lehaley1989

If you're referring to the Certified Health Education Specialist exam, it's not too bad. My previous degree is a BS in Community Health Education, and I took the exam shortly after graduating. The only study tool I used was the official book from NCHEC.

Many nursing schools will accept students who are not up to date on their vaccinations, however clinical sites will not. You will be putting yourself in a position where you will be unable to complete your clinical requirements for graduation/licensure. If you are unwilling to get vaccinated, you should probably consider another career path.

I had a clinical instructor arrange for us to shadow RNs in specialty areas for a few hours on our last day. Wound care, PICC team, OR, cath lab, etc. It was a cool opportunity.

Honestly, I feel like this is fairly common. My classmates and I have frequently talked about how our minds go completely blank when we're in simulation or doing skills check-offs. Not only are they creepy, it's just really difficult to fake interactions with a stinking doll! It also doesn't help that you know you'll be watched by an instructor when you're doing sim or a skills check-off. That's a lot of pressure! I'm in my last semester, have probably done 10-15 simulation experiences, and I still get extremely anxious and do silly things every time I have one. Thankfully sims aren't graded in our program, they're just viewed as a "safe space to practice".

I second meeting with your instructor. Ask to go over old exams with them, if they have any tips for absorbing the material better, and if they have any suggestions based on what has worked for their students in the past. You also may want to take a closer look at the way you're studying. I've found that especially with nursing classes, not every study method works for every class. Maybe ask around and see what's been working for your classmates, then try a new approach.

Pick up a good NCLEX review book. Not only can they help you review content before each exam, they contain lots of great SATA practice questions. I really like the Saunders review book. https://www.amazon.com/Saunders-Comprehensive-NCLEX-RN%C2%AE-Examination-Nclex-Rn/dp/0323358519/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1541192367&sr=8-1&keywords=saunders+nclex

Practice! We were able to "check out" models from the lab in the library to study with outside of class, but this could only be done on campus. I would also take pictures of the models to take home, print out, and label over and over. Worked really well for me.

I'm in a small city. The hospitals in my area prefer nurses to have their BSN, but will hire ADN nurses who are planning to complete their BSN. I believe they give new hires somewhere around 4-5 years to complete it, and they all have pretty solid tuition reimbursement programs. Might be a good thing to ask about during your interview.

100%. Nursing school attracts a lot of competitive people. You will encounter classmates who brag about their grades and repeatedly ask you to share yours. I've had people actually become frustrated with me for saying "I did fine" when they asked what percentage I received on an exam. You aren't obligated to share this information with anyone. The only person that you need to compete against is yourself.

I know a lot of nurses who use their Apple Watch on the floor. They can be safely wiped down with alcohol, and there is actually a setting that lengthens the amount of time before the watch times out.

Completely agree! Do you have panic attacks related to illness or other aspects of life often? If so, I would highly recommend working on getting them under control before beginning a nursing program. I have anxiety & panic disorder, and the stress of nursing school has absolutely made my panic attacks happen more frequently. I have several relaxation techniques that work for me, and I would definitely be in trouble if I didn't!

Agreed. This has absolutely not been my experience. All of my clinical instructors have seemed to genuinely care about what is going on in our lives outside of school, and they use that information to better support us. I am one year in, and I can honestly say that I have not encountered an instructor that I felt was out to fail me. Maybe our programs are not the norm?

While I understand why these types of policies exist, I wish that more organizations would keep people with chronic illnesses in mind when creating them. I have hemiplegic migraines that are fairly well controlled, but can still flare up from time to time. It's not safe for me to get behind the wheel, let alone care for patients when I am nearly blind in one eye, numb/weak on one side, and vomiting like the girl in The Exorcist. It's unbelievably frustrating to be penalized for something that is 100% out of my control.

This is 100% normal, and chances are many of your fellow students are feeling the exact same way. You're trying new skills in a new environment with someone hovering over your shoulder and grading you on it. That is insanely stressful no matter how confident you may be! I agree with Zombie - find ways to relax before going to bed at night. Turning my brain off and reading a book (NOT a school book!) has always been really helpful for me. Keep in mind that you're a student, and your instructors and the staff on the floor don't expect you to do things perfectly right out of the gate. Try not to be so afraid of mistakes. They're great learning experiences!

My MacBook Pro was a great investment when I was completing my first degree, and it was about 10 years old when I was accepted to nursing school. It was slowing down considerably and I knew that I would be continuing my education after completing my ADN, so I decided to bite the bullet and buy a new one. I actually ended up getting another MacBook Pro because there were some pretty significant student discounts and I'd had such a good experience with my first one. I think the Air would be just fine for school, though. I have never run into issues with my school's programs not working on my Mac, but I did install Microsoft Office so that I could easily submit assignments in Word format.