Overwhelmed....will it always be like this?

Nursing Students General Students

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I'm starting my BSN program tomorrow. We got our books on Friday and have to read about 10 (long) chapters by Monday along with the ENTIRE ANA Nurses Social Policy Statement and the entire ANA Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice. This does not include the additional 10 chapters along with podcasts and On-line skills videos that are due for other classes during the week and we haven't even had clinical orientation yet plus the syllabus for Community Assessment (a 3 credit class) hasn't even been posted yet so I'm sure there will be additional reading for that.

I spent over 8 hours reading on Saturday and most of today (Sunday) reading and I'm only halfway there.

My question to current students is.....will it continue like this or are they throwing a ton at us at once to just get us going???

I never thought I would be this stressed out.

I gave up reading the books, too much time and effort, much better to take good notes, listen carefully and skim the chapters when necessary.

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Specializes in General medicine/geriatrics.

Having just graduated with my BSN a few days ago, I can tell you that it does not get any better. However, as you move ahead in the program you will get a better feel for what "actually" has to be read vs.what can be skimmed/not read but will be covered thoroughly in lecture. Although nursing school is extremely intense, I feel that it is completely worth it, as I am so well prepared for my job that I will start this summer!

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Well, in glad to hear you don't have to read everything. I've been panicking about the book list!

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Well, in glad to hear you don't have to read everything. I've been panicking about the book list!

Initially you may have to read everything. I had to, especially since I had zero experience in health care. I'm glad I read everything in fundamentals because in med/surg I barely read a thing; the pieces of that puzzle came together. Now I'm in peds/ob, I don't read everything, just things I don't understand.

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Yes, it will most likely always be like that. I went through each week thinking the next week couldn't possibly be worse, and it did get worse. But you learn to cope with it.

LOL I read maybe a total of 3 chapters in all of nursing school. Reading text books just was never something I could commit too no matter how hard I tried. I only ever even opened 1 of my books, 2 others I opened to get the CD out, that was it.

I didn't even purchase textbooks for one of my classes. I borrowed one from the library and the others I didn't even own. Got a 95% on the final exam.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Yes, it will most likely always be like that. I went through each week thinking the next week couldn't possibly be worse, and it did get worse. But you learn to cope with it.

I didn't even purchase textbooks for one of my classes. I borrowed one from the library and the others I didn't even own. Got a 95% on the final exam.

I was afraid not to buy them. Even though I knew I wouldn't use them, I was afraid the one time I didn't buy them I would in fact need them. I was able to sell them back to Amazon for credit though in new condition.

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I really only skimmed thru my textbooks for my 1st and 2nd semester of my ASD program and passed both semesters /c a "B". I took notes on my powerpoints and then went back over them later. If I didn't understand something fully, I read about it in my textbook. Trying to read all that material is mind clogging (LOLZ). Some of the other students in my class that actually read everything scored lower on their tests. Also, I found that recording my lectures and listening to them as I did housework or driving to pick my kids up from school..etc...etc. helped alot. You should record the lectures if your instructors allow it.:o

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Specializes in Private Practice- wellness center.

You've already gotten some GREAT advice. I have several books that I have not even cracked open yet. I swear by taking notes and using power points. I spent my first three weeks of school wanting to cry and/or quit because it was SOOOO much. Then we had our first exam. Figured out all we had to do was read the power points and do the chapter questions on the publisher's website. It's all in learning the vocabulary, being able to pass your check offs, and learning how to answer the NLCEX questions. (And of course figuring out why you're doing what you're doing to the patient!)

GOOD LUCK!

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As others have said, welcome to nursing school. But do find a method of studying that works for you. Some people in my class never read the textbook and still do well. As time consuming as it is, I like to use the text as much as I can. However, for some chapters, I've learned to just figure out what the need to know info is from the nice to know info.

I'm in my 2nd semester so I'm still working on what works best for me.

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Specializes in Infusion.

I'm not in a BSN program but it sounds like the first two weeks of our nursing program. I would call it "immersive". You will have so many terms thrown at you, so many acronyms, too many chapters, not enough time or brain space to hold it all. Then, somewhere around month 5 or 6, more stuff stays stuck in your brain, there is more understanding. The more time you spend with actual acute patients, the more the pathophysiology starts sinking in, the more everything makes sense. Most people in my class thought they were gonna have a nervous break-down in the first month. It gets better but it's a wild ride.

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Specializes in school nursing; pediatrics.

I remember the first week of school and thought I was going to lose my mind! There is no way you can possibly get the first reading assignment done. With that said, it definitely gets better as you go along. You will get into your own groove and figure out what works for you. In addition, the reading assignments are not as overwhelming.

What works for me is attending lecture first and then going back through chapters. I would then add stuff from the book to the power points that I thought was important (but I am extremely anal!!). Pay attention to the nursing dx's and RN interventions listed in the chapters. Most instructors will include questions about them. Also be sure to look at the NCLEX review questions on the disk included with the textbook. I had one instructor that would pull at least half of her test questions from the disk.

NCLEX review books are a must. By reading the summaries in them and by doing the practice questions, you will know what to focus on. You will also know what types of questions to expect. I don't know how anybody can do well without the review books.

Best of luck!

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