slip through.

andrea3434 · Jul 24, 2016

I've never had to read more than 100 pages or so for a particular subject on a particular week. And that being said I didn't usually read all of those every time. It's more important to be able to pick out important information and focus on that. The way you do that is follow your instructor's powerpoints and after the first exam you should have a good idea about what to study for next time.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jul 24, 2016

I beg to differ. Someone with an IQ of 70 is not going to be able to be a brain surgeon no matter how hard they try.

Bingo! As harsh as this may sound, we all cannot be anything we want to be.

To be blunt, some people lack the academic horsepower that is needed in order to earn a college degree. While they can thrive in many trades and vocational pathways, they seem to have never quite crossed the bridge to abstract thinking and are still stuck with very concrete thought processes.

rn-robin · Jul 24, 2016

Thanks for everyone who posted responses. As a fellow perfectionist who is about to start nursing school and is freaking out a bit this is super helpful!!

Meeshie · Jul 24, 2016

Hi,

You will not be perfect all the time. Yes, I've had tests on 15 chapters of material. Even if you could memorize all that (and you can't) it won't matter. Questions are based on critical thinking skills in relation to the material. It's not as simple as just memorizing and regurgitating. You will not get it all right all the time.. and you need to be able to accept that. If it breaks you then nursing school won't work for you.

I was Valedictorian. I was not perfect. I did not graduate with a 4.0. No one is perfect. No one knows everything. The amount of information you are given during nursing school is vast.. and no one person will remember everything. You're not expected to. You're expected to learn to be safe and effective. You learn how to find information when you need it. You learn to think critically and help keep people safe. That's it.

Banana nut, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Jul 24, 2016

The first semester of nursing school was the most content-wise and then the following semesters build on the foundation from first. Yes, we had weeks where we were responsible for reading 22 chapters in the textbook(s)--that was for all 3 classes total. Pretty much the entire first semester was like that. I was able to maintain my 4.0 by the skin of my teeth.
1. Know how your instructors test. Is it a test bank from the textbook? Then study the textbook, take the chapter quizzes, study the boxes and diagrams especially, utilize any online resources provided by the textbook publisher, memorize the nursing interventions laid out in the text for each disease process. Understand which ones are priority. etc.
If your instructors make up their own test questions, then record the lecture and re-listen to it. Study the powerpoints, recopy lecture notes, create charts based on the lectures. If your teacher stresses something repeatedly, KNOW IT. You still need to utilize your textbook and other resources, but spend a lot of your time on the material your teacher has put together for you.
2. Look at the objectives for each course section. Go through your book and notes and really study those items until you can ask the question and answer it sufficiently without looking at any resources
3. Utilize ATI and Quizlet and other apps that can help you study when you're on the go, waiting in line at the grocery store, etc.
4. Do not study for 10 hours on end. You are no longer studying to pass a test and then forget the info. You will utilize this info the rest of your life. Every single thing you learn one semester will be built upon next semester, you have to know it backwards and forwards. You need to study to retain. You need to understand the why behind everything. You will not see straightforward questions anymore. You will see "critical thinking" questions. You will see questions where every single answer is right and you have to know which one is the "MOST" right. True story. You need to study every single day.
5. Utilize study tips, for example, study according to your learning style, listening to the lecture repeatedly won't help you if you're not an auditory learner, for example. Study in short 20-minute bursts. This will help you retain the info better. Color code your notes. Seek out ways that help you fully understand the material: watch youtube videos, go to your schools skills lab and act it out, do case studies, draw diagrams, etc.
6. Take care of yourself. Your brain will not function well if you don't take care of it. You need at least 7 hours of sleep. Your short-term memory is converted to long-term memory when you sleep, you can study all day and all night but if you don't get enough sleep, it won't be converted to long-term memory and you won't retain it long-term. Eat healthy, stay active, do something you enjoy every once in a while, or you will lose your mind.
7. You need to let go of the "all-or-nothing" mindset. You can't have that mindset as a nurse and you can't have that mindset as a student. In my last 2 semesters, not a single student (our of 60 of us) earned an "A" in Med-Surg. Not.a.single.student. I earned a 4.0 all through my pre-reqs, and even during first semester, after that, no one did. Repeat: NO ONE. You can't let that break you. Be happy you passed, and just keep trucking.
GOOD LUCK!

Great post! Thank you for putting this out there!