I start first semester of clinicals January 15th :) Tips?

krisiepoo · Dec 26, 2013

My life was very segmented and ordered when I was in school. I worked FT with school nearly FT and I needed order to stay sane.

I had weekly menus I made with grocery lists so I could make healthy food that was easy to grab and go

I ensured a certain amount of time every night was spent on school

I completed my care plans the day of clinical (that night) to ensure they were done and so if I had any questions about something I could ask my teacher right away

The biggest thing I found helpful and recommend to others is to take care of yourself first. You can't succeed if you're sick

VAgirl247 · Dec 26, 2013

My life was very segmented and ordered when I was in school. I worked FT with school nearly FT and I needed order to stay sane.
I had weekly menus I made with grocery lists so I could make healthy food that was easy to grab and go
I ensured a certain amount of time every night was spent on school
I completed my care plans the day of clinical (that night) to ensure they were done and so if I had any questions about something I could ask my teacher right away
The biggest thing I found helpful and recommend to others is to take care of yourself first. You can't succeed if you're sick

I actually took the semester off because I got really sick and body wasn't reacting well to oral antibiotics. Trying to that and care plans was no good. I don't see how the 3 hours for every 1 hour of class can fit in with nursing school. I came up with that tentative schedule...there's pretty much no life O.o. haha

RunBabyRN · Dec 26, 2013

Find something that's a good break for you to help keep your stress level down. For me, it's running. But I'm considering recording some stuff I need to work on (like meds) and listening to it while running. We'll see!

I agree with krisiepoo about meal planning- OH MAN that helps! Scheduling pretty much EVERYTHING, but of course, being flexible, can be very helpful.

I've even done my reading and research on my treadmill with my laptop. I'll walk slowly uphill and do my reading. It helps me get in some movement and keeps my blood flowing to my brain.

There's not much of a social life! I tend to try to make social plans during breaks.

VAgirl247 · Dec 27, 2013

Find something that's a good break for you to help keep your stress level down. For me, it's running. But I'm considering recording some stuff I need to work on (like meds) and listening to it while running. We'll see!
I agree with krisiepoo about meal planning- OH MAN that helps! Scheduling pretty much EVERYTHING, but of course, being flexible, can be very helpful.
I've even done my reading and research on my treadmill with my laptop. I'll walk slowly uphill and do my reading. It helps me get in some movement and keeps my blood flowing to my brain.
There's not much of a social life! I tend to try to make social plans during breaks.

I have an Erin condren planner so that should help. I do crossfit 2x a week. Elliptical or Pilate's the other days.