New RN students starting in the Fall- nervous??

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I am starting an ASN program in the fall, and I am very excited but also feeling very nervous about what to expect as far as lectures and clinicals. Any new students who feel the same, or any students out there that can give some insight to us newbies? :)

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Specializes in Acute Care Cardiac, Education, Prof Practice.

Nursing school is a great time to get nervous and excited! Classes will start out with the basics, as will most clinicals. Expect a lot of time learning how to work with fairly stable patients, like geriatrics at nursing homes. Take time to learn their needs, patterns, and health conditions. Take time to find physical examples of diseases you learn about in class so you can see how they present. Remember that even though everything in nursing school doesn't necessarily connect to practice right away, it will in time.

Have fun!

Tait

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Specializes in Acute Care Cardiac, Education, Prof Practice.

Oh and get your hands into everything! If you nurse needs to do a dressing change ask to watch and assist if you can! The more practice you get, and the more you see, the more confident you will be in both class and clinicals.

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Take every opportunity at clinicals to practice skills, or watch nurses with skills. If you get to pick your patients pick harder ones, b/c that is what will help you feel more comfortable and confident in clinicals. Be respectful to the nurses, always remember that the nurses are not there to make your clinical experiences good so when they take the time to show you something thank them because they don't have to.

Don't become one of the students that think and say that because you pay tuition your professors should do what you want when you want it. Don't let the debbie downers get you down, stand to your guns. Regardless of how many hoops you are jumping through, stay positive b/c there is a reason why you are jumping through them.

Have fun in clinicals. I was always so nervous in clinicals I wouldn't let myself have fun. If you are the same don't fret, b/c you will have a blast in your preceptorship and all that worrying will pay off!

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Before starting school purchase a RN quick reference guide/book and learn it inside and out. Practice your drug calculations, practice assessing your family friends, and make a few care plans up. Cut up some store bought meat, poke holes in it even, and try to apply appropriate dressings into it. Also squeeze the tip of your finger till it starts to hurt and then hold it for 15 more minutes. Just kidding! Don't do the last part, but just reminding you to turn your patients during clinical. Everyone forgets that for some reason.

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I am over the moon excited to start my ADN program this fall :) I worked so hard for 5 years getting my pre-reqs done. Took me so long because I went slow because I have 5 kids. I am ready to eat, breathe, sleep nursing. I have always wanted to be a nurse. I am a CNA and MA and I have been doing it for 10 years. Hoping everything I've done and seen will be very helpful. When in A&P our professors like made group assignments where we were the dr, and I always excelled at those :) My nursing orientation day is May 29th. Good luck.

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Specializes in Hospitalist Medicine.

Yes, I am definitely both excited and nervous! I start in the Fall and I will be in the 3-Year part-time program. This allows me to work at the same time as taking nursing classes. I'm going to work towards taking concurrent BSN courses with the university I'll transfer to once I complete my ADN. They have an agreement with our ADN program that will allow you to work on both ADN & BSN courses so all I have to do is finish my clinicals for the BSN when I'm done with the ADN. It's going to be a lot of work up front, but I'm excited! :D

Good luck to everyone!!!

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First time posting, I have been lurking for a couple of months now. I start my ADN program in the fall with orientation on July 30. I had applied for a ABSN at the U of U and the ADN program at my community college where I have been taking my prereqs. I found out on March 11 that I didn't get into the ABSN program but then I found out on March 13 that I got into the ADN one. I will do the RN to BSN program at the U of U once I am done with my ADN. I will have the prereqs for both programs done once Finals are over in 2 weeks. Because of the partnership that the U has with my CC, the acceptance rate is 98% for the RN to BSN program. I can apply to that program during the 2nd year of my ADN program. I have to pass the NCLEX within 2 months of starting the RN to BSN. The road will be a little longer than I had originally planned on, but I am super excited to have a spot with how competitive it is. My GPA is a 3.9 and I scored a 96% on the Hesi A2 with perfect score in A & P, Biology, Math and a 96% in Chemistry. It has really surprised me the intensity of the competition for a spot.

I am pretty nervous about starting this fall but super excited too. I have been dreaming of going back to school and becoming a RN for almost 20 years when I finished my BA. I have been working as a CNA at a LTC on the weekends and hopefully I will be able to continue this through nursing school. I will have classes on Weds and Thurs with clinicals being Mon and Tues and possibly on Fri.

Good Luck to everyone.

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Specializes in Med/surg, Onc.

Congrats on starting!! Nursing school is so exciting, scary, amazing and terrifying all in one! It will be hard, and amazing. It is the hardest thing I've ever done besides being a parent and I love it just as much.

If something scares you volunteer to do it right away! Nothing is as scary as it seems in your head. I promise.

Be sponge! You will forever be a student, a teacher, a counselor, a mathematician and so much more from here on out!

Get a good study group, even just one other person that you can rely on, you help them, they help you and keep each other on track. I couldn't have gotten through some weeks without my group.

I'm finishing my 3rd semester of 4 in my ADN program and can't wait to go to clinical each week. I really love my "job" already.

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I start my BSN clinicals in the fall! After 2 years doing pre reqs, I am happy to move on. I am excited & nervous because I know how busy it will be. Even though graduation (May 2015) seems so far off, everyone I talk to says nursing school flies by.

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Thanks for the advice guys! I have a friend who is graduating from the program I will be starting in the fall, she is going to give me her books and I plan on getting a headstart over the summer. I at least want to familiarize myself with the material. I can't wait! I graduated in 2010 with my BS in biology, and worked for a few years as a lab analyst in an environmental lab. But the work eventually became boring, so I decided to try nursing. I wasn't sure if I would get in, but I decided to apply to an ADN program and after 2 agonizingly long months of waiting, I got my acceptance letter! This is really exciting but also scary because its a such a big change, but I am over the moon! I got my CNAlicense while in high school, so I have some CNA experience, and I worked as a ward clerk in the ER for a few years while I was in college, and I loved the hospital setting so I know that while nursing will be challenging, it will also be very rewarding! Congrats to everyone who will be starting soon and good luck!

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Specializes in LTC, Rural, OB.

Congratulations on getting in! It was this time last year almost that I found out about getting in to my current program. I was super excited and nervous when I started and still am at the start of every quarter. I am in my last quarter of my first year and can't believe how much I have learned. Definitely do as much as you can while in clinical, that is the best way to learn. At the minimum have at least one study buddy. Having at least one person who I relate to on every level with this program has completely helped me, especially since I am new to the area where I am going to school and my husband lives two states away. Nursing school is hard, scary, like nothing else I have ever done but is also exciting and rewarding. I finally found what I'm meant to do, even on days that I question it. Good luck with your schooling!

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