How do I prepare myself for nursing school?

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Hello everyone! I have recently been accepted to my local nursing school. I'm very excited and prepared to begin. However, I'm very nervous of what to expect. Some nursing students have stated that the curriculum that's presented in class is not overall difficult; however, they have said its the quantity of information being thrown out toward you. How can I better prepare myself for this transition? I don't start until Februry and I have 2 months to basically prepare.

Should I work on effective study skills? Condition my brain to memorize efficiently? Intake Omega-3 fatty acid? Read on a constant basis? Exercise to increase circulation of blood throughout my body? Practice my writing skills? Speak articulately? HAHA, im only kidding, just throwing out some suggestions of my own.

The first class is called Clinical Nursing Concepts. I have no idea what to expect. Any suggestions/advice/recommendation will be greatly appreciated!

I thank all of you for your time for even reading this post!

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Specializes in Cardiology/Telemetry.

Congrats....It's hard work, but once you're finished you will feel an amazing sense of accomplishment!

As for prep work, see if you can get the copy of the syllabus for that class you are starting with, that way you can get a head start on the readings (and also know what book to buy)

Sounds like that first class will be about honing your head to toe assessment skills, and what is worthy of your attention (depends on what the patient's individual issues are.) You can find a pocket guide at any bookstore for nurses about assessment skills. They are very handy, I'd suggest you pick one up, if anything to have for reference. Your assessment skills are going to be KEY when you begin your profession as a nurse. The sooner you understand what and why, the more confident you will be in your skills.

I hope this helps you.

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I would go over a very basic review of the body systems, brush up on study skills if you need to but most of all I would take care of myself and have some fun because you are going to be busy, busy, busy in 2 months! Get your life in order and establish a good routine of sleep and staying healthy.

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Specializes in Med-Surg Nursing.

I liked the Incredibly Easy series by Springhouse publishers. It helped me make sense of things in more simpler terms.

Nursing school and real world nursing are two totally different animals. Good luck to you!

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I have a few random tips.

1. If you know what type of nursing you want to get into upon graduation, get a job as a cna NOW and make as many friends/connections/good references as possible for your resume upon graduation. Even if you only work per diem or 1 day a week, get that job. Do not commit to too many hours.

2. Use an NCLEX book to study for your exams, I wish someone told me this. So much clearer than professors notes and may of our exams had identical questions from nclex study books. ANd make sure you ahve a quiet comfy place to study with no distractions. Ear plugs work wonders at the library. Do not leave all the work to the last minute, there is so much you need to read ahead, then the lecture will reinforce. Then you read it again before the exam and it sets in better.

3. DO NOT WORK TOO MUCH. You will be under a lot of stress and need a lot of time to study and prepare for clinical.

4. Say goodbye to friends & family, get used to piles of laundry, and a messy house. It is what it is.

5. Do an Externship or Internship the summer before your senior year, this is the most valuable experience and will look great on your resume.

6. Prepare yourself for the mental game. The instructors will try to break you down & eat you alive. Dont take it personal, be prepared for clinical never talk back and keep your head down an move forward. There were a few students kicked out of our program simply because one instructor didnt like them or they got into it with one at clinical. Work hard, study hard and lay low.

7. Flash cards are the bomb. :)

That is all I can think of right now. Good luck!

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Specializes in GERIATRICS,HOSPICE,MENTAL/PHYS DISABILED.

:yeah:Congrats to you! Good study habits work wonders! Yeah, if you like to go out and party, get it out of your system these next 2 months. Hopefully, you will have good instructors like I did when I went (only 1 or 2 really gave us a hard time). When you start, find you someone in class to be your study buddy. Someone who will prove trustworthy enough that you can brainstorm with, vent your frustrations with, and go through this emotional rollercoaster called Nursing School with. Good Luck, Good Bless, Many Prayers-and get ready for the ride! :uhoh3: :eek: :D

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I JUST finished my first quarter - today! I think the best thing you can do is learn how to answer those NCLEX style questions where EVERY answer is correct. This was the hardest thing for almost every student. Because a lot of the questions, even if you dont know the info its asking about, you often can get the correct answer if you just learn how to tear apart the question.

The other thing would be reading ahead if possible. One of our exams had 11 different chapters on it, it was pure craziness! Do all the questions at the end of the chapter, and on any CD they give you.

If you have never done anything clinical related before, you may want to watch some instructional videos on youtube, so you will feel more prepared at clinicals.

Best of luck!!

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You should sleep, visit with your family, clean your house from top to bottom, and do whatever you want because while you are in nursing school, you will be doing VERY LITTLE of those activities.

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I agree with tkm. Take it easy and enjoy yourself because when you start nursing school you will be busy. Good luck to you.

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I'm actually in the same position as you and I am very excited and nervous all at the same time. What I have been doing to prepare myself for nursing school is brushing up on my math skills for dosages and calculation. Nothing complex just memorizing conversions. I also purchased the book "How to survive nursing school maybe even love it", which is filled with a lot of helpful tips and advice for newbies like us. I also got myself a simple and cheap fundations book to read with leisure (i'm a nerd i know lol). But the best thing that i have been doing is RELAXING. Just enjoying my free time now and making the best of it. I actually wish I could go on a mini vacation or a spa. But I will just settle for sleeping in and catching up on dexter lol. Good luck and Congratulations on getting into nursing school.

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Study skills for nursing school is different from study skills from any other type of schooling. In NS, study skills seem more adaptive on a semester by semester basis.

Brush up on your patho, pharma, fluids & electrolyte, and anything dealing with heart and lungs.

Eat healthy and exercise now, because when you start your nursing program, you may not be able to have many chances to eat a proper meal or a chance to exercise outside of house work and studying.

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Specializes in Cath Lab & Interventional Radiology.

Relax and have fun. Once school starts you will be busy with your nose in a book. Also you could pick up a NCLEX book that teaches you how to answer NCLEX style questions. There are many apps for cell phones too. I really like the Memory Notebooks of Nursing series. They are very helpful, because they have funny cartoons to help you remember many things.

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