I need nursing school advice!!

twinmommy+2, ADN, BSN, MSN · Aug 23, 2016

Yes, nursing school is hard. They are going to train you the way they need you to start critically thinking which is hard work. It can be done though and I'd do it all again.

3peas · Aug 23, 2016

It's extremely tough. I was a mom when I went through nursing school and there were two times when I thought I needed to quit-both for my children. It was a sacrifice for my family, and I'm not sure I would do it again, but I love being a nurse. As hard as nursing school is it's also extremely rewarding. I already had another bachelors degree, so I knew what college was like, and a BSN kicked my butt. For me it was not the content-I had no issue learning the material, it was balancing a family (which always stayed #1 for me) a class schedule, and clinicals.

Here are my tips but find what works for you:

1. Study early (really early like 0400) in the morning before everyone gets up) that 2hrs of studying is like 4 or 6 hours later in the day.

2. Do NOT multi task! That is a fallacy it is impossible. When you are a mom be a mom, when you are a student be a student. Do not let those two things bleed through. Don't feel guilty for either. That is KEY!

3. Figure out how you learn and do that. Writing, reading, listening, etc. Don't get caught up in what others are doing. Do your thing and be done. Each class might need something a little different, and that's okay. There will be the chronic study people who read everything, highlight everything-you can't do that.

4. Find your joy in nursing-that's what it's about.

Good luck!!!

Bettyloublu14 · Aug 24, 2016

Thank you for the great advice! I know it's going to be a challenge for me, but I'm ready for it. I've been wanting to become a Nurse for a long time, I just didn't have the confidence in myself until now. I know it's going to be tough on my family but it's not forever and it will be worth it in the end. I'll have to make the most of my study time when my kids go to bed, and thankfully they go to bed pretty early, and I'm going to ask my professor if I can record her lectures so I can listen to them again after class. I still haven't really found my "study" style, I do like to use different colored pens and markers and even draw diagrams and pictures, and I have found that I study best on my own, I'm not a big fan of study groups because I think we spend more time socializing then actually studying. The one thing I worry most about, is the Critical Thinking, so far in my schooling an answer is either right or wrong, there is no "in between" I understand the importance of it, I just worry if I'll be able to learn it and apply it. Is it something that can be learned? I do think about trying to balance work and my family along with Nursing School, so far it has worked out but I don't think classes like A&P and Micro and Chem are as challenging as my Nursing courses will be. I am off every other weekend which may help with my balancing of everything. Thank you for your comments! I really appreciate it!:)

Bettyloublu14 · Aug 24, 2016

Thank you!:) I worry about critical thinking, is it something that can be learned? I look at things as either being right or wrong, not much grey area and when I do think the "grey area" I feel I overthink and become overwhelmed and have a hard time making a decision.

HarleyGrandma, RN, EMT-B · Aug 24, 2016

Thank you!:) I worry about critical thinking, is it something that can be learned? I look at things as either being right or wrong, not much grey area and when I do think the "grey area" I feel I overthink and become overwhelmed and have a hard time making a decision.

There are some great books out there for this. One is "Critical Thinking, Clinical Reasoning, and Clinincal Judgement - A Practical Approach" I bought it online for about $6

Bettyloublu14 · Aug 24, 2016

Thank you! I will check that out!:)

AggieRNnTraining · Aug 24, 2016

Nursing school is extremely tough. I do not have children, but many of my classmates did and they managed just fine. They all had very good support systems at home that stepped in when needed to help with their children. Alot of us also worked up until our senior year, maybe one or two still worked PT but it was very difficult for them to balance it all in the final two semesters. So just know that you can get through nursing school having children and working, but it will not be easy! It all depends on how much you are willing to sacrifice.

In nursing school you have to be prepared to commit your time outside of school to nursing. Your classmates will become your extended family, so have at least two that are as serious about nursing as you are that you can talk to and study with. You will definitely need someone to vent to that understands where you're coming from

If a person makes it into a nursing program then it means they are quite "intelligent", but nursing school requires more than intelligence. You have to think outside the box and learn that not everything is simply black and white, there is not just one right answer or response. In nursing school, especially upper division, you will find that on exams all of the answer choices could be correct, but you have to decipher which is the BEST nursing action or the BEST choice. This is where the critical thinking aspect really comes into play. Critical thinking is a whole 'nother beast!

