If You Have Any Advice for Students Just Starting Their LPN Program...

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Specializes in CNA/LPN.

What would it be? I just got accepted and start the program on Monday. I am overly excited, but more nervous than I let on to those around me. So, if there was any advice you would have loved to receive yourself prior to your first semester, no matter what it is, what would it be? This will help me out more than you guys will ever know! :)

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Start reading as soon as you get your books & syllabus and keep up with the reading throughout. Some of my classes the professor followed the format of the text and if you didn't pre-read you would be pretty lost. Plus by pre-reading before class, I would make a simple outline that I could fill in with notes as needed during lecture. Also I was able to ask questions for clarification and more actively participate in lecture. I found answering the questions in the end of the chapters & doing the accompanying workbooks was a tremendous asset when it came time for exams. We had to turn in our workbooks for credit and many of my classmates were rushing to complete 35+ chapters of workbook material in a couple of days...much easier as we went along and my grades definitely showed. (Came in handy on a few exams as the one instructor suspected people were not completing the workbook concurrently and pulled questions straight from the workbook for a multi chapter test. It was quite obvious who had at least looked at the workbooks after that exam>

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Specializes in LTC.

I agree with the above poster. Don't forget to pray, relax, and still enjoy life. There must be a balance. Don't let nursing school consume you. Best wishes.

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First of all congrats to you and best of luck! This perhaps should have been obvious to me, but having been out of school for about 15 years I was a little rusty when I started my LPN program last January. My instructors do not hand tests/exams back to us once they are graded, they simply post our grades online. If this is the policy at your school be sure to go to the instructor and ask to see the corrected tests, even if you only got 1 wrong. It is a great learning tool. I am no longer repeatedly getting the exact same question wrong on multiple tests and exams. My instructors tend to add a question or 2 of "old" material onto future tests to keep us from forgetting what they feel is the really important stuff.

That and make sure you eat a good breakfast! Nothing like trying to concentrate while your blood sugar is plummeting! :) Congrats again....

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-Make sure you take care of your body...eat well:). It would be really bad for you if you missed class because you got sick.

- Keep up on your readings, don't get behind!

- Keep organized and do all homeworks on time.

:)

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Specializes in CNA/LPN.

Thanks for your advice everyone! I am definitely going to eat more healthy and definitely make sure I take my vitamins and extra vitamin C throughout my program as well as after. I think I've mastered organization for the most part though A&P last semester! That class almost killed me, and you definitely had to make sure you were mostly organized. I do have a few things in that area that needs work, and I will try my best, because I know I definitely need to be more organized than I have been. I have a binder for each class and they're color-coded, along with dividers for every two chapters and a cover slip for my class outline and whatnot. Thanks again, everyone! Keep the advice coming. :D

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Med/Surg, hospice.

utilize all of your resources! we are so lucky we live in an internet world. get a drug app on your phone (i used medscape bc it was free), mark every drug you look up in your actual book with some kind of mark and save ALL your careplans and medication profiles so you can re-reference and copy and paste drugs, this will save you sooo much time.

youtube is a great resource for some skills and disease processes you may need extra clarification on.

dont worry about making friends but if you do happen to find a classmate with your same goals and study needs, BUDDY up. it's so helpful to have someone who understands what you're going through. good luck!

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Specializes in CNA.

Only read what they tell you to read so you DO NOT overwhelm yourself. I always do my homework from the study guide that's in the books on whatever subject we are doing -- it's ALWAYS on the test. Not sure how yours is going to go. Stay away from drama and always participate in the theory lectures and skills it helped me learn and comprehend a lot better. If there is a subject that your not understanding or getting, go to TUTORING if available! I go for everything, not because I do not understand it...it's because it gives me a review on what's important that's going to be on a quiz that's a big chunk of our grade. I have maintained a 92 % thus far. Study with classmates and on weekends. Make sure you are up to date with your vaccinations the school needs for your clinicals!!! You do not want to have to miss class like I did LOL

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Im a little late on this post but here are things that I wish I was told before I was in a nursing program.

* Have your TB, Vaccines and CPR done before cliicals =)

*have small study group ( and keep it focused!)

* start preparing for the NCLEX NOW ( Crazy right- trust me, I wish I did.)

Use all resources that you can- these books I'm listing were SO helpful to me =)

Saunders success in nursing school and the NCLEX exam, Mosby's Pharmacology Memory Notecards, Memory notebook of nursing ( I have all of them- they are really neat and have little pictures/pneumonics ( is that spelled right?) of things that are really important to remember

also learn how to manage your time and stick to it =) I worked part time while I was in school, but usally I set my schedule out and refused to work on certain days so I could study =)

also this website, and this website http://www.wisc-online.com/ListObjects.aspx are AMAZING! they have flashcards, games, videos...its really nice. =)

When you feel like this :barf02: dont attempt to go to clinicals or class - hard lesson to learn haha.

GOOD LUCK. REMEMBER you CAN do IT!!!!:hug::w00t:

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How did your first day go? Mine went well just a lot to do in 9 weeks. If anyone can give advice please do. Thanks!

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Specializes in CNA/LPN.

[color=#2f4f4f]thank you all so much for the advice, it couldn't be more helpful! my first day was great! we only have 17 students and it's going to be such a tight-knit program. my instructor said we are going to definitely become like family, and that we're going to be spending more time together than with our own family. i have nursing fundamentals from 8am-11:50 and drug cal from 1:00-2:15 and they're both by the same instructor! :)

i am glad yours went smooth as well. we definitely have a lot to cover from now until april, but i couldn't be more excited. i'm even more excited for clinicals in march. i am going to be trying to maintain a b in med cal and a b on the final exam as well, for that well exempt me from having to take a drug cal pre-clinical exam for summer semester.

i was so relieved to come home and look at my vaccination records to see i only need to get the last in the hepatitis b series! i am going to get that done whenever i go for my full physical check up before clinicals. i am cpr certified, but it's about to expire. in february, we'll be getting certified/re-certified in class, so that's great! oh, and i am definitely going to be utilizing my resources for the n-clex now!

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I start on Jan. 23rd.. Excited, but also nervous... I know we can do this! Congratz to all of you :)

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