amgRN

I think this comment referred more to those people that watch Youtube like TV. Certainly Youtube nursing videos can be very helpful for learners that are auditory and do better with those types of resources. You may also find Picmonic helpful. Those should be resources that support your learning, not your primary source of information.

If you are working full time and in school full time, social stuff will probably go out the window for a while. It will be worth it in the end, but something will have to give. ? In fundamentals, focus on the rationales of procedures and that will help things make more sense rather than just trying to memorize. And make sure you spend lots of time on vocabulary because you can't answer a test question if you don't know what the words mean. Just learn short definitions in your own words. That will make them easier to remember. Pharmacology - Study this every day, over and over. Repetition is the key to success. Focus on learning the things that make one drug class stand out from another and focus on safety aspects of a drug. For example, some drugs may not be taken with food, or some may make a patient's blood pressure drop, etc. Know those things. Concept maps are a great way to learn drugs. Every day. Multiple times a day. Also, there are good online resources for learning drugs/drug classes. Check out Youtube for nursing pharmacology help. Hope that helps! ? ~amg

I believe that school has a ASN program and an accelerated BSN program. You may find the ASN program to be more manageable. I had my ASN for almost 20 years. It gets you started and you are still an RN. You can always bridge to your BSN later if you choose. I would focus on finding the program you have the best chance of making it thru. I have experience working in an ABSN program and as a general rule, the students find it difficult to work full-time during the beginning of the program. However, each program is structured differently. I think it is a good idea to talk with someone in the nursing school about that balance and try to get some honest insight. For advice, I would say you will need to be extremely organized and structured with your days and study times. A strict schedule will help you feel more in control and will make the time you do have be more productive. For encouragement, I would say this is so worth it. I have been a nurse for well over 20 years and have worked in many nursing roles and I wouldn't change it. It is an incredibly flexible career with more types of jobs than you can probably even imagine. During this time while you finish your prereqs, do some casual research by looking at job boards and job websites and find some positive nurses to follow on social media. As you find jobs that look interesting or fun to you, hold on to those thoughts because it will be worth the work and effort. There is a job for everyone in nursing no matter your interests if you are willing to find your passion. Best of luck as you finish your last few courses! You can do it! ~amg

I think you need to plan for multiple hours a day of study time. The goal of nursing school is not to pass exams (like with prereqs), but to actually understand and learn the material. It takes a tremendous amount of time to do that and you probably won't accomplish that in an hour a day. And your personal life will need to be less of a priority during nursing school and certainly during the first semester when you are trying to find best ways to study, how to manage time, and how to balance your course load. What courses do you have the first semester? I suggest you find a weekly calendar to use. I recommend the pad of weekly sheets so you can tear off that one week and keep it with you. Plan out every part of your week and include class time, study times, and times to exercise or do something fun, errands. Of course add work hours if you have a job. Plan to study every course every day if you have multiple courses. Study in chunks of time (like 45 minutes of studying and then a 15 minute break and keep repeating). If 45 minutes is too long to focus, study for 20 minutes, take a 10 minute break and keep repeating. Put your phone away when you are studying. Don't take a million notes but focus on understanding what you are learning. Learn all of the whys of what happens in the body and why nurses do things a certain way. Find good resources to help you. Look online and on Youtube for nursing school help. Pick just one or two people/sites that you like and stick with those. Best of luck this semester! amg

How confident are you with regular math (fractions, conversions, etc.)? And is there a particular method your instructor uses to teach or do they teach all three ways for calculations?

Usually this is because it their retention rates can be less than traditional nursing programs. Sometimes it is a reflection on the quality of the nursing program, but even a good ABSN program may have lower retention rates due to the intensity level of the program. The A in ABSN is for accelerated. That means everything a nurse needs to learn in nursing school is still taught but at a faster rate. Students think that is a win because they graduate faster, but they still have to learn all the material. It is very difficult and many students are not able to keep up with the pace. So, is it a red flag? Maybe. But it may attributed to many factors. Another indicator of the quality of the program can be their NCLEX passage rates. This is something you could inquire about. If a school will not share retention rates or NCLEX passage rates, I would steer clear. Hope that helps a bit, amg

