Open Letter to Nursing School Seniors...

[JGM2008]

hi there,

i promised myself i would post this thread when school was finally over and i passed my boards, which happened a few months ago

i'm here to tell you everything i wish i knew going into my last semester...

1.) you got this far. you are smart enough to be here and don't forget that. always remember that.

2.) fellow classmates will start competitive (like who has the best internship, interview, who gets the best grades in class). remember this ... their internships, interviews and grades do not affect your life whatsoever! forget about them, and stay the course, focus on your studying, remembering you belong to be here, and don't worry about anyone else.

3.) if you're taking the hesi, do the case studies (probably in your bookstore; did not come with the book). the book is a waste of time, and you'll need more experience answering questions than relearning content. remember... you already know the content! the case studies will help you with strategy to answer tricky multiple choice questions.

4.) the nclex! if you can afford it, take a review class. if not, again, focus more on online question banks, rather than content. of course review weak areas, but focus more on answering questions. even if you get them incorrect, you'll be learning along the way reading the rationalizations. take your boards when you are ready! don't worry about when other people are taking them.

5.) the real world. it's scary out here. i graduated w/my bsn in december 07' and i've been working for about a month. i have bad days and good days. i just never let myself forget, i worked so hard to be here and i deserve to be here. everyday is a new learning experience, some good; some bad.

6.) the job. seriously, there are so many jobs out here no matter what they tell you. take the job you really want, not just because it's right in front of you. if you really want pedi/maternity/etc hold out for it :) you worked hard for your degree. i wish i did that, i'm on an adult surgical unit, and i like it, but my heart is in pediatrics. after a year or two here, i'll try to get back there.

remember: you can do this! this is a very stressful time. eat well, exercise when you can and sleep as much as you can. enjoy your clinicals and get the most you can out of them. if something scares you, ask to watch a procedure, or even do the procedure! you do it once and it's yours for life :)

good luck to all of you!

[marie-francoise]

Thank you very much for this info!! Much appreciated.

[mauxtav8r]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! After a major tongue-lashing from one of our professors last week about how selfish we all are and catty and back-biting, most of my class is sick and tired of school. It helps to rattle the cage and remember the long-range view.

Sad thing is, the professor was right. Relationships are deteriorating by the day and most of us just want to get on with our lives. Thanks for the reminder that this is not forever --- it just seems like it.

[Natkat, BSN, MSN, RN]

2.) Fellow classmates will start competitive (like who has the best internship, interview, who gets the best grades in class). Remember this ... their internships, interviews and grades do not affect your life whatsoever! Forget about them, and stay the course, focus on your studying, remembering you belong to be here, and don't worry about anyone else.

Thanks for reminding me.

I have been gettting increasingly depressed as my classmates tell me, one after the other, about the jobs/internships they've been getting. I've been applying and getting nothing.

It doesn't help that I asked my instructor FOUR TIMES to write me a letter for recomendation and she has not, and the deadline for the internship I'm applying to is next week. It is obvious she doesn't feel I'm worthy of the internship, and that kind of hurt. It sure didn't help my confidence anyway. I managed to find someone else to write a letter so all is not lost. But it kind of sucked knowing that she had no intention of writing it.

I'm sort of stuck in neutral and can't get moving on any of this. I want to focus on school work because it is so hard right now. I hate having to worry about finding a job or internship on top of everything else. Thanks for making me feel like it's not the end of the world if I don't have something right now.

[thyme39]

Thanks for reminding me.

I have been gettting increasingly depressed as my classmates tell me, one after the other, about the jobs/internships they've been getting. I've been applying and getting nothing.

It doesn't help that I asked my instructor FOUR TIMES to write me a letter for recomendation and she has not, and the deadline for the internship I'm applying to is next week. It is obvious she doesn't feel I'm worthy of the internship, and that kind of hurt. It sure didn't help my confidence anyway. I managed to find someone else to write a letter so all is not lost. But it kind of sucked knowing that she had no intention of writing it.

I'm sort of stuck in neutral and can't get moving on any of this. I want to focus on school work because it is so hard right now. I hate having to worry about finding a job or internship on top of everything else. Thanks for making me feel like it's not the end of the world if I don't have something right now.

