Information about nursing school

pmabraham, BSN, RN · Feb 6, 2013

Good day:

I'm hoping to start in August of this year should I get accepted. The last time I was in school was 29 years ago.

Like you, I'm scared and nervous; yet, like many things in life, it is an adventure. Adventures can be fun as well

What I've been doing to prepare is subscribing to different RSS (blog / blog-like) feeds from the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Nurse.com news, NurseConnect.com (various areas), since I'm in PA - Pennsylvania State Nurses Association, RegisteredNurseRN.com blog, scrubs magazine.

I'm also reading what I can on this site as well as watching various Youtube.com videos on nursing.

Please note I cannot state I understand a lot of what I've read or seen; I'm just working on building up places for good information.

An example of what I did today, was start with https://allnurses.com/nursing-student-assistance/making-nursing-process-811862.html

Then look up Youtube.com videos that go over the various areas. I.e.

-- good head to toe assessment video.

I've been using Evernote (there's a free version for various platforms including mobile platforms) to store what I've been collecting.

Anyway, turn your emotions towards passion for a worthwhile and fun adventure.

Thank you.

zoe92 · Feb 6, 2013

Don't be scared. I recommend making sure you have good time management and study skills. Get used to using a planner & keeping track of important dates. Find out what kind of learner you are (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) and what strategies help you learn. You'll do great, good luck!

MeekaNichole · Feb 6, 2013

Just make sure you NEVER procrastinate and are always on top of ur work. do you work and study AHEAD of time not after u had class

-Sent from my iPhone

Saysfaa · Feb 7, 2013

I would ask your advisor about what information your school has for new students, specifically information for the "first in my family to go to college" information (even if you aren't). They might have it in the advising office, the library, or an extra support office. The extra support office has a wide range of names. If your advisor doesn't have much, then ask at the library, and at extra support office. Even better would be to ask there anyway.

Your high school may have things also - either the high school you graduated from or your local high school.

The public library often has some books on it.

The basics are: if you aren't sure about something, ask. Preferrably more than one person.

Find the class room well before the first class is due to meet. Like days or at least hours before, mix-ups in buildings are common, especially when your schedule has the abbreviations on it. Leave lots of extra time the first day of class, you might have to park a bazillion miles out and/or circle around the campus looking for a parking place or wait for the next bus.

Take careful notes at the first class. That is when the prof will interpret the syllabus. That is, tell you which things are in it because he is required to put them in and which things he actually cares about. It is also where he will give the details about things he likes to see from students and/or that annoy him.

Go to class. You aren't required to and quite often there isn't much of a direct penalty for not going to class but it will make our life much, much easier no matter how boring it feels like when you are there. Also, pay attention in class, say at least one or two things in every class or maybe every other class unless it is clearly not expected - it might not be if there are 300 students in a lecture hall and the prof doesn't look for participation. It helps if the things you say are relevant to the material being covered at the time and aren't always clarifications of the assignments and don't indicate that you are trying to do as little as possible (ask how long he expects that paper rather than if one page is enough). Don't correct the teacher in class over things like typos (unless it really, really makes the meaning unclear). Be cautious about correcting the teacher in class about other stuff.

Read the book. Even if the prof never gives an assignment from it and even if the prof never refers to it or anything in it. Read the part at the beginning of the textbooks as well as the actual chapters. Textbooks almost always explain how to use that book effectively in that space.

Do the homework. Even if you get no points for it and even if you don't need to turn it in.

The rule of thumb is two hours of study/homework outside of class for every hours spent in class... usually that is two hours per week per credit hour for 16 week semesters. Learn how to study smart rather than study hard - there are lots of online resources on study strategies, the important part is to get ideas from them and then adopt what is effective for you.

Talk to the professor, they usually like people, and they are usually stuck in their office hours alone until just before a major assignment is due. But don't go to ask them to give you a better grade, instead ask them things like suggestions on how to study more effectively or to go over your test or paper with you to help you figure out what kind of errors you made. And don't wait until the last week of class, go when there is time for you to implement their suggestions.