My advice to the beginning RN student

GreenEyedPeas1 · Jul 25, 2012

Thank you for posting this. I know a few people that are sinking in the program ahead of me and I strongly believe it is because that person is working about 12 hrs a week. That is 12 hours of extra study time. And also just not committing. Going to the movies/out to bars/dinners, etc. Some people can do that but the way I look at it is that failure is not an option. If I have to get to campus at 4 am, so be it. Do you have any study tips? I want to do well. I know it will be probably the hardest thing I've ever done mentally/physically but I do not have a plan B.

mttzakr87 · Jul 25, 2012

Yes, and other people cant control what they have going on in their personal lives, and unfortunately most nursing instructors....I mean foir example, youre having a really bad day for some really hurtful personal reasons, you miss an exam because you were sick, and you either lose points, or cant reschedule it..........Try telling that to the single mom with 4 kids, and she has to miss an exam because her son his really sick, and having difficulty breathing.....in many cases they dont care,....that also causes people to be unsuccessful.

For study tips, id say:

-committ as much time as you feel you need to to be successful,....i only study as much as I do because well, I know im only gonna have one shot at this, Its not required to study in 24 hour librarys or get to school at 4 am, but if youre that kind of person, all the better..........point is just study until you have a firm grasp of concepts.....in A+P, you could almost look at a question and know an answer, because it is "probably right" or because it looks familiar,......you'll rarely get away with that in nursing school.

-Adequte Rest is important,.....getting 3hrs of sleep and going to clinical is not safe for you and especially your patient

-stay on top of things.....if you have a paper/project/ careplan due in a couple weeks, you get it done in a couple days

-If you know anybody in the above levels, ask them if you can see the syllabus for their level and try to read ahead ...it will help and give you an advantage

-Before you start, check your school's retention and NCLEX pas rates....if your school is starting with 110- and graduating 50-60, and only passing 84% on the boards like mine, then there is something wrong with your program.

-And the big thing is:

Remember that the questions require critical thinking, and you hear people say you cant just memorize, but that doesnt mean there is not a memorization component....because there most definetly is......Remember that you cant, I repeat...You Can not apply and critically think information you do not have"

And I would get a plan B....whether if its Respiratory, Rad Tech or LPN......most people dont have one going in, fact is people who fail are devastated because they do not have a plan B, they banked everything on Nursing....and plan B can still be nursing, ....if you fail out of RN by any chance,....you can be an LPN and get admitted into another program in an LPN-RN track or do Excelsior from there

GeneralJinjur · Jul 26, 2012

-Before you start, check your school's retention and NCLEX pas rates....if your school is starting with 110- and graduating 50-60, and only passing 84% on the boards like mine, then there is something wrong with your program.

I agree with most of your points, but wanted to address this. 87% is the national average NCLEX pass rate for first time testers, so your school isn't that far off the mark. https://www.ncsbn.org/1237.htm I know it's been discussed many times on this board that 50% attrition is the norm at many nursing schools. I agree that finding a school that doesn't weed out so many students is a good idea, but it doesn't automatically indicate that your school has something wrong with the program.

PatMac10,RN, RN · Jul 26, 2012

Know your learning style. We sometimes gravitate to the things we're strongest with. Be sure to do plenty of practice NCLEX questions, this helps with knowing how to take a nursing test and see the way a nurse is expected to think. Also, take time for yourself if at all possible I know it's a old cliche, but I never did it my first 2 semesters and I think it kept me from performing at an optimal level, even though I still did well.

Have a good time management plan to evenly space your study time for class, prep for clinical, and time for personal activities. I've found that a lot of nursing school success, though not all, is attributed to effective time management!

ShineyNickelRN · Jul 26, 2012

Oh dear, I thought I was scared before. Now, I am scared to death! LOL!

smartypantz · Jul 26, 2012

There's no need to be scared about nursing school or the NCLEX! Fear will only hinder one's ability to progress. I worked full time (and I mean a full 40 hours) at a rigorous job with little study time... I found some time to study but honestly- nursing school is only hard because its a lot of busy work (at least at my school for BSN). The content is not "hard" and you don't have to know it like the wrinkles in your forehead to be a competent, safe nurse. NCLEX is about "concepts"- while specific content/pharm/patho should be generally understood, the NCLEX is NOT going to test you over the content that you know (isn't that just dandy?!) ... It's going to test you on your judgement skills for a variety of general nursing concepts that you probably DONT know- like prioritization, safety, management of care, etc (check the NCLEX website). I probably only read 3 entire textbook chapters in all of nursing school but went to class, took good notes, and focused on the main concepts - AND ... I never failed a test or made below a B in any class, and passed the NCLEX the first time w/75 questions. So- study smarter... Not harder don't spent hours memorizing pointless details that you're going to forget in 3 months anyway. Understand concepts, nursing care plans/ nursing process and the "why" behind your decision making and you will be successful!

mttzakr87 · Jul 26, 2012

"i agree with most of your points, but wanted to address this. 87% is the national average nclex pass rate for first time testers, so your school isn't that far off the mark. https://www.ncsbn.org/1237.htm i know it's been discussed many times on this board that 50% attrition is the norm at many nursing schools. i agree that finding a school that doesn't weed out so many students is a good idea, but it doesn't automatically indicate that your school has something wrong with the program."

i agree with that somewhat about the retention rates and the nclex pass, but my point is......if you are gonna committ the time and energy and money, because you are paying money, then i think you should aim higher than 50% retention and 84% nclex pass rate.....if i was a student looking with a goal in mind, id say to myself, id rather have the school that has the 70+% retention rate and the 96% nclex pass rate like 3 surrounding colleges in my area do, unless cost and or travel restricts your choices heavily......i mean when you are paying money, you need to do your homework on your schools and aim for the best you can have

and as far as working fulltime as another poster said......simply put in my opinion, some people can do it ,.....others cannot, but do not assume just because a few people can do it that you will either..... your better off living off loans and working minimily, but thats just me