The ABSN programs are accelerated and will be harder than a traditional program just because all of the knowledge you learn in nursing school is condensed and courses move faster. These programs can be difficult for students with no medical knowledge. It is possible to be successful, but it is more difficult. A traditional program may feel more manageable (ASN or traditional BSN). And if you do not get in and still want to pursue nursing school, you could spend the time before the next admission cycle working as a nurse tech and repeating some of courses with lower grades to improve your GPA and gain some experience in the medical field. Hope this helps, ~amg

I am not from your area and do not know the school you are referring to, but if a school doesn't "do financial aid", that could be a bit of a red flag for whether they are accredited or there may be other issues. Just an idea, but it may be worth looking at getting your LPN certificate at a vocational school or community college. The cost would be significantly lower and they may offer some financial aid if you qualify.

I did not bridge like this, but I did bridge from my ASN to BSN. I found it much easier than nursing school the first time. As an LPN, you should already know basic procedures, common meds and disorders, and medical terminology. You will have a lot to learn, but hopefully it will be less overwhelming. That being said, if you chose an accelerated program, you may find it as or more difficult than your LPN program. If you are not set on your BSN, you may find an LPN to ASN program more manageable. There is no real way for anyone else to compare experiences for you since LPN and RN (ASN and BSN) programs are so different and everyone learns differently. Do your research, talk with students of the school or program you are considering if possible, and make an appointment and talk with the school you are considering. Hope that helps! ~amg

I do not have opinions and every nurse is looking for different things when attending school. Unlike your MSN, your FNP obviously requires a large number of clinical hours. One obstacle I have heard from students is that some schools do not help with clinical placements. That may be something to look at; as well as accreditation and board passage rates. This may be helpful in comparing the programs you are considering. https://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/nursing/online-family-nurse-practitioner-rankings Good luck with your decision and with your FNP! ~amg

Generally you can expect weekly assignments and discussion questions in an online program. There are many good online programs. I completed an online program to go from my ASN to BSN. I found US New College Rankings (https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges) helpful when I was looking for a program. I found some schools I would have never know about, I was able to easily review approximate tuitions, length of program, and information about admission requirements. These are all things to consider when finding a program that would be a good fit for you. It is also a good idea to look at clinical requirements and make sure the program is accredited. Good luck with your search! There are many excellent programs available and online programs make so many schools accessible that you can surely find a school that is a good match for what you are wanting. ~amg

In nursing, we generally prioritize airway, breathing and circulation needs first, then we move on to other needs. You may want to take a look at Maslow's hierarchy of needs. This will be in any of your fundamentals of nursing textbooks and is often covered in other nursing books, as well as NCLEX review books. Nursing priorities are usually based on these levels of need and this will guide you in answering many questions on exams and on licensing boards. Best of luck with your questions!

The two things I would recommend would be to make sure you are very strong in anatomy and physiology and consider a medical terminology course. You can find many free or low cost resources for both of these. Knowing your A&P will make it easier to understand disease processes and related symptoms. And nursing students spend a tremendous amount of time learning medical/nursing terminology so having a head start on this would be beneficial. You will need both of these much more in depth than you will with your EMT certification so keep building on what you are currently learning. Hopefully that helps and best of luck with your EMT certification!

I think your comment might be referring to my suggestion to use Picmonic. Picmonic is a study resource for students (PA students, pharmacology students, NPs, nurses, etc.). It is a very effective learning tool for students. that are trying to memorize large numbers of medications in a short amount of time. It is in no way a substitute for appropriate drug reference books. ?

That's great! Really the concept maps can be whatever makes logical sense to you. There are a lot on etsy too, strangely enough. That is a lot of drugs so really truly work on them every day. Some people make up silly stories or word associations to help them remember drug facts. If you are a visual/auditory learner, Picmonic is a great resource and a lot of students really like it for Pharm. The other piece of advice I would add it to keep your concept maps very, very brief. A very simple explanation of the drug, how it works, the most common side effects, and the nursing actions that are most common and those that have big safety implications. Don't forget to put everything in your own words. Also, if you have related or similar drugs, such as the diuretics, be sure to look for the things that make each one different from the others. That will help you decide correct answers when you take your test.