Im SUPER nervous! Please Help!

Nursing Students General Students

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Hello,

I start nursing school this fall. Ive waiting for this moment for 2 years and its finally here but now im getting very scared and nervous as the day comes closer. My school has a very high drop rate (first sem starts w/ 80 students and ends with about 45). Im scared i wont make it and im already being negative thinking I probably wont pass. The thought of failing is making me very scared and extremely nervous. Is this normal? Is there anything I can do to be more positive and not be part of the students that fail. I know this is something I really want, im quitting my job and focusing entirely to school but deep down I still have that fear.

Thanks!! :uhoh3:

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First off take a deep breath and try to relax (even if somewhat). I think we all felt nervous about starting our first semester...I know I did. I couldn't sleep at night, the thought of school made me sick, and when I would drive near the school I would throw-up a little in my mouth...lol. Looking back this was all soo silly. I made it through my first semester no problem.

I wonder if a lot of people that go to your school are young, (I'm pretty young myself) but from what I have seen the younger people in my class are the ones that tend to struggle most. I think it is because they don't take school as seriously as older people that have more vested in their education.

A few things that I can think of to help you:

1. Don't get behind in you reading (this is a fatal error), once you get behind there really is no catching up.

2. Don't be afraid to ask for help, at the first sings of trouble start asking for help. If you wait too long it might be too late.

3. Don't doubt yourself, you have made it this far through all your pre-req's. Try to stay positive about yourself and your abilities.

Really nursing school isn't as bad as everyone had made me to believe. Yes it is very time consuming. As for the material that is covered, I wouldn't really say that it is difficult for the most part, it is the bulk of information and the limited amount of time to do it in. You can't compare youself to the others that have come before you, or the other people in your class. You are you and things that may have been challenging for other people may be like second nature for you. I know the class that came before mine complained how hard everything was and a good number of thier class failed, but my class did way better than them and we finished with 43 out of 52. You can do this, nursing school is totally doable people graduate every year! Keep and I can attitude and I am sure that you will make it through.

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Specializes in Neuro.

Nrs2b,

Chantilly gave some very good advice. Just take a deep breath and remember, many have gone before you and was able to get through. We are all nervous, scared, excited to start, but I think most of it is the fear of the unknown. I just today got most of my books, and looking through the orientation book and student handbook, I got scared all over again!! All of that stuff looks so foreign to me, and the rules...my goodness there are a ton of them!!! But I know they are in there for a very good reason.

Just relax and calm down. You will look back on this time in a couple of years and wonder how you caould have ever felt so scared!!

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Thank you all for the confidence and the encouragement..

When you mention dont get behind on reading I have a little problem, im very visual, I need to read and write notes at the same time so I can understand. Im not fortunate enough to just read and understand what the book is explaining. Someone once told me that doing this in nursing school will cause me to fail because its time consuming. Would u say this is true?

Once again, thanks for all the help!!!

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Who ever told you that is crazy!! A lot of people are visual learners. My best advice to you is to take notes as you are reading and highlight things you feel are important...things that you feel you are going to need go over again. Don't get highlighter happy though and highlight everything because this is not going to do you any good. Then when test time is approaching you can go back over the sections that you highlighted as well as the notes that you took while reading. If you want this enough you will find a way to make it work. It may take you a little while to get into a comfortable groove, so don't get discouraged if you happen to not do well on your first exam. Keep your chin up and you will do just fine!!! OH, one more thing, try not to listen too much to what other people tell you because as you know misery loves company and some people will do anything to try to drag you down with them. Good luck to you and have fun with nursing school! :up: :wink2:

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I have to constantly take and retake notes to learn material as well, and I was able to all of last semester. I highlighted when I read the text, as I need to do something to keep myself focused, but I didn't take notes on it since this was my first exposure to the material. I then went to lecture, took copious notes whether or not my prof provided powerpoints, and recorded the lecture as well. Early in the semester I listened to all my lectures twice and typed my notes, reinforcing it in a third way, but I had less time as the semester progressed and while I still typed notes at home, I fastforwarded and only replayed parts of lecture that I missed or had trouble with. For one of my classes, I also went back and took notes on the highlighted portions of the chapters, but it wasn't necessary for the other. Try to keep yourself open to new study methods too - I used to be really flashcard happy, and I had to get over that when NS started. Listen to your profs, many will tell you on the first day what A students usually do to study.

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I know I am really nervous too. I am worried that I may be giving up my current career and time with my family for something that I may fail at or be bad at. I guess we have to remember this is temporary and when we get started we won't have time to worry anymore. We can't get our books until August 27th and then we have reading that has to be completed before our first day. So from the 27th on I guess I will be reading. I can't remember the poster, but they suggested having the text book debound so you can take out the chapters that you are focusing on. I think I like that idea and may try it for my semester. At least then carrying 13 books won't be quite as heavy.

