I was accepted into a few ABSN programs beginning next year, and ultimately decided to attend Thomas Jefferson University here in Philadelphia! I am incredibly excited (and terrifying nervous!) I am writing this board today in hopes that you guys could give me some suggestions on topics I could teach myself, or things I could learn prior to my program start.
Some quick background- I have a BS in Biology that I obtained in 2015. So I didn't have all that many pre-req's to complete since I did a lot of them during my degree. I am finishing up the pre-reqs I needed this semester, so I will have until May 2018 before I begin. In order to prepare for all of this, I moved back home this past summer (no more rent!), left my job (hated it anyway!) and have been taking care of my grandmother the past few months (my family asked me not to get a job when I moved back home, they would cover all my expenses, so that i could take care of my grandmom and our big nontraditional household. When I begin nursing school, my family will hire a nurse to take care of her so I will have ONLY school to focus on). I am very fortunate that I have such a supportive family.
However, I do have a lot of down time (even WITH taking 2 pre-req courses this semester). I am a very TYPE A personality, and I don't like down time. I have read SO MANY horror stories on here about ABSN programs being so insanely difficult. To ease some of that, I wanted to know if there's anything I could teach myself, or books I should read before I start!
I know, a lot of you are going to say (and I've read in other boards) that "you should just relax, you learn it all in school!" and "You have plenty of time in nursing school to learn all of this!" And I know I do, and I know I could do it. But I like to prepare. In undergrad, I'm someone who got the syllabus the first day of class, and spent the next three weeks teaching myself most of the material and completing as much of my work ahead of time as possible (and graduated Summa Cum Laude- and while my friends struggled and crammed at the end of each semester, I was chilling at the beach because I was so prepared ahead of time!)
I am not expecting to teach myself all of nursing school before I start, I know nursing school is going to be very very different than my undergrad experience. But is there ANYTHING I could do to get a leg up, so that I don't get overwhelmed at the start?! I figured I'd review my anatomy and phys textbook again so that it's fresh. Maybe study up medical terminology (it wasn't a pre-req, but I found medical terminology flashcards online). I've read that basic math should be brushed up on.
I will basically have 5 months of no working, no classes.
What do you suggest?! Thanks everyone! I know ABSN programs can be a beast to tackle. I really value your opinions and your advice- I can't wait to get involved and get learning and jump right in!
Go to YouTube and type in "oasis" and it's got tons of medical topics that are reviewed by physicians, but put into cartoons that make it extremely easy to understand and follow. It saved me!
I think you meant to say Osmosis channel? I too was having issues finding Oasis, but then when you said cartoon, I saw some Osmosis videos on the same page so I think those are it?
I haven't had an opportunity to speak to anyone currently in an ABSN program, or anyone who has completed that type of program. Your insight is so welcomed! First congrats on having 2 months left!! Almost there!
And haha, not getting A's will be hard, but as long as I know I'm doing my best (and I pass too OMG, I couldn't imagine not passing I'd just pass out for a month in a stupor) I'm going to be satisfied.
Thanks for telling me about Oasis! I've bookmarked them in my browser so I'll be sure to check it out.
The heads up about the initial stress is great- I would've thought the beginning would be tough, but I thought it would be similar to undergrad in that the classes you take get progressively harder so my senior year was my most stressful. But since nursing school sounds like another beast entirely, I can see how initially it's going to be rough. Thanks for that, I'll know then that that's a normal reaction in the beginning!
I'll also totally keep a portfolio. That's an invaluable tip, I never would have thought of that but that's genius! plus it's good just for your own knowledge, even beyond a job interview.
Thank you for being so open and willing to answer questions!!
hi! how did your ABSN program go? I start this January, so I wanted to know how your personal experience went!!
OR.Nurse.MJT, BSN, RN
67 Posts
I think you meant to say Osmosis channel? I too was having issues finding Oasis, but then when you said cartoon, I saw some Osmosis videos on the same page so I think those are it?