futurenurse2be

This is actually very similar to a question that I studied in, I believe, Fundamentals Success. I remember the answer was when they were walking into the exam room but cannot remember the rationale. My advice to anyone in Fundamentals is to use the books, review materials, etc. They really helped me understand what the question was asking. Study, Study, Study those books, I cannot stress that enough, they are there to help : ) Good luck.

It has definitely been difficult in my opinion. I have 2 semesters left until I graduate and it is definitely way different than my pre-req's were. I came into the program with all A's and was not prepared for the workload of nursing school. I thought sure, I did great in my pre-reqs, should be the same in the program, right? Not at all. I wasn't prepared for the unbelievable amount of information I not only needed to know, but to master. I wasn't prepared for getting up at 5 a.m. to make it to clinical's 3 cities over. I wasn't prepared for nursing school style questions, most answers were correct, but not the most correct. I wasn't prepared to have one day off a week to study and study from the time I woke up until the time I went to bed that day. I wasn't prepared for having to tell my family I could not attend birthday parties or studying up until the minute I left for my son's recital and then again when I got back. BUT, I wasn't prepared for the other things I learned, the satisfaction of seeing my patient smile, learning that communication happens when someone cannot talk to me but by the look in their eyes, being told I was taking good care of a patient, when I first had the feeling that I can do this! Hard, yes. Doable, definitely yes. Worth it, even more so..

I am guilty of an argument with a family member while my husband was on life support. It was a horrible gut wrenching time and I lost it when he said something to me. My husband was brain dead at the time and I was getting set to sign him off of it. The family member said something derogatory to me and I just lost it. As we were yelling, I saw my husband go into a major seizure. The nurse came running in and diffused the situation. I had the horrible feeling that even though he was brain dead he knew, he heard and it affected him. I went out into the hall and started crying and the nurse calmed me down, I felt so terrible that the argument occurred. It never happened again.. Sometimes these issues happen because of the sheer emotional torture going on inside us. I am glad it only happened once in my situation.

Thank you, again. All good comments and such wisdom as usual! I will definitely try these. I do have my CNA certification through the state and I think I will ask later in the clinical if they have any openings. With my CNA and my first year of nursing school ending at that point, hopefully it works out.

Thank you so much for the comments, I really appreciate them. I will print them out and put them in my notebook. I know it is basically doing what I have been doing at previous clinical's, but taking it up a notch. I definitely want to do my best and be as helpful as I can, and learn as much as I can. Just wasn't sure if I should mention to the staff that I would love to be there in the future, or my degree in that area. Thank you, again.

I am very excited. I am about to start my second semester of nursing school and have a clinical placement at the very hospital and on the very floor where I would love to eventually have a position. This is a wonderful opportunity and I would like to put my best foot forward. I don't want to seem overbearing, but I would like the staff to know this. Is it appropriate to tell them? I have a bachelors degree in psychology and it is on a psych unit. I am intending on doing my very best and am looking forward to meeting those who work there. Any advice on what I should do or not do? Say or not say?

I think it is cool to read things like that. However, on another site, there is an article that says to write a letter to yourself, no matter where you are in the program. Talk about your wishes, hopes and dreams for your career, your feelings at the time. Seal that letter and open it on graduation day, it will make that day even much more special. I like that idea.

Such good information and I am glad to know I am not the only one that gained weight this semester.. I am joining a gym this week and getting back in the groove of exercising before next semester starts mid January. My food choices were horrendous this past semester, ate a lot of comfort food, a lot of snacks and fast food. That combined with the stress is horrible on weight. I am hoping that the exercise will help with the stress level and the food choices need to be thought out ahead of time instead of just grabbing and grazing.

Thank you, Lamore.. Just what I am intending on doing. even watched a little TV tonight : ) And hellohihowareyou.. (BTW I like your name!) Best of luck to you on your final.. I know how nerve wracking it is just waiting and thinking did I do enough? should I study more? AARGH! to get it over with already.

and I am nervous. It is cumulative, everything we have learned this semester. I finished theory last week with an A : ) In this class I am also getting an A but the final counts for so, so much. I have studied 16 hours over the last 2 days, all the sample and NCLEX questions are starting to look the same. I think I have studied enough, then I look at another sample question and get it wrong. Think I am starting to psych myself out. However, I think I will go take a break, actually eat something and settle in for a good nights rest..

Hi Tina, nursing school is a completely different animal than what you have seen before. I am only at the end of my first semester, and there are things I wish I had known before going in. first of all, you are going to hear a lot about critical thinking skills. Look it up now, start trying to figure out what the heck it is. Secondly, I know that they say C = RN. However, one of the things you have to think about is do you want to go on and further your education in nursing? If so, you have to earn competitive grades now. I know people who have come back to re-take classes to get A's after getting their degrees just so they can be accepted into the upper grad school of their choice. I figure I do it now and I don't have to worry about that. You are going to be busy. There are weeks I think I won't be able to get everything done that they are asking me to do. It always, always comes together at the end. I was a straight A student in prereqs, I failed my second nursing exam. and by failing, I mean I got a 79. Yes that is failing in nursing school. I cried, I was stunned. I regrouped and thought what am I going to do? I researched and found the success series of books. one word, amazing! I have gotten A's on all my subsequent exams, it explains the rationale so well. I am finishing up with an A in my classes. good luck, like I say, it is hard, you will cry, but in the end it is so worth it.

It is difficult. I have a Bachelors in another area and am going back now for nursing. It is so much more time consuming than my other degree. The questions are critical thinking, and I could not study like I had studied for my other classes. I had to learn a whole new way of thinking and processing information in order to be successful. Clinical will take up a lot of time, especially considering commute and getting there before conference with next shift. I had to learn to balance my studies. Look at what is due each week and come up with a plan for that week and most importantly, stick to it! If I deviated at all, I made so much more work for myself. some weeks are completely doable, some weeks are so packed that I wonder if I will ever get it done, but the key is to just keep plugging along. it always comes together and I am passing with A's. Is it difficult? definitely yes. Is it worth it? absolutely yes.

Hello, I am a nursing student and hypoglycemic as well. I realized that when I began the program, I would need to do something to address this. As for me, I have orange juice boxes and protein bars with me when I leave each morning (that would be 6 a.m. clinical days). I have trouble eating that early in the morning, tends to upset my stomach, so I have something small. on the way, I ALWAYS drink my orange juice and eat my bar. I carry an extra, and if necessary and after my patients are taken care of, I go to the nurses lounge and it that. We are very lucky in that we get at least a half hour lunch break scheduled, my CI writes it along with our assignments and tapes them to the desk at the front of the nurses station (she is awesome), so everyone is aware. Good luck, its fun, its hard, it is so worth it.