Well, I just finished my first year of nursing school and decided I'd share some insights on how to survive this oh-so-feared first year. Please feel free to contribute from your experiences! :)
First of all, the three golden rules to remember when you start freaking out about projects/readings/clinicals/classmates/instructors/general nursing school annoyances:
-stop
-breathe
-you WILL survive
And now, HOW to survive:
-don't get too ahead of yourself. You'll be taught everything in a timely manner, so stop stressing.
-set aside a few hours a week to hang out with friends. Yes, nursing school is busy. Yes, you don't have time to have a life but trust me- your sanity matters way more than your GPA.
-remember that having a GPA below 4.0 is NOT the end of the world. How well you understand the material is what matters most, not how well you can decode your prof's way of wording questions on the test. Got it? Now stop crying over your 3.7
-ask questions. No matter how mean that instructor or nurse looks. For all you know, they can be the nicest person you will ever meet. Besides, when faced with a choice of answering another routine question or having you make a mistake, any one would choose to answer your question. All those people are there to teach you, so take advantage of it.
-don't let people who say that you're "JUST going to be a nurse" discourage you. Some people will never understand what it means to be a nurse so don't listen to them.
-this one is for all the new male student nurses out there: no, you won't be treated much differently than anyone else. With all the estrogen, it's nice to have a guy around for a change. Just don't get caught up in any cattiness that can arise.
-keeping up with your readings is important, but don't forget all those practice questions. They will save you.
-get those personal dramas out of the way. You won't have time nor energy to deal with nonsense.
-time management is kind of important. Unless you're cool with pulling all-nighters the day before your assignment is due. (Ok, I'm being a big hypocrite on this one because I can never bring myself to write my papers in advance but trust me when I tell you that it's not fun staying up till 5am).
-venting is good. Get it out of your system and you'll feel better. Journals, mirrors, friends and the AN chat boards are all good when it comes to listening to you vent.
-try your best. If you don't get it the first time, try again. And again.
-avoid comparing yourself to others. You're your own person. When in doubt, refer to my previous point.
...that's all I can think of for now. I'm sure other members will have more things to add.
*Stay Organized! Those deadlines can creep up on you!!
*Get lots of rest! That way when you gotta lose sleep you are prepared!
*Present yourself as you wish future employers to view you. As a student you are held to the same OCNE competencies that Nurses are, so live and breathe the role now!
*Make time in your week for a social life! Even if it's just one day/night/a few hours, it's important for your sanity to unplug from the books for a while *wine
Peer support was vital to my first year. The bonding that occurred during the long study sessions and projects really helped. Knowing that before you got into the program prerequisite classes you got all A's and oops in the core classes, there goes the GPA. Our colleges RN program just graduated and not one of them had Honor Cords. It is possible, but seriously overrated and unrealistic. School should be fun, enjoy your time as a student. The real world comes soon enough.
Thanks, I am starting in a couple of weeks...not knowing what to expect is nerve wrecking...
Just remember that your teachers will help if you ask. If they don't, ask the other one. Someone will help you when you don't understand. And your friends/other students (who will be your friends when this is all over, don't care who you are, everybody is in this together and acts as such) are your lifeline too. I am better independent-wise when it comes to studying, but I did use time with school friends to study too. Just keep going. When it gets harder, work harder. Don't let some silly 20-page paper stop you from getting what you have worked so hard to get.
Like the OP said, get over it, you will get a B on something and maybe even a C. But there are always summer classes to bring up that GPA if you absolutely can't stand that 3.7 LOL (guess what I'm doing this summer). And besides, those extra classes will finish up any prereq's you may be considering for a BSN or an MSN....yeah, work hard, work fast (big picture, not when you're starting an IV of course), and do not stop til you're done.
I did not do practice questions, and it didn't hurt me yet . . . . but I have yet to get an absolutely straight answer on which books are best, how many questions/when to do them/blah blah blah. Know your skills and check and double check what you are doing at all times, and most of all assess your patient, not just the numbers (as one of my instructors said). The patients are why you are doing this and are the most important thing, not your grade.
Study only what they tell you to study -- now this is hard for most of us -- but they know what you need to know, and if it seems like it's so narrowed down you can't possibly know everything you need to know, you are probably wrong. It is unbelievably amazing how an instructor can put a chapter in one sentence, yeah really, but there are certain things to know now and certain things to know later, and your instructor really does know which is which; so for those students like me who think well I HAVE to read the whole chapter or I'm not going to learn what I need to learn you have to learn to trust your instructors and of course each other, sometimes one is easier than the other.
That's it for now. Good luck to everyone just starting and to all of us getting over the hump.
After your first year of nursing, your school will give you the option to take the nclex exams to get your LPN. Most people think Med Surge is hard, but all it is, is just a review of Pathophysiology. Some think OB-Ped's is hard, but I hear that mostly from the male nurses. Pharmacology may be hard as well, but overall, if you put your mind to it, and stay focused and study hard, your first year will be a breeze. Good luck! Any other questions or if you need my email address or phone, send me a personal message.
~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN
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No!