Officially starting my program Fall '16

[nurse2be_nikki]

Hi everyone,

I just got officially accepted into my program at the local Community College and will start my courses in the Fall of this year (2016). I obviously completed the pre-req's needed to get into the program and am taking Anatomy & Physiology 102 and a Communications course over the summer to lighten the load during my first semester. I am nervous and excited about the program, and wondered if anyone had any advice or words of wisdom to pass along?

This journey has been a long time coming for me and I can't wait to see where my path takes me on the way to becoming an RN. I am enrolled in an ASN program and plan, upon completion, to get a job and continue on with my education.

Advice from fellow nursing students as well as graduates and nurses who have been in the field a while are all appreciated! Thank you all so much, this community is a wonderful thing.

[butterfly4456]

Congrats on getting into nursing school. I started at my community college in August of last year. The biggest thing to me is time management. There is a lot of reading, however I've found that if I go through the chapters while trying to answer the objectives, helps me get through the reading more effectively. I'm able to grasp the information better. Then once I have the lecture, I can add to my notes whatever the instructor emphasizes as important or something that could be on an exam. The biggest thing is when or if you feel overwhelmed, take a deep breath and remember you were accepted to the nursing program so you can get through it. The time goes by fast so enjoy every minute of it.

[Missie Hannie]

First of all, yay for you, getting into nursing school! If you haven't done so already, you should take time to do a little happy dance :)

Advice?

1. Sleep when you can, where you can. You will be working very hard, and you will be exhausted. But it will all be worth it in the end.

2. Tell yourself right now that you will have little to no social life while you are in nursing school. But it's only for a short while. Studying, classes, and clinicals will need to become your highest priority in order to succeed. But it will all be worth it in the end.

3. Don't study by watching medical TV shows! As entertaining as Grey's Anatomy and House MD can be, your instructors will probably not be impressed with your study habits - believe me, our nursing class tried this on several occasions (jokingly, of course). Our instructors were good sports and humored us, but did say that we should consult more accurate sources.

4. Make time to take care of yourself. Some insanity is expected, but you won't make it through nursing school if you lose all of your sanity. Do something physical to keep yourself healthy and to work out the stress. Take time to enjoy a favorite hobby. Everyone needs balance in their lives.

And finally... never forget that you have accomplished a lot to get where you are now. Be proud of yourself!