I would advise you to really pick up as much information as you can in A&P, Pharmacology, Nursing Fundamentals, and other pre-req courses for nursing students because all of the courses build upon one another. If you have a good grasp on disease processes as well as how organs function, it will really help you in the long run. Also always keep the nursing process in mind when studying diseases...once you learn the nursing process you will know what I am talking about. Learn what nursing actions need to be taken, not just what medications to administer but what actions the nurse can implement in the care plan. This will help you alot in clinicals and throughout your clinical rotations. Speaking of clinicals...always go prepared! Have all of your paperwork done and know as much as you can about your patient prior to clinical because your instructor )if anything like the ones I've had) will expect you to know your patient.

Get a planner because you will have a ton of things to keep up with...I know I wouldn't have survived and thrived in nursing school with one. Having great time management skills is huge and will keep you afloat.

I really could go on and on about things to prepare for nursing school but I would be typing allday!! I just tried to highlight a few things that I wish someone would have told me to make my experience a bit more seamless.

AggieRNnTraining · Aug 24, 2016

I did not like working in study groups either until last year. Senior year I started studying with two of my closest nursing buddies and wished I would have done it sooner. They were able to clarify things that I was not able to fully grasp and vice versa. I noticed a change in my grades and retention of information. I would say to at least try studying with one or two other people at least twice just to see if it will be beneficial.

Bettyloublu14 · Aug 26, 2016

Yes I will! Thankfully there are a few other people who were in my previous classes that will be starting Nursing 101 with me, they were great students and made good grades, so I think I will be studying with them. I'm also worried about being organized, I am not the best at organization, I would say my organization skills are more like organized chaos:unsure:. I do have a planner and I printed of my course objectives for every week and put them into a binder with dividers along with all of my assignments that will be due. I can't study at home so much, so the time my kids are in school is when I'll have to make the most of my study time. Thankfully I kept all of my A&P and microbiology books so I can refer back to them when I need too. Thank you for the comments and advice:). I don't have any RN friends or anyone in my family, I would be the first one in my family to become one. I really hope I can make it:)

AggieRNnTraining · Aug 30, 2016

Do not fret...as you matriculate through the nursing program, you will find your "groove" and what works best for you...some people can thrive in organized chaos, some can't. Getting your routine down and how you like things to be organized will take a bit of time, but it will come.

Like you, I did not have any RN friends or anyone in my family that I could ask for advice. I had to pretty much go with the flow of things and figure things out through trial and error. By God's grace, I was able to stay afloat and thrive! If you find it difficult to figure "it" out, please use your school resources before the issue becomes unsolvable. Do not be afraid to reach out to your academic coach/advisor, faculty, and instructors or even peers.

The only thing that can stop you will be you. Always remind yourself that you can achieve anything and you will do just that! I am rooting for you! :up:

Ellie.D · Aug 31, 2016

For me the toughest part was the pace and volume. Try to chunk out your reading and split it over several days. In some classes, it's impossible to get all the reading done. Focus on the lecture then supplement with the reading if you can't get thru it all. Two schools I have attended supply ATI books, that's the organization that does predictor tests for nclex. We ended up taking one or more predictor tests each semester. These ATI books are separate from our class texts but gave concise info that highlights the important stuff for each topic. You may have 30-80 page chapters on each topic in your text, but the ATI books will overview that info in a few pages. It won't exactly match your text but it will be closer to the material in your nclex exam.

Other tips...I found the more vocal students sometimes end up being disliked by instructors. Be careful not to irritate an instructor. It can haunt you as they often talk amongst themselves and which can multiply the problem.

I always wrote and rearranged my notes from class, powerpoints, and reading, into a Word document using bullets, tables, etc sometimes shading with color. This helped me recall as I could visualize better.

Learn ways to use association for memorizing, especially helpful in pharm. Silly meaningless labels, associations, mnemonics really help when it comes time to recall. "Red man in the van with a kidney" sticks with me for vancomycin, which can cause red man syndrome, and is rough on the kidneys.

On the critical thinking...some schools think either you have it or not, others think it can be taught, but it's difficult to teach. Use tools for prioritizing when answering test questions, like ABCs (airway breathing circulation often but not always are the priority), maslows hierarchy, safety, and knowing your pathophys, and reasoning through all the variables presented help you to arrive at the best answer. Eliminate the incorrect ones, then "go with what you know" on the remainders, being careful to not read into the questions or answers. Compare each answer to the question separately, not to each other. Treat the multiple choice like four true/ false questions paying attention to distractors and phrases like "patient needs more education if" or "patient demonstrates understanding when" phrases that can trip you up.

STAY AHEAD of the material. It's difficult to catch up if you get behind! Use nurse tutors, retention specialists if your school has them, and other students for assistance. You got this!