New nursing student (questions)

Selfrespectforwomen · May 12, 2011

Ok. here goes, basic rules to start out with:
Don't EVER get behind in your work
Read assigned material before class
Prepare for clinicals (6AM) the night before
Avoid students who don't work very hard
Plan on spending 3 hours studying for every hour in class (some need more, few need less)
If you aren't already, get organized, the stuff comes at you fast and furious and you can get bogged down before you know it!
Get at least one 'success' book for Fundies and use it before each exam. You will get some practice taking the question format
Try to save some time for you and your family! NS is stressful on relationships
Read this forum! It will get you more oriented than anything else I know
That's all for now, good luck!

I'm going for my LPN. So, you're saying, they do 'clinicals' and based on another user here, after you're experienced enough to do basics like 'blood pressure' 'breathing' etc. then you do them until your class time expires?

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · May 12, 2011

I thrived in clinicals, best advice I would give any new student or current student, or anyone period. Stay positive, keep away from negative people, don't lose your enthusiasm. I just graduated days ago and overall I had a great experience. Nursing school wasn't a walk in the park and my school has a really good program. They had a 100% NCLEX pass rate the previous semester and the year before that. They really got tough with their program to get National Accreditation. That said, it hasn't come close to being the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.

Stcroix, ASN, PhD, RN · May 12, 2011

I'm going for my LPN. So, you're saying, they do 'clinicals' and based on another user here, after you're experienced enough to do basics like 'blood pressure' 'breathing' etc. then you do them until your class time expires?

You have classes for theory and book learning, and you have lab classes to teach you to use techniques such as: blood pressure, temp, heart rate, and other types of assessment of your patient. These lab classes will go on throughout the semester. In addition, after a few first weeks of lab you will do clinical duty in a hospital, nursing home, etc, and work with patients under the supervision of a clinical instructor.

fromtheseaRN, BSN, RN · May 12, 2011

so...you seriously just study science and practice what you know as you learn it, and expand your knowledge base by exploiting ignorant patients? Cute. I like it.

you study the material you are taught in class, which will consist of nursing theory, pathophysiology of disease processes, how to recognize progression of disease processes, and the appropriate interventions. tests in nursing are not like tests you are used to- it is not answering questions with facts that you have memorized, it is application. for example: you walk into a patients room and their vitals are x, y ,z, and they are displaying symptoms x, y, and z. what do you do? you need to use the information given to you to determine what is going on with your patient, and to then determine how you need to act in that situation.

also, you are not exploiting ignorant patients. you are providing real nursing care for patients who need it, under the direct supervision of your clinical instructor.

MissHaleyDawn · May 12, 2011

Be prepared to have no social life, to have textbooks as BFFs, and make life-time friendships with your classmates. I couldn't have made it without my nursing buddies!

Clinicals...oh, clinicals. It's kind of hard to sum them up. Everything's totally unexpected. My first day a man coded and I was having at it with chest compressions. :eek:

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · May 13, 2011

Be prepared to have no social life, to have textbooks as BFFs, and make life-time friendships with your classmates. I couldn't have made it without my nursing buddies!
Clinicals...oh, clinicals. It's kind of hard to sum them up. Everything's totally unexpected. My first day a man coded and I was having at it with chest compressions.

I would actually go against having no Social Life, it's important to take time out for yourself and also spend some time with your family and friends.

Selfrespectforwomen · May 13, 2011

I thrived in clinicals, best advice I would give any new student or current student, or anyone period. Stay positive, keep away from negative people, don't lose your enthusiasm. I just graduated days ago and overall I had a great experience. Nursing school wasn't a walk in the park and my school has a really good program. They had a 100% NCLEX pass rate the previous semester and the year before that. They really got tough with their program to get National Accreditation. That said, it hasn't come close to being the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.

Hmmm...this really is what I've always wanted then. So, you get to learn a lot, then play with what you know directly afterwards! I love it! Basically, it sounds like you go from the blackboard to the sandbox, but the blackboard is a 10,000$ x-ray machine and the sandbox is a dependent patient in critical condition! I've always wanted this experience and I'm psyched...just a little ramble, however; I just found out that my Nursing school only counts scores in English and Math (not writing)....I hope they stay accredited.