This is my second day in the nursing program and already we have our first test on Friday. The test is over 350 medical terms. Next week we start Intro to Nursing and that test is like 3 days after the class starts.
Im not complaining. I mean this is made to be tough and fast so we can be good trained nurses. It'll all be worth it in the end. It's only one year of sacrifice.
Anyway my first day started in my computer course for 4 hours. Every hour we would get a break and could grab a snack or a drink. I'm trying to stay healthy so I'm munching on granola bars and water. For lunch I even had a ham and cheese sandwhich. But, I digress....haha. The computer course is pretty basic. The things we already know but they want us to be sure how to send our assignments and check our emails for class. Just to jogg our memories I suppose.
Next I headed off to Med Term. We sat and watched a video that repeated every term over and over for the next 4 hours of my school day. It actually kind of worked. I went home and could remember some of the visuals that the video had in it, so i remembered the terms! That's when she broke the news....test Friday for 350 words. I guess it's not that bad..but 350 words!!!!!!!! Ahh!
Well I'm in computer class right now so I should pay attention...I'll update later.
thanks ladyquinn! almost sounded like what i say to my daughter (she's in college) when she's having a tough time with a class. :) lol luv it.....i just need a bit of smacking around sometimes. or maybe its cause im so used to my daily rituals that im scared (and nervous) of change....
and to ddad - whoops sorry that wasn't intentional!
Hey ladies who are in the program, just wondering if you guys have been to college b4? I'm freakin out a lil bit by the things that are being said here. I have my BA so I know school is stressful, especially since I was a single mom at the time. I know it's fast and everything, but is it like regular college, or even more crazy?? Please help so I know I will be able to handle this. Also, is everyone in cc or any vocational schools? (im in CA)
But have yet to take the exit exam, so not a graduate yet. boo....
Boy, it sure has been an INTENSE 12 months of my life! Our program was divided into 4 terms, with 1 week long break in between. And believe me, that 1 week seemed a looooooong time.
May I add that this opportunity taught me a lot about my character and willingness to commit to such a career and the people. I've matured more during the last year than the rest combined. I've seen and dealt with all sorts of things, but none I regret because they were all extremely wonderful experiences. I've become more understanding and caring as the world needs more loving.
But boy, it sure was rough and tough. Waking up at the break of dawn to go to the hospital. Freaking out to Code Blue and running to my patients' rooms, praying they were ok. Getting yelled at by family members for not being able to answer their questions. Or getting yelled at by the instructor for getting the charts mixed up. But the worst? Getting yelled at by the patient him/herself for not letting him/her go home. Thank goodness I never had to deal with the doctors! Phew. And the horror of taking a test on a weekly basis!
My best friend was caffeine, and sleep, my best lover ever.
Read, review, read, review. It's the best thing I can recommend. I regret not reading beforehand and never knowing what the intructors were talking about (a lesson I never find myself learning time and time again). Therefore my notes were all coded and cryptical, to only find out later at home exactly what they were talking about, but by then, it was way too late to ask questions because in the next class?! we were already starting a new body system. I think we were doing a body system every week or week and a half. And during clinicals, pay a lot of attention, even to the smallest details. If you are unsure, don't be afraid to ask questions. Some nurses are intimidating and get easily annoyed if you follow them around, but still ask! If you don't ask or volunteer, you've got tons to lose because at the end of the day, how often do you get to put an NG tube in...or insert foley cath...or observe a parecentesis...or see a child birth...??
Good luck y'all. And savor each moment and opportunity, because the program will be over before you know it!
LadyQuinn, I have been out of school for about a century now and need a lot of refreshing! I have several work books and have been brushing up on my math and sciences, also I have a few NET books. Question .... do all NET tests have the same format? Chemistry and or Physics, etc. or are the subject different for each?
I took and passed a test for a LPN program that I will not be attending, they stressed that it was not the NET. That test was just Reading Comp, Critical Thinking and Math.
I have been in college since i graduated highschool and I can tell you that nursing school is a bit different ...alot different..the material...the way its taught and the way you have to train yourself to learn. Figure out your learning style and you should be great!...my thoughts on everything is that nursing school is different from typical college classes but easier to get into?!? does that make sense?...I like it more because it has one focus. Its more interesting than taking alot of classes that have nothing to do with my job outlook. Nursing school is great!
who said..."If all goes well I'll be starting in Sept. Any advice about what I can do in these next few months to get a "leg up" in the fall?"
I personally would recommend getting Barron's Anatomy & Physiology book and working my way through that.
I am in month 6 of a 19 month lpn program. We are almost done with A&P but I still study it on my own so that I get it permanently into my brain. We go through it so quickly in class, I wound up studying more to pass the test than to remember if for a lifetime. Also, as I plan to go on with my studies, I know this is not the last that I will see of A&P in an academic setting, so I am always trying to firm it up in my mind.
I have made it to anatomy and physiology! It's hard. I won't lie. There just soo much more information in this section. We have covered all but 3 chapters of the book in one week. We have already had two test and our third is this Monday. Our final is Thursday. Wish me luck. I need it and your prayers. I made my first C or F as our program calls anything less than an 82 percent. So my average has dropped a bit and I am not happy! For thoe of you wondering how to prepare for this course... you can do what anniemae suggested. Although like she mentioned there is no way to really know the stuff with one try around so even if you do study it beforehand....study your a$$ off your actually starting the course too because there is no real way to prepare for how fast paced it is. Our class covered 3 body systems or more a day with a test every 3 days. Yes. You read it correctly. But don't let this get you down or think you can't keep up because if I can you can. Remember this forum is just to let you know what you might expect in a program, not scare you. That is not my intention. Well good luck to those of you in programs and "What are you waiting for?!?!" to those of you waiting to apply. Do it! Oyeah join study groups. I have one and it helps. Trust me.
Bell13, ASN
77 Posts
thanks ladyquinn! almost sounded like what i say to my daughter (she's in college) when she's having a tough time with a class. :) lol luv it.....i just need a bit of smacking around sometimes. or maybe its cause im so used to my daily rituals that im scared (and nervous) of change....
and to ddad - whoops sorry that wasn't intentional!