Nursing Students Unite

JennNJ83 · Jun 22, 2010

Take time for yourself to relax and have a good time, or you'll become like some of my classmates, cranky, sleep deprived and obsessed :)

frecklednursingpupil · Jun 22, 2010

As a pre-nursing student beginning the long trek down the path of getting a bachelors in nursing I am very happy to see this board! I can't wait to see all the different advice. I am so nervous because I hear the time management factor of it all is extremely difficult, so even now I am looking for different ways to divide up my day. Any tips would be so much appreciated from all you rockin' nurses!

NickB · Jun 22, 2010

The majority of your learning will take place in your clinicals. Pay attention to everything you are taught in clinicals and when there is an opportunity to do something, be the first one who volunteers everytime. I can't tell you how many things I got to experience in clinicals because I wasn't afraid to volunteer. Ironically, I was able to apply everything I saw or did to what we learned in the classroom. Also, Yerba Mate. Coffee is only so good and will make you super nervous. Yerba Mate will do the trick without the crazy coffee feeling.

miss_lano · Jun 22, 2010

Just how tough is the first year of nursing school. I am excited to be starting this fall, what should i be expecting?

iPink, BSN, RN · Jun 22, 2010

I'm trying to go into an Accelerated BSN program, so I will be hitting up this thread for any tips.

kcrewfive · Jun 22, 2010

I agree with the sleep part. Also find ways to relax like a yoga class or regular exercise. You have to sleep and be able to unwind weekly (daily if you can) or you will burn out and make mistakes.

maiday · Jun 22, 2010

I agree about the clinicals. You learn a lot in clinicals. Try to take away everything from the nurses, not just skills, but how do they manage their day, how do they talk to doctors, how do they interact with patients. You can learn a lot just by that even if you don't "do" much, sometimes it's what not to do =)

I have a study technique that works great for me, but might not for everybody. I have a long drive (45-60 min) so I write my notes, then I record myself reading them, and play them back during my drive. Super boring, but it usually only takes 15 minutes and then I listen to music again. That way I get 3 kinds of learning (writing, reading, listening). Helps me a ton.

Dixiecup · Jun 22, 2010

It's been a long time since I was a nursing student, but I do seem to remember you get out of it only as much as what your instructors put in it.

I see no reason for instructors to be so hard nosed and trying their best to beat a person down to the point a student wanting to quit.

I know not ALL instructors are like this but how about a little encourgment instead of acting like the almighty dictator. That really does no good for anyone as far as learning.

The old saying goes, you get a lot more from honey that you do from vinigar. And I don't see why some instructors feel the need to treat you like you a piece of dirt under their shoe.

I have never been an instructor but even as a preceptor or a mentor I swore I would never make a student feel like they were scum of the earth. Which is what happens a lot of the time.

When I was just starting out as an LPN, I had an RN that took a liking to me, she took me under her wing and I learned so much from her. Never treated me like I was stupid. But as an equeal. I felt like I could ask her anything and she would explain to the best of her ability without giving me the look that said"you are dumb as a stump".

I just don't understand why some of these instructors think they have to get up on a high horse and exploit students every chance they get. (as I said before, not all of them but certainly many of them). I swore I would never act that way when I was put into a teaching or mentoring position and I'm pretty sure I have held up to that bargain.

Guess I will quit rambling now. I could go on and on!

GeneralJinjur · Jun 22, 2010

Come hang out on the Student forum here at Allnurses! I have picked up tons of helpful tips.

I have picked up the habit of watching DVDs in 10 minute increments before I fall asleep. I watched 8 seasons of Scrubs this way, along with a passel of movies from the public library. It takes my mind off school, which lets me relax enough to pass out. My other option seems to be nightmares about whatever I'm studying or being too stressed to fall asleep, so I'll worry about altering this habit after I graduate in December.

algebra_demystified · Jun 22, 2010

Here's my tip. Get your physiology book out and study the nervous system again. Especially the receptors in the gut and all the parts of Brown Sequard syndrome. Relearn that chapter backwards and forwards. Then go to the endocrine system and master that material. Everything you learned in physiology about the endocrine system is going to come back to you every semester in med/surg or pathophysiology again. If you have any time left, go over the female reproductive system as it relates to the endocrine system.

Then buy your pharmacology textbook early and study the diabetic medications. Then learn about Parkinsons and Alzheimers. Drill down to the finest level of detail you can find, all the way to the chemistry. Leave no stone unturned. Pay particular attention to the medications used in both and how they are related.

Finally, go to Wikipedia and study partial pressures in the circulatory system.

I would suggest taking nursing school very seriously from the beginning and plan to study four hours a day seven days a week, not counting writing papers. If you can't find anything to study early on, go to Wikipedia and click through links until you've spent at least four hours studying.

At the end of nursing school you will have a GPA and a body of knowledge. If your GPA is in the 3.8-4.0 range and your mastery of the material obviously puts you at the head of your class, you will get a very good job at a good hospital. The field of candidates is huge, hospitals can afford to be very picky. You will need to be among the very best to compete for a spot in the ICU, OB, or anywhere else that the best candidates go.

Otherwise you'll wind up working criminal psych in a filthy dungeon... right next to me.

I really like criminal psych and wouldn't trade my dungeon for the cleanest ICU in the whole world... but I'm kind of in the minority.

Good luck in school. You only have one chance, don't blow it. Or you'll wind up doing a Masters at Phoenix... right next to me.

mindlor · Jun 22, 2010

Oy mate I was impressed until you suggested wiki as a credible source lol.

Advice to all, stick to scholarly journals and skip the wiki. Wiki is not peer reviewed......

Anyway, maybe you were being a little sarcastic its hard to tell hehe