Natcat, I never did an internship or worked as a nurse tech. Some of my class has. I decided instead to concentrate on getting good grades since I want to eventually go on to my masters. My pgm is 2nd degree so it is very intensive and only 12 m long. Not a lot of time to work. I did however join the Dean's Circle (kind of a leadership group for nursing students) and was even in a video our SON made. I have pretty good grades and they will serve me well in the future. I could have worked and probably gotten grades that are passing but not as good. I am currently looking for jobs. Would having worked as an intern or nurse tech help me find a job? No. Would it have helped me land the job I want? Maybe, since I'm partial to ICU. However, after learning that I may not be able to get into ICU I broadened my horizon and am now looking at step downs. So what if I have to work a year in step down and then go on to an ICU. Or even a year in med-surg and then go on to something else. Maybe it's not what I planned when I started but things change and if I really still want ICU, I will work till I get it. A year is nothing and will fly by. In the meantime I will learn a lot and be MORE ready for the ICU.

And - I hear all the time about great nurses who weren't so great nursing students. That is, they may not have gotten the highest grade. But they hung in there and are wonderful nurses now. I'm sure you will be one too, because you aspire to be one.

[RNandlovingit]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! After a major tongue-lashing from one of our professors last week about how selfish we all are and catty and back-biting, most of my class is sick and tired of school. It helps to rattle the cage and remember the long-range view.

Sad thing is, the professor was right. Relationships are deteriorating by the day and most of us just want to get on with our lives. Thanks for the reminder that this is not forever --- it just seems like it.

Nursing students that are selfish, catty and back-biting..say it isnt so.. Sad to see that not much as changed. More nursing schools should give a class on team work and how to get along with fellow nurses. Thats all I see in the nursing workplace. Sad how so many people are willing to throw you under the bus to make themselves look good!

[LadyQT]

Working as a nurse tech helped me greatly when I applied for internships post graduation in May. I will be starting in the PICU! By the way my grades are great as well, it all comes down to time management and prioritizing.

This posts has been very helpful.

[workingforskies]

2.) Fellow classmates will start competitive (like who has the best internship, interview, who gets the best grades in class). Remember this ... their internships, interviews and grades do not affect your life whatsoever! Forget about them, and stay the course, focus on your studying, remembering you belong to be here, and don't worry about anyone else.

To expand on this. You are in school to learn how to pass the boards first and be a nurse second. To anyone on that last lap, keep that as your sole focus and the stress about what happens after that will go away. (At least it did for me.) When you get your license, the world will be your oyster. In the real world, your GPA is the last thing anyone in the hiring process will worry about. Seriously, I'll bet 95% of heath care recruiters don't even bother to check.

[Natkat, BSN, MSN, RN]

To expand on this. You are in school to learn how to pass the boards first and be a nurse second. To anyone on that last lap, keep that as your sole focus and the stress about what happens after that will go away. (At least it did for me.) When you get your license, the world will be your oyster. In the real world, your GPA is the last thing anyone in the hiring process will worry about. Seriously, I'll bet 95% of heath care recruiters don't even bother to check.

Thank you.

I'm not so worried about my GPA........anymore. I realize that it won't matter when I get a job. What I'm worried about is passing the HESI. I need to work hard at learning what I need to learn so I can pass it. I'd rather focus on that and not have to worry about finding an internship or job right now.

All the internships I know about ask about your GPA - and mine meets their criteria. I just hate the scrambling to get things together, worrying about shopping for shoes and a jacket to match the slacks I plan to wear when I go on interviews. It might seem like a small thing, but I really don't want to spend time going from store to store. Whatever down time I have I would really like to relax and not think about anything for a minute.

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

As a fello Dec New grad. Well stated....

[1studentnurse]

When I read this letter, I felt exactly the way many posters did when they reacted to what was happening with them.

I graduated in May 07 and believe me, I saw it all, including:

1. People trying to sabotage me online, in a class forum, on a project worth about 2/3 of our grade--as a group, mind you--in front of nursing professors, as well as the assistant dean of the school.

What did I do? I subscribe to the "give enough rope" club. If you give some people enough rope, they'll hang themselves.

Said B*t&h made a big enough idiot of herself knocking me online, that some people saw her for the wacko she was, and refused to talk to her.

I wasn't the only one who was sabotaged by this weirdo and her clique. Others were too, and people finally realized some people aren't playing with a full deck.

2. Lots of wise-as&^d cracks that are just ornery.

One of my classmates said as I walked by, "Ohmigod, she's wearing a red suit to her interview." to another classmate and sneered.

I just smiled and went along. I was interviewing with the manager on the unit where I did my final clinical. The manager did the formal interview, talked to me afterward and said, "Thanks for coming and you know you have the job if you want it. Everyone on the unit told me I'd better offer it before you left today."

Needless to say, I accepted.

My point is, know your audience, always dress your very best for your interview and be sincere. Managers want someone who will be reliable, do a good job, make them look good and take care of people, both patients and staff.

Your GPA has nothing to do with that. Your key things to have are your license and a good attitude.

Don't let the turkeys get you down!