so we are one month into this. How is it going?

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Most of us newbies are one month into our classes. Is it what you expected? How are you doing?

Personally, things are going well for me. There is more reading than I thought I would have to do and sometimes I feel like other than being at school all I do is study (although hubby and I went on a date last Saturday night and then watched the Auburn game. War Eagle!!!) I do get incredibly nervous about check offs (next week is vital signs and I am really nervous about that one but we are spending all of fundamentals class Monday practicing).

I hope all is going well with everyone else.:)

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Specializes in MICU.

It's actually a lot easier than I thought it would be, but that's true to form for me. I always think things will be harder than they end up being.

I made an A on my first test and a high B on my second, so I barely have an A average on tests right now, and a solid A overall. That makes me happy, but it does continue to get tougher as time goes on.

I'm having a lot of fun. My only complaint is that I have not yet found my bearings socially. There are plenty of people I like and talk to, but I haven't had the chance to really get to know anyone yet.

I think I'm going to start trying to form some study groups and stuff like that.

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Specializes in CNA.
I do get incredibly nervous about check offs (next week is vital signs and I am really nervous about that one but we are spending all of fundamentals class Monday practicing).

I hope all is going well with everyone else.:)

Oh, man. I was cracking up today while discussing how much we crapped our pants during our first checkoffs. I don't think any one of us recorded a pulse rate of less than 90. I remember one shellshocked classmate saying to me after his first vital sign checkoff, "I forgot to take the blood pressure!"

Practice as much as you can. It helps- a little. The more checkoffs you do, the easier it usually gets. Still, I know a couple students who got so worked up for checkoffs they went on anxiety meds.

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Things are going pretty well. Although I did fail my catheterization checkoff yesterday. I contanminated, knew I contaminated shortly after it happened, but by the time I got done I was so flustered that when she asked me if I contaminated, I didn't remember that part. We were allowed to vocalize our contamination at the end and still pass.

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Specializes in PICU/NICU/ER.

So far, so good! Just got a 93% on my first Foundations Exam. Passed the Baseline Assessment check off on the first try. Passed pulse and respirations but bombed the BP today on our VS checkoff so I need to go back and do BP next Thursday. Lost a point, but since I'm averaging 94% on the lab quizzes, I'm not going to let it bring me down too much.

I can totally understand feeling like you're in the nursing books ALL the time! The reading is a LOT, lol. But it's manageable. I've made some new good friends already and some study buddies/lab practice buddies. Our class as a whole is becoming pretty tight already.

I am going to keep the mind frame that this is going to be a great experience!! We will see if I feel that way when we go to the ECF in a few weeks!! :)

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Oh, man. I was cracking up today while discussing how much we crapped our pants during our first checkoffs. I don't think any one of us recorded a pulse rate of less than 90. I remember one shellshocked classmate saying to me after his first vital sign checkoff, "I forgot to take the blood pressure!"

Practice as much as you can. It helps- a little. The more checkoffs you do, the easier it usually gets. Still, I know a couple students who got so worked up for checkoffs they went on anxiety meds.

The other day we were walking down the hall and saw all the first semester students in the hall waiting to do their check off's. My friend and I were like "did we look like that" they all looked so scared and eyes glazed over and stuff. It was too funny.

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So far so good. I agree, its not hard like I thought it would be. I prepared myself for the worst (because of the posts I see on here) and Im doing really well. I actually dont find all the readings and exams very difficult at all, and this is mostly because I enjoy it. Or maybe Im just still excited to actually be in the program, Lol.

But I feel like I have the only program in the world that doesnt have skill check offs. We learn the skills every week and practice them in the lab with our clinical instructor. At the end of the semester we'll do our head to toe assessment and check off on three skills that the faculty choose for us. But we dont check off on every single skill we learn like I see a lot of other people on here doing.

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Specializes in ICU/UM.
The other day we were walking down the hall and saw all the first semester students in the hall waiting to do their check off's. My friend and I were like "did we look like that" they all looked so scared and eyes glazed over and stuff. It was too funny.

I still look like that during check-offs. :yeah:

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Hi Guys,

This is my first actual semester in school (I did a bridge this summer)... that being said, school is just OK, I am finding nursing school to be quite a bit more touchy/feely than medic school! Also, while the content is not difficult, and clinicals are a little bland, I find that the teaching plans, care plans, and concept maps are super super time consuming!

I feel bad being the "Debbie Downer" but the only thing getting me through is counting down the days until I graduate in May... I cannot wait to burn my ugly student scrubs(: (:

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There is such an onslaught of information being thrown at us that now I see why people end up with a 'C' gpa. How can you retain all of this and still make A's? Yeah I have check-off on the weekends and this weekend its oral care on unconscious patient, dental care, bed pan, peri care man and woman, random questions about other parts of hygiene. The book says one technique and the crappy videos we are required to watch says another so I will probably fail. This nursing school so far is not the best. The instructors seem a bit confused and ALWAYS leave out information during lectures. They tell some students who they think will tell other students the information they left out but that new information most of the time NEVER gets to the students who weren't told. Im not worried about grades anymore though....I was but now Im like I just want to learn how to do it. Some people here study hard and learn JUST FOR THE UPCOMING EXAM.....then once that exam is taken and over, half of the students didn't retain much especially after moving on to the next one. So we'll see but right now I am no longer worried about making high grades.

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Specializes in MICU - CCRN, IR, Vascular Surgery.

I'm 5 weeks into senior year, and right now I'm hating school so bad. They're doing everything in their power to make us miserable and it's working. There are several of us who had almost all As first year of nursing school, and now 90% of the class has failed BOTH of the first two exams.

Maybe I should clarify, lecture is a blood bath but clinicals are great actually, and thank goodness for that!

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It's not too bad. I'm finally getting into a rhythm so I know what I can and can't do in terms of a social life and extra sleep and "me" time and all. We just finished our first class, and started our second today, and clinicals really and truly start the week after next.

Nursing school has made me grow up and become more independent than I was last year (my first year of college). I've been at school for 5 1/2 weeks and I haven't yet been home (going home for the first time tomorrow), and I haven't called my mom everyday, and when I do, we usually talk for less than 20 minutes, and probably average around 7 or so...I have to be more organized and do more on my own...it's interesting. I don't feel like a normal college student anymore which in a way is sad, but at the same time is okay because I'm doing it to achieve my own personal goals, and I know that I'll be better off than most of my friends when we graduate.

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