Nurses/Nursing Students:What advice would you give someone starting Nursing School?

[missymarie26]

Thanks!

[gt4everpn, BSN, RN]

its gonna be tough:flamesonb , its gonna be rough, your gonna laugh :roll cry:scrying: , dance , and gasp! but don't worry if u really love nursing you'll stick with it and fall into your niche! thanks for choosing nursing, your on your way.

1. study slowly, take your time

2. always ask about what u don't know- understand everything

3. study body system by body system and relate systems to one another and know their diseases.

4. stay on the positive side!

[Lolo37]

thank you for the advice.

[edgwow]

Welcome

We need you!!

Do not let instructors that find all faults in you and your care rip you down. You are valuable and will learn what you need in time.

Plan to not work more than 12-15 hours a week. Most of social life is put on hold. Except after you do good on a test, as a reward.

Study hard.

Take good notes. Ask others to compare notes to after class to make sure you didn't miss something important.

Do not by any means, cram for a test. Study a bit every night. Keep up with your readings and do not try to read 300 pages in 1 night. You will burn out quickly that way, besides being grumpy in the morning.

The care plans you will do, although difficult are truely the way you will learn what you need to know so it can become second nature.

Turn off the cell phone when you study. You need to focus on that and not be distracted.

Make flash cards when you need to, allow yourself not to be perfect.

I live by this and have taught my children this also:

If you put the effort in and the best you can do is an F, that is OK. You were not made to perform perfect every time. Don't beat yourself up over it. Chin up, I DID MY BEST and move on! Each step taken is 1 step closer to the goal.

Registered Nurse RN

With great honor comes great responsibility and I don't know a more honorable profession than nursing.

[luv2yoga]

Get a nurse tech job at a hospital. You will learn more there than at clinicals. You only need to work 1 shift a week, but it will help.

[AnnieOaklyRN, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

Say a lot of prayers

[lovingtheunloved, ASN, RN]

Give your house a good, thorough cleaning, because it'll be two years before you clean it again.

[cynt77]

Take time for yourself!!!! I can't stress it enough even if it is 1 hour a week to go and get a pedicure or take a walk in the park without a nursing book...do something...It will refresh you and you will be ready to get back into the game.

I graduate May 12th :monkeydance:

[muldoon]

Accept love, support, and advice from your classmates but do not let them get you all worked up. Some days I would have been cool as a cucumber had I not let a classroom full of people freak me out.

[NJNursing, ASN, RN]

Form study groups with your friends. It's tough studying with people you don't particularly care for and being with friends will occassionally give you comic relief.

Tape record your lectures. Sometimes professors talk so fast because they need to cram so much information into you that they can't always go back and clarify or you may be writing notes and miss something. Get a full size one - not a mini cassette. I'd listen to my lectures in the car on the way to an from school.

I agree about making flash cards. It's good repetition to read it, to write it and then to study it again.

Use whatever tools you need for your type of studying.

Breathe and make sure you take time for yourself because it's a lot of time away from your friends and family which your fellow students will replace. My nursing school classmates are now some of my nearest and dearest friends.

[MnemonicFanatic]

--> talk to students who are ahead of you in the program, they are invaluable for tidbits (how a prof tests, what is expected, reading lists, etc) The more people you talk to, the more you'll be able to figure out what is a rumor ("you have to pull a 100% on the medcalc tests or they'll fail you...") and what is fact.

--> Find a group of like-minded students and form study groups. Not only will it help to understand the content, but in some cases, they will turn out to be your only stability and support in this endeavor. I have several friends who are not nurses or in the program, and I am constantly hearing "why are you stressing, you only have ONE class this semester...." Unless they've gone through it (or are currently dealing with it) very few people will understand the extent of your angst!

--> remember that there are many who have been in your shoes, they understand exactly what you are going through, and no matter how overwhelmed you are, take a look around the nurse's station while you are doing clinical. They've all gone through it, (even if some of them refuse to admit it :chuckle), and you will find many, many resource books (current med books, etc) on the shelves...while they may know alot, it comes with experience. I asked my clinical prof. when can I expect to not feel so stupid, her reply? "It will take a while after you graduate before you 'don't feel stupid' ". Learn as much as you can, but realize it's impossible to know EVERYTHING!

--> take a few minutes every day for yourself, and don't feel guilty about it. You'll never get through the program if you have a breakdown. :monkeydance:

oh, yeah, welcome!

[elena121]

Get a nurse tech job at a hospital. You will learn more there than at clinicals. You only need to work 1 shift a week, but it will help.

Hey Meredith ,can i find a job as a Nurse Tech???

I m at school as Med .Assist with Cardiovascular Technology and just finished their first module. I didnt pass to Lpn program so i took this.

Now Im thinking about going to study for nurse after finishing the school or going for Cardiovascular Tech!!!!!!!

Just right now i need a job and i was wondering about Nurse Tech....

thnk you all