Looking back, what do you wish you would have done the summer before nursing school?

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hello everyone,

as this is my first post i will introduce myself. as you can tell by my user name, i'm kim and i was just was accepted to aurora universities bsn program (outside chicago, illinois). i am an adult student heading off to university for the first time and words can not express how excited i am to be living my dream, 20 years after the fact:p. enough about me, the important stuff is below...

i'm writing becasue i would appreciate some advice from people who have already completed at least one semesster of nursing school. what do you wish you would learned, re-learned, reviewed, memorizied, read (you get the idea) in preparation for your first semester? i don't want to p *** my entire summer away, only to arrive at nursing school and wish i would have done this or that.

thanks for sharing ......

kim

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Mine isn't looking back. I begin in the fall. I plan on spending as much time with my kids as possible. Gonna have a blast.

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I am happy that I got my house in order and my kiddo on a schedule before I started the actual nursing program. It's hard to tell you what to read ahead of time because the instructors like to jump around with the information. For instance, my first test was on chapters 1, 3, 15, 45, 48, 50. How could I have possibly known what to read first?

Brush up on A&P if you need to.

Watch some nursing skills videos on youtube. Your school will do most of it differently but it gives you a general idea. Memorize what you can and cannot do with sterile field!!!! That's the biggest issue students have had this semester!

I agree with ktsummar, if you have kids spend some great, quality time with them!

I am almost done with my first semester and didn't feel it was as bad as everyone was saying it was going to be. For me, I will get a job for the summer, take a class to bridge to my BSN program and enjoy every minute! I will probably write out information on a few drugs a week so that I have them for my med-surge class in the fall.

Above all, relax and enjoy! You will have enough stress coming up! Good luck to you!

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Looking back I don't wish I would have studied or prepared for school. I wish I would have spent more time with my family and friends, worked some more hours, and took a vacation because those are all things I have not had a chance to do since entering nursing school. I suggest doing all of those things and getting your life in order such as oil change, MD appointments, a good cleaning of the house, preparing some meals you can freeze and reheat when you need them, making sure you have some type of place to study, and starting to organize your time.

Good luck, and while you are in the middle of school it will seem never ending and like you wont make it but keep truckin and before you know it you will be at graduation. Well at least that is how it has been for me!

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I am finishing up my second semester hoping to go to the 3rd one in a few weeks...:rolleyes: The only thing I can tell you is the REST and RELAX because once you are in IT is nothing but STRESS..:uhoh3: you do not really understand or comprehend it until you EXPERIENCE NURSING SCHOOL.

GOOD LUCK TO YA!!!;)

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

I'm going to go a different direction. I am GLAD I did not touch a single book during the summer prior to school. I am so very happy that I left my campus and hiked, biked and camped my heart out. I spent the days at the lake and enjoyed myself. I had the best time ever.

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Specializes in Pediatric Hem/Onc.

You should pamper yourself and relax. Clean and organize your house before the term starts. Read books for enjoyment. Get lost in some mindless TV. I'm a firm believer in using school breaks for just that - a break from studying! If you try to get prepared before your first time, I'm betting you'll give yourself a lot of unnecessary stress.

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I'm graduating in 3 weeks, and I would agree with the poster who said to maybe brush up on some A&P or youtube videos. But don't go all out, like the others had said. Do get organized (home, or whatever!) because once you start, you barely have time to do anything else besides school. It's true, you can't explain it until you go through it...seriously, enjoy the time you have, because you can't really prepare for nursing school as much as you hope, and you will be desperately wishing you had taken the time off to enjoy yourself. You need this time to relax and de-stress, enjoy yourself and do the things you want that you won't be able to while in school! Good luck to you!!

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I'm a third semester student right now. Here's what I wish I had done last summer, prior to starting nursing school: More time at the lake, more time with family, more sex. Seriously. These are things I don't have time for or am not able to enjoy while living away from my family.

So, feel free to "pi$$" away your summer. Enjoy it while you got it!

Truly, there is very little you can do other than getting the other areas of your life in order because you WILL let them slide once school starts. Get the bills paid and have a system to keep up with them later. Clean your home & car and get any necessary repairs done to both, since you will likely only take care of true emergencies while in NS. Likewise get your annual check-up, take care of any screening tests you should have done, etc. since you'll only go to the doc when half-dead once NS starts!

You can't really do a lot of pre-reading for school since the lectures are all over the place and NO ONE follows the book in the order in which it was written. So chill about that.

HAVE FUN!!

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Thanks to everyone who replied. I will take all of your advice. I think I will just set a reading plan each day to re-read my A/P book, check out a few videos and chill.

Kim

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please enjoy your time before you start nursing school...you will learn everything you need to know once you get in...honestly,the amount of studying you will put will be unreal..(lol) so enjoy your time now b/c breaks are few and far between once your in..

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I'm still waiting to start this Fall too, so I can't give you a 'looking back' perspective :) I'm brushing up on A/P too. Not really studying, just going back and refreshing it in my mind. I'm going to read a couple nursing study guide books too. I don't expect to remember anything or really learn anything, but I just want to get exposure to the topics so at least I won't be seeing them for the first time in nursing school.

I know a lot of people recommend you relax, but I've got the whole summer off. My husband is going to be busy doing landscaping projects so I'm going to be stuck inside with the kids so I might as well do some reading! I also plan on getting my house all organized like others suggested.

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