Hi AN readers
I know I am not the only one posting their 1st semester experiences, but I know how nerve-wracking it can be to be going into the first semester of nursing school and having no idea what to expect. I am finishing my 1st semester this week and wanted to give some tips and share some experiences. Every program will be different as will the individual student's circumstances, so this is by no means an end all be all approach to nursing school. Let's get started!
1. As it is commonly said on AN, if you are traditionally a straight-A student, do not be too down on yourself if you do not maintain that record during nursing school. Most programs have a different grading scale, where an A isn't an A unless you have (in my case) a 91.5% or higher. Your primary goal should be passing. If you are comfortably passing, then I would worry over getting better grades. Some might say, "Well, shouldn't you try your best no matter what?" Yes, of course.. but the reality is that nursing school is no walk in the park. You are there to learn how to think like a nursing and eventually, become a licensed RN. On graduation day, you won't be saying, "This is my GPA!", you will be saying, "I did it! I graduated nursing school!"
2. Be pleasant and amiable with all of your fellow classmates. Some programs are huge, some are tiny. In my case, there are 40 of us. I'm not saying you have to send everyone Christmas cards, but for the remainder of your program, you will be seeing these people, some more than others. It does not do well to have any adversaries. You can learn something from everyone, no matter who they are. If a misunderstanding takes place, resolve it so no bad blood festers. I think this is applicable to anything in life, but especially during nursing school, where the drama can seem worse than what it was in middle school.
3. Complete your reading assignments as soon as possible. Nothing is worse than being a few days away from an exam and realizing you haven't read any of the 15 chapters associated with that test. It really helps if you prepare for the lectures by studying the powerpoints (if available) and reading the assigned chapters. On that note, utilize all resources available to you to prepare for the exams. Many schools (including mine) uses Potter/Perry for their Fundamentals course. This book includes access to Evolve's website which hosts practice tests and chapter reviews. Any resource you have, USE IT!
4. Quizlet is an online resource that I would recommend wholeheartedly. In my case, since my Fundamentals book is used in so many different schools, others had developed flashcard sets for most of the chapters. I would just search, for example, "potter perry chapter 22" and review the cards other people had written. It was like having access to other people's notes and getting their perspectives. You can also develop your own flashcards and review them from your mobile device.
5. Study groups can be a godsend or a curse. It really helps to get other people's perspectives on things, but in my opinion, study groups should be used as a supplement to independent studying. Where they might hurt you more than help is if the group is too big, and y'all spend the time complaining about how hard the material is to grasp or how unfair a certain instructor is. Trust me, it will happen.
6. Cherish your clinical mates. In most programs, clinical groups are relatively small for practicality purposes. In my program, we were divided up into groups of 6-8. There were 8 of us in my group, and our personalities meshed beautifully. It is so much easier to ask, "Hey, I forgot my blood pressure cuff at school. Can I borrow yours?" to someone you're acquainted with than a stranger. It is simply uncomfortable to be spending so much time with people that you don't get along with.
7. Identify situations or techniques that you are not comfortable with during school, and force yourself to get used to them. For example, I had heard awful things about tracheostomy care: the noise/smell of suctioning, the drainage from the trach site, having to change the dressing. So naturally, I approached the nurses on the vent hall at my clinical site, and asked if they would let me perform suctioning and other trach care. After 3 hours of doing nothing but that, I feel like I could do it in my sleep. And honestly, it differs from person to person, but it's not that gross.
8. Watch what you say around other students. Remember how I earlier mentioned being nice and such to everyone? No matter your intentions, things you say could be misinterpreted by other students. I was told on two different times this semester about seemingly innocent things that other students had taken the wrong way. It sucks, and is inexplicable, but competition is fierce in nursing school. It makes no sense to me since we should all treat each other like brothers and sisters, seeing how we're going against the same foe that is nursing school, but some students treat it like it's a competition, and they're going to win.
9. Do not buy into fear mongering that some people try to do regarding nursing school. Yes, it is time consuming, and yes, you won't be able to do everything you were able to do before while balancing school, but it is not like you are being shipped off to North Korea for 2 years (though it may feel like it sometimes!). You are still you, and you are still in control of your life. Learn how to manage your time wisely, which may be easier for some than others due to life circumstances (children, spouse, hours worked per week, etc).
10. This might seem like a cheap shot but if you are a student who has children, has to work, or other circumstances which might make school harder, don't try to make traditional students feel worse about themselves. I'm not saying all such students do this, but would y'all like to guess how many times I, as a 19-year old student living at home without many bills to pay, had hurtful and demeaning things said to me? "Of course you made an A on the test, you have all the time in the world to study.", "Yeah, you got an A on that test, but you don't have kids keeping you up all night.", "Are you sure this is what you even want to do? You're so young." Basically, treat others with the respect you would like to receive.
I hope this didn't come off as a rant or incoherent ramble. Maybe it will be useful to someone. Enjoy and thanks for reading.
