nightshifter415

Geez. It's time to get serious...like cut off all social ties, take a leave of absence from work, lock yourself in a room with ear plugs, turn off the tv, log off the internet, and kick your family out of the house kind-of-serious. I was wondering about your program, do they have certain rules about retaking nursing theory classes? Because at my school they tell you that you have to get above a B- the second time around and then if not, that's it...you're gone. To put it into perspective, there are hundreds of people that wish they could have the opportunity to be in a nursing program like you and can't because of x, y, and z issues. Don't take it for granted. Studying goes along with the territory, you know? Even when there are no tests in sight. Hopefully you can go back to your class objectives and work towards doing better on the 3rd test because you are the only one who can help yourself right now. Write your paper like, today. Get it out of the way. For a broad subject like med-surg, I keep telling the students I tutor, that if you understand the basics...you'll be able to figure the rest out. Go back to your lecture material and start from the system that you have the hardest time understanding. Exhaust ALL your resources. In the end, and only after you've studied and are ready to review, grab ONE person (someone who does well in class) and talk it out. When you verbalize what you're going over, you can retain it better. Best of luck to you...let us know how it goes...

Congratulations I hope everything goes well!!!

Just think if you get in gear now and start studying (even studying ahead) you will not have to worry so much when test time comes and you face the possiblilty of having to write papers. I think even the most ambitious student runs into moments when studying just isn't a priority. But it's so vital to keep up with the material when the semester starts flying by. My advice, take everything one step at a time and don't save all the studying for the last minute. Even if you get through 1-2 sections of your reading once or twice a day, you'll feel far more prepared than if you save all the material for the last minute. Maybe flashcards will help. If I have time, I usually write a few up and take them with me: the gym, out to dinner, to work...etc. It's better than lugging around those heavy books. If anything, find one other person in your class that you can get along with and study with, you know go back and forth over the notes and just read them to each other out loud while refering to the text (this helped me tremendously because by "teaching" someone else I remembered more during my exams). You'll find your groove! Good luck with everything. =)

Wrapping up my very last year of nursing school and I have found that Danskos have gotten me comfortably through all of my clinicals. I work the night shift as a CNA in a hospital and I wear them to work as well. Heck I loved them so much I bought different colors so I could wear them when I go grocery shopping and/or run errands. When buying them, you are supposed to make sure there is enough space in the shoe so that you can fit your pinkie between the heel and the back of the shoe (this is so you can rock back and forth in the shoe while standing, and it lessens any back discomfort because it provides a good support for your arches). I recommend this shoe from http://www.dansko.com because it looks cute, and it's closed toe and heal (so you can walk fast without the shoe coming off and at the same time if anything drips on your foot your toes are protected). Yes it is leather, but it's not patent leather (which is that shiny stuff) and they run a little over $110 but I think it is an investment. My feet and my back don't hurt by the time I get home, and they work especially well with some knee high support hose. Real easy to clean as well. Good luck!

To be honest...I got lucky. I promised myself during the first 2 semesters of nursing school I wouldn't work so I could do really well in school, and I did. After that first year, I pretty much hung out at the Human Resources office at this hospital that I really wanted to work for. I pretty much stalked the managers of the units that I was interested in and I kept handing in my resumes, letting them know that after nursing school I'd be very valuable to the institution because I might work for them as an RN. It took me a whole summer to finally get an interview, but the cool thing was that I didn't need a CNA certificate because I was already enrolled in nursing school. Now I'm working on a really cool peri/post surgical unit as an aide (no diapers, not that it's such a biggie - weren't we all in diapers at one point?!). Once in a while I get floated to other units where it is kind of like a LTC facility, but I don't mind so much because I love working at a hospital. Good luck on finding your temporary dream job...

I'm enrolled full-time in a BSN program at a really expensive private university but I have a scholarship and 2 grants that help pay for the rest of tuition. I have been living off my CNA wages for a while, it helps that I live with my fiancee, but I still pay for half of everything and my own bills. I work a minimum of 24 hours a week (during the night shift, so they throw in a little bit more in the paycheck), sometimes I'll throw in an extra shift here or there if I'm not doing anything on my weekend off. But I don't know how much CNAs make across the country. San Francisco is a pretty expensive city to live in. If I can do it, so can you...I can't party or shop till I drop very much, but I'm just sacrificing for the next couple semesters. Good luck...

Congrats on getting in! In my opinion, these days that's the hard part...just getting in because most programs are so impacted. So now it's up to you to make it "easy". I'm nearing my last year in my BSN program. My classmates and I agree that the first semester, or actually the first year is the hardest because everything is different. The thinking is different, the exams are different but the program can be very rewarding. Give yourself the first month to let it all sink in and develop a study style. One thing that helped me get through is that I found someone to study with. A study group can get distracting so try not to get sucked in, but if you can buddy up with just one other person that you can just go back and forth with for test questions and just reviewing lecture notes, you're in good company. The anxiety never really goes away, because you're always going to be left wanting to do well and you can totally do it. Even though it's your first semester, I strongly encourage you to get an NCLEX book, Mosby or Saunders. The practice test questions will help you on your exams and help you get used to the NCLEX-style of questioning. Your drug book will also be your best friend. The first year of nursing school is all about acquiring the "skills" so try to practice as much as you can in the nursing skills lab. Welcome to your new 'life'...I wish you the best of luck and just remember you're not alone. Good luck!

Here's my quote of the day: "Everyone POOPS." And it is the last thing in the world you should care about when it comes to working as a nurse. It's nice that you want to work with the newborns, but you have to start from the bottom before you can specialize. Think about it, if you can't properly care for an older person, what would make you think they would entrust you with a newborn? Starting off as a CNA is not the worst thing that could happen to you. Maybe it would give you some perspective. A nurse has far more responsibilities than a CNA, so if you wouldn't be able to handle that than you might want to think about doing something else.