Nurse-to-be Needs Advice!

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Hello friends!

I have recently been accepted into my nursing program in Orlando, FL. I am so excited to begin this adventure and be on my way to becoming a nurse. Since the moment I received my acceptance letter, I have been beaming! :geek:

I have so many questions! Thank you for taking the time to read this. I can't wait to be a nurse! :nurse:

Any advice about nursing school, clinicals, or being a nurse in general would be greatly appreciated. Do's and don'ts are always helpful. If you have an experience from your journey to becoming a nurse that you wouldn't mind sharing, please do! I know this path won't always be easy. If you have any advice for the rough days, that would be great.

What type of watch do you prefer? Are there certain watch features that are essential?

What type of shoes do you prefer? - I know good shoes are essential to the longevity of my back and feet.

What type of stethoscope do you use? I really like the Littman classic 2 and the classic 3, but perhaps other brands are better?

Thank you so, so much in advance. :yes: Any information at all is helpful.

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Congrats on your acceptance. I was also just accepted into my program. I hope you get responses! I am interested in this topic too.

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Congratulations to you as well! :up:

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I like the Litman 2 classic. I like nursemates shoes. Just get any watch with a second hand.

Advice: grow thick skin.

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I just attended orientation yesterday! Totally feel your excitement!! I have been part of Allnurses for a while, so I will tell you what I've learned from these lovely people so far and what they might tell you.

1. There are tons of posts like this one, try searching and you will find lots of great advice in them. Also google it, there are tons of blogs and youtube videos giving nursing school advice.

2. Stay organized, use a planner to set aside time for everything, keeping track of assignments and test

3. Be humble always

4. Be prepared to work. There are good and bad instructors, dont waste your time complaining about it (unless you really feel like its crossing the line and take it up the chain), but instead find ways to study around it/despite it. Nursing is a lot of self-teaching.

5. Learn from your mistakes

6. Use study groups but keep them small.

7. There are tons of posts on shoes, search for this as well, and you will find there are 3-5 main brands and its really a point of preference after that. Personally, I think I am going to try Sketchers first.

8. As far as stethoscopes, some people tell you that cheap brands are find for school, but most have and love their Littmans.

9. Dont skip class or clinicals. EVER. Unless you are literally dead. (J/K but not really, lol)

10. Don't cram. Start studying the first day of class. Review your notes that same day.

11. Learn how to read. There is going to be a lot of reading, stay on top of it. Some people say you dont need to read everything, just skim using titles, bolded words, charts, and any nursing applications. During my orientation they told us that all reading assigned is fair game for a test, and we should not rely just on the power points given in class, so I will start out by reading everything and get a feel for my instructors.

12. Make time for yourself and your loved ones, keep some semblance of a life for your sanity.

13. Find ways to relieve stress, exercise, and eat healthy (I really have to work on this, lol)

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Thank you so much! This advice is great and just what I needed. Congratulations on your acceptance to nursing school! These are all fantastic tips. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! :yeah:

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

Congratulations! :up: I haven't used the Litmann Classics; I used a cheapie in school and then bought myself Litmann Cardiology III when I graduated. Litmann is a really good brand, though. I'd go on Amazon and read a bunch of reviews. Sometimes that helps with product decisions.

My biggest piece of advice (well, one of them) is to remember to take care of yourself. A recurring theme in nursing -- especially floor nursing -- is "I don't even have time to pee!" There are very few things that can't wait the two minutes a BR break takes. You need to eat and drink plenty of water during a shift. YOUR health is important, and you won't be able to fully dedicate to patients if you're dehydrated and starving.

Let's see... HIPAA is extremely important. Take it very seriously, or a confidentiality breach can end your career before it begins.

Professional boundaries are also vital to maintain, but sometimes difficult, especially for students who haven't yet learned nursing street smarts. Google "professional boundaries in nursing" to learn more.

If you need help in school, ask right away.

Nursing has a different way of thinking than other disciplines. Not harder or easier, but different. Some very intelligent people who sail through math and science have trouble when they start nursing classes. I think it's because nursing is both a science and an art. I don't mean to sound ominous, and you can definitely learn just like millions of us have, bit it's good to be aware of.

Wishing you the best on your journey!

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Emergency, CEN.

Never ever tell an RN that they are "doing it wrong". You may, however, ask "why" they chose to do something in a certain way.

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Thank you so much everyone! And I will definitely look into professional boundaries in nursing. All of you are so helpful! I'm bookmarking this thread for future reference. :rolleyes:

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I like the Litman 2 classic. I like nursemates shoes. Just get any watch with a second hand.

Advice: grow thick skin.

"grow thick skin" - nice......:bag:

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Great responses!

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

Oh, shoes: I'm in love with Sketchers w/ memory foam. If I die with my feet in memory foam, I will die a happy woman. :)

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