:o

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Hi, I just wanted to say I feel the same way as you do. I start on Aug 20th and at my school we only have 48 students. Last year they lost 31 of those 48! Only 17 left to go on to the 2nd year. I am sick to death that I will be one of those this year. I heard also that it was a very young class. I dont know I just know it really scares me and I really dont want to fail. Good luck to you and the replys you got to your post have helped me.

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Specializes in ICU, Med-Surg, Post-op, Same-Day Surgery.
Really nursing school isn't as bad as everyone had made me to believe. Yes it is very time consuming. As for the material that is covered, I wouldn't really say that it is difficult for the most part, it is the bulk of information and the limited amount of time to do it in. You can't compare youself to the others that have come before you, or the other people in your class. You are you and things that may have been challenging for other people may be like second nature for you. I know the class that came before mine complained how hard everything was and a good number of thier class failed, but my class did way better than them and we finished with 43 out of 52. You can do this, nursing school is totally doable people graduate every year! Keep and I can attitude and I am sure that you will make it through.

I'm also starting this fall (Aug 27 to be exact). I haven't had time to think about nursing school much because I was busy taking A&P this summer, but now that it is almost time I have been going out of my mind!!! Your words have calmed my nerves so much!!! The advice about the reading is helpful, also. Well will buy our books a week before classes start (at the end of our orientation day), and I hope to make myself very familiar with them by the time classes start a week later! Thank you!

Ooh...I just read some more of the posts on this thread and realized that I am one of those flashcard-happy people!!! I tend to rewrite a lot of my notes onto flashcards and then test myself. Is there just not going to be time for that in nursing school??? Did any of you have to completely change your study methods/approach to studying? What do you think is essential for an A student? Thank you!

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Specializes in Travel Nursing, ICU, tele, etc.

It was my experience in nursing school that a good percentage of the people who dropped out in the first year did so because things in their life came up that made it impossible for them to continue. Also, people who needed to retest on skills, would just not do the work they needed to do to master the skills and the teachers saw that lack of commitment and they failed that way. It was the 2nd year where there were a few who didn't pass because of grades.

If you go in there with a good attitude of learning and able to take criticism without crumbling, you will do fine.

In my point of view, nursing school is all about weeding out those people who cannot handle stress and don't really have the commitment. It is a series of hurdles that must be cleared. Ask for help when you need it, go to study groups when they are offered and show that you are the kind of person who can keep hanging in there, no matter how tough it gets. You really don't learn to be a nurse until you get out of nursing school (in my opinion). Half the battle of nursing school is realizing what it is about. Keep your head about you, don't quit, take criticism with calm composure and you'll sail through it.

Right now you are freaking out because you are looking at the whole thing at once. Stop doing that. Just take one step at a time. Concentrate on one day at a time if that helps. Now you need to concentrate on getting ready to start, that is it. The rest of it will take care of itself. See yourself as succeeding and you will. Stay in the present and remember fear and excitement have the exact same body sensations.

:yeah::yeah::yeah: You can do it!!!

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Specializes in Neuro.

Nrs2b,

Like Chantilly said, don't listen to everything you hear! I am a VERY visual learner, (did I say VERY??!??) and HAVE to take notes. To reinforce what I read, I have to take notes, and for most of my studying, I use flaschcards that I make on index cards. I usually don't even take notes except to recopy them onto flashcards. I was told to become best friends with the index cards, cuz they will help tremendoulsy.

My husband, on the other hand, is very much an audiotry learner. He doesn't crack a book except to look up something that he missed, and he doesn't really take notes because he learns most from the lectures. But I in no way can do that.

I really need to find some stock in the companies that makes index cards, because I go thru a ton of packages of them each semester. I just punch holes in the top corner and fasten them together with a binder ring. I would buy the cards that are on the spiral coils, but I am too cheap and use too many for the cost!!

Just keep taking your notes, and use them. Of course you won't use all of them, but the high points of the lecture and readings are what you need. Just like with my books, I just bought 19 of them this morning, and I have yet to get the other three. I have been told by many people that I wll never read ALL of every book, especially since I will be getting 18 more by the time I am finished. JUST READ THE HIGH POINTS, THE PARTS THAT YOUR INSTRUCTORS TOUCH ON, and ANY BOLD SECTIONS THAT REALLY STICK OUT. I am very relieved at that fact, cuz even though I am a fast reader, 19 books are way too many to read this semester and be able to do labs and clinicals and everything else!!!

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Specializes in Neuro.
ooh...i just read some more of the posts on this thread and realized that i am one of those flashcard-happy people!!! i tend to rewrite a lot of my notes onto flashcards and then test myself. is there just not going to be time for that in nursing school??? did any of you have to completely change your study methods/approach to studying? what do you think is essential for an a student? thank you!

cinqly,

from what i have seen at my school, everyone uses flashcards to study with. i would hang out by the nursing department to study while my hubby was in class, and i would see all the nursing students on breaks and lunches and walking to and from classes, and they would all have them or their notes. from what a couple of my friends have said, you can't get thru school without good notes and flashcards!!

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