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!
Congrats! It's such a wonderful feeling to be accepted into the program you worked so hard to get into.
#1. If you haven't alread gotten your texts DO SO. It's good to have your books ahead of time, that way you can start to skim through them. Im not sure about your program but my program expects us to already have a certain # of chapters already read before the FIRST day of class, once you are behind it takes a while to catch back up. This semester I had 23 chapters to read before the first day of class.
#2. One tool that has helped me greatly in nursing school is recording my instructors lectures. If you have an iTouch, or an iPhone you can purchase a recorder app (i use AV professional recorder) this app lets me file share to my computer and upload all my lectures on to my itunes or I can use headphones and listen directly off of my phone. You would be suprised how much information you miss during the lectures. Plus the instructor gives lots of "hints" for the exam.
#3. Dont skip out on the readings. They are very very important, sometimes they can be dry and grueling but stick with it, do the NCLEX review questions at the end of each chapter.
#4. Be prepared to become overwhelmed and frustrated. Nursing school is hard. staying focused and positive will make this all a more enjoyable experience. A good attitude really makes all the difference. Nursing school is supposed to stress you out, they are looking to see who responds well under pressure.
#5. Put in the study time. Some people don't have to study as much as others but you will feel less stressed during an exam if you know you have put in the time to study.
#6. Stay organized. Its key. Buy a planner and write in everything you need to do, even if it seems small, there will be so many chapters to read, papers to write, drug cards to look up, careplans to write etc. you will get lost if its not written down.
#7. buy the biggest binder you can find (4 inches or more) it will be overflowing by the end of the semester.
I am a big flash card studier, is it possible to study with the use of flash cards all throughout the nursing program? That is kind of the only way I can study.
I am a big flash card studier, is it possible to study with the use of flash cards all throughout the nursing program? That is kind of the only way I can study.
Check out an app/website called Picmonic. It's geared towards nursing and med students. I did a lot of flashcards in pre reqs but they aren't as useful for nursing classes. You might want to learn to write concept cards too.
To the OP - just enjoy your summer. The volume of information isn't so great you need to study it before you start. :)
AKsummers
6 Posts
Congrats! It's such a wonderful feeling to be accepted into the program you worked so hard to get into.
#1. If you haven't alread gotten your texts DO SO. It's good to have your books ahead of time, that way you can start to skim through them. Im not sure about your program but my program expects us to already have a certain # of chapters already read before the FIRST day of class, once you are behind it takes a while to catch back up. This semester I had 23 chapters to read before the first day of class.
#2. One tool that has helped me greatly in nursing school is recording my instructors lectures. If you have an iTouch, or an iPhone you can purchase a recorder app (i use AV professional recorder) this app lets me file share to my computer and upload all my lectures on to my itunes or I can use headphones and listen directly off of my phone. You would be suprised how much information you miss during the lectures. Plus the instructor gives lots of "hints" for the exam.
#3. Dont skip out on the readings. They are very very important, sometimes they can be dry and grueling but stick with it, do the NCLEX review questions at the end of each chapter.
#4. Be prepared to become overwhelmed and frustrated. Nursing school is hard. staying focused and positive will make this all a more enjoyable experience. A good attitude really makes all the difference. Nursing school is supposed to stress you out, they are looking to see who responds well under pressure.
#5. Put in the study time. Some people don't have to study as much as others but you will feel less stressed during an exam if you know you have put in the time to study.
#6. Stay organized. Its key. Buy a planner and write in everything you need to do, even if it seems small, there will be so many chapters to read, papers to write, drug cards to look up, careplans to write etc. you will get lost if its not written down.
#7. buy the biggest binder you can find (4 inches or more) it will be overflowing by the end of the semester.
GOOD LUCK!