Glimmer

Congrats!!!! I take mine Wednesday and will hopefully know by Friday how I did!

I used to be a straight A student... I could go to lecture and take great notes... do most of my reading and ace every test. Heck I could pretty much quote the teacher word for word when it came down to it. That doesnt work in nursing school though! LOL I learned that with the first test... so I studied even harder for the second... I got an 80%... that hurt. I had never studied so hard in my life. I then realized I was studying wrong. But at the same time I dont think there is a right way to study. Each person has a technique that works for them. Since I figured out mine I have gotten a 88 and 86 on the last two tests. They still arent the best grades but they are passing and they are above class averages. This is what has worked for me. I do my reading... although usually not really in depth before class. Our instructors tend to tell you to forget this in the book, dont worry about that, etc and it is hard if you have already started to tuck it away. Esp if they are going to teach you a different way than the book did. So I just kinda skim over it and start working on the vocab words. That was the key to a lot of my studying. Know the vocabulary. You would be surprised how easy it is to rule out answers if you just know how to "translate" them. You have to do more than memorize the words though.. you have to know how they are used. Then I go to class and take notes. Our lectures arent the best but I have learned what to look for with my instructors and how they teach. After class I then get out my highlighter and go back through and read the chapter and highlight what was focused on in class. I will sometimes even use two different colors... one for what the power point notes points out and the other for what the instructor stressed. I know both will be on the test but I better dang well know it how it is taught to me above all else. Then I break it down into small areas. Like right now we are doing Acid/Base disturbances. So I started with Resp. Acidosis and then started trying to apply it. I use the vocabulary when I apply it. But I look for the s/s of each... know how to recognize it... etc... and use scenerios whenever possible. Knowing in your head that Mr. Smith has _____ (whatever s/s) and therefore you would _______ (nursing implemenation) really does help. What it comes down to believe it or not is knowing your nursing process. If you can remember the steps it really will help you walk through each situation. I think what you might have working aganist you on your next test is that really your chapters do not have a major tie between them. Sure you could tie some aspects of them but they dont flow well with each other. That does make it a little harder to study. BUT... if you take them one chapter at a time and pace yourself. Cramming at the end wont work on big tests.... and in the end it does nothing for you since most people can not remember the material once the test is handed in. The biggest thing with every nursing test I have seen or heard about is being able to think your way through it. Most are tests on logic not necessarily content, IMO... and they are looking for your ability to recognize key items that not necessarily every lay person would Basically.. you have to start slowly reprogramming the way you think. It is hard... but it is odd how it works. It just started to kinda sink in one day. It now drives my family crazy because I can pick out details they overlook in most situations... and of course the use of therapeutic communication is enough to drive some of them bonkers! Good luck on your test!!!!! Remember to stay calm (easier said than done) and dont stress out about it (esp right before the test) because it will make you much more likely to make a careless error. You either know it or you dont... and if you dont then you know what you need to work on. YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!

We are also one of the schools that is 76%. My understanding is that they will round your grade up at the end of the semester. We will see though... BTW... We have a pretty good pass rate... and this is also the first semester that they have done the NET so hopefully we hold more students!

I agree with above when they say you have to take time for yourself. I know that isnt easy because I am there with you. But, from personal experience, if you dont then you will snap. I did. I had a test 2 weeks ago that I studied and studied and studied for. I am not one to put off my readings and stuff but I just felt like I was missing everything. I also knew I had to make an outstanding grade on this one because I didnt do so hot on the first test. Skip to the end... I got an 80% on it. Not horrible... but I knew so much more than that. I made careless errors because I knew the material and everything else in the world... not to mention I had done that last minute cramming thing because I felt like I didnt pay enough attention to one area. I was TICKED to put it nicely. I got home, and sadly, took it out on anything and everything around me. Certainly not a healthy way to cope with stress. What did it boil down to? I had been spending way too much time with my nose in the book or outlining, etc and I had done nothing just for myself. I now make it a point to take time away for myself with no books, etc. I also found that keeping a blog helps me. I have it limited to who can see it, etc... but just putting my feelings down and venting my frustrations helps me worlds. Not to mention it is my way of getting away from school work for 15 mins (but still not being total out of the school mindset) and then refocusing to move forward. Don't feel guilty. You have spent plenty of time with that book... not to mention it is proven that if you study for extremely long periods of time the material really doesnt sink in. It is better to work in shorter, but more frequent, intervals. You cant put yourself into overload! Alnee Struggling first year!

Add my name to the list!!! I am only a little over halfway through my first semester and feel so overwhelmed all the time it isnt funny! We had our second visit to the nursing home today (my first wasnt the best experience...) and today was a horrible day for me. I had a very compative patient (even though I was reassured by one of the instructors that she was mild compared to some that she has seen... still I think hitting, throwing stuff, and cussing me out was enough for me... esp since this was my first time doing direct patient care (the previous time it was communication and orientation to the nursing home)... after today and all the stress over the last couple of weeks I have really thought about calling it quits. I know that there has got to be a shiny rainbow... heck I would take a dull one even (!) that leads to an end somewhere... but it seems I am just stuck with this big black cloud over my head!!!!! My instructors