How to prep myself for nursing school

fultzymom · Apr 24, 2007

Take a big, deep breath et relax. Nursing school is hard as it should be. Look at the responsibility you have. BUT, we all have been in your shoes. Very nervous, afraid that we would not make it. You have to be prepared to study long and hard. You have to be seriously dedicated. If you are deturmined, you can do it. I found that it was helpful to review the material for lectures before I actually went to class. Then you can be somewhat familiar with what the instructor will be talking about. When you are in clinicals, try to be as prepared as you can. Look up all meds, know the pertinent labs, know the proceedures they will be having et what they indicate. Good luck!!

TazziRN, RN · Apr 24, 2007

If you can afford not to work while in school, that would be great. Nursing school is very hard and you should do anything you can to make it easier. Not working is not an option for many, though, and it can be done.

As for reading before school starts, you can skim through the books but don't expect to understand a lot of it. As you attend lectures and read ahead after that things will make more sense, but right now it probably won't.

Natkat, BSN, MSN, RN · Apr 24, 2007

I don't know if reading the text is very helpful. It won't make any sense to you and may not be the best use of your time.

My best advice: Stay organized. Every day in class we get bombarded with papers. As soon as I get home I divide them up into folders - one for fundamentals, one for lab and one for clinicals. Every time I get new papers I punch holes and put them in binders. For me, this was absolutely essential for staying organized.

Create a schedule and stick to it. I do my best to get up and go to bed the same time every day. I study at about the same time each day and am very protective about my study time. These two things will keep you from staying up too late studying and then dragging yourself to class or clinicals the next day. I know that I am draggy and sleepy in the afternoon so I don't study in the afternoon. I do best with early morning and after dinner study time. I use the afternoon to run errands or do household chores because anything I try to study during that time will just have to be studied again because I won't remember it.

Nursing school is hard because of the amount of work you will have to do. There is an overwhelming amount of information to learn and you can't possibly learn it all. If you accept that now it will save you frustration down the road. Try and learn what is most important and don't dwell on the trivial or get too far into detail. Get started early on projects, homework, papers and care plans. Don't wait until the last minute. You will be surprised at how long it takes to do something. You won't want to turn in crap work because you waited until the last minute and didn't give your assignments the attention they needed. Organize and prioritize. Don't waste time working on a project due in a month if you have a lab homework assignment that needs to be turned in the next day.

Go to be early the night before clinicals. I was exhausted during clinicals and I couldn't survive without a good night's sleep. I had a sit-down job for years and it was a big adjustment for me to be on my feet for several hours at a time. I also felt emotionally drained at first, so getting enough rest was critical for me to survive. Along with being on your feet you have to think a lot, so you want your mind to be sharp when your instructor comes around and you have to "stand and deliver".

For lab and clinical: Practice, practice, practice. There is no shortcut for spending time learning a skill and doing it over and over until you feel comfortable. It is amazing how the smallest thing will trip you up - finding the beginning of the roll of tape, opening an alcohol prep pack, getting the BP cuff on correctly. And it is especially nerve-wracking to have your instructor standing beside you watching you perform a skill and you know you have to get it right to be checked off. It is so much better to have the hang of it and not fumble around.

Make the most of your clinical time. It goes by quickly and you have a lot of stuff to learn, so get in there and do as much as you can. If you mess up, so what? Go back and do it again, and again, and again. You will be scared to death when you first start working with patients. The best way to get over it is to get your hands on a patient as soon as possible and as much as possible.

Hospital experience is helpful but not essential. I work as a dialysis tech and that helped me go a long way, but I have classmates who have never done any medical work at all and did way better than me.

Take breaks. When you study, only study 20 minutes at a time at first. Set a timer. When it goes off, get up and do something else. As you go along you'll be able to stretch this out to as long as an hour. Any longer than that and you're wasting your time. You won't remember a thing you read.

Reward yourself often. About once a week take a break from all school activities. Spend time with your family. Go out to dinner with friends. Pace yourself. Nursing school is draining and you won't make it if you don't give yourself a break now and then.

Good luck!

allthingsbright · Apr 24, 2007

Four months should be enough time to grow a thick skin! Thats the one thing I wish I had done before school--I am learning the hard way, I guess.

Just relax--you will be glad you took time to enjoy life when you are in school and have no life. GL!

UpNorth · Apr 24, 2007

From my experience, a cupboard full of coffee works wonders! :lol2:

But other than that, be organized, be determined, take breaks during studying. Know your stuff and be prepared during clinicals.

Take time for YOURSELF! Relax, exercise, or whatever you need to do to decrease stress levels and keep yourself healthy and motivated.

If you have time, try to sleep a little bit too.

DTC · Apr 24, 2007

Everyone who has posted an response has great advice! I WILL comment about the fact that you stated that you have no prior hospital experience,,and will that hurt you. The 52 year old woman who graduated at the top of my LPN class had a lifetime career of being a service manager for a car dealership before she entered nursing school. Enjoy the experience of being in nursing school, soak everything up like a sponge,,manage your time,,READ, READ, READ those textbooks,,don't rely on lectures to get you through. Good luck and keep on posting!!

BWSPN · Apr 25, 2007

You have 4 mths? I'd hibernate for the next 3 your gonna miss sleeping!

Kimmi73 · Apr 25, 2007

I'm in the same boat as you. I just recently was accepted into nursing school too. I have SO MANY emotions: will I do this right? will I make it? Am I cut out for this? (I know everyone who is a nurse has been there like us.) Still.... *take a deep breath* sounds good to me. I'm also concerned if I should work or not, right now I work for a vascular vein clinic performing ultrasounds. Although I'm torn if I should work part time. Good Luck to you!

MrChicagoRN, RN · Apr 25, 2007

What other ducks do you you need to get in a row first?

Job, family,etc

I wouldn't tackle any texts, but reading articles at nursingspectrum, webmd, etc can help broaden your general background & knowledge. Evertime you find a new word or phrase, look it up. Even if you don't remember it all, relearning is always much easier later on.

Also, are there any college courses you could take now to lighten your load a bit later?

I had almost a year before the classes started, so I took A&P, chemistry, etc while working fulltime. This gave me a shorter school day for the first year of nursing school, allowing me to work more than I could have otherwise.

Alternator81 · Apr 25, 2007

I am starting in a few months also. I am so lucky that my sister is a nurse and gives me advice, and I have the chance to learn from nurses like you all on here! Thanks so much!

I wanted to add something to this list. I was driving the other day, pulling out of my street, and it hit me: "I am starting nursing school!!? They are going to let me loose to work on people when lives hang in the balance.." I had this dreaded feeling come over me.. like an anxiety attack!! Freaked me out! Has this happened to any of you?

RNperdiem, RN · Apr 25, 2007

Simplify your life.

Do not take on any more commitments in your life and put others on hold if possible. This is not the time to become PTA president or commit to overtime at work, or have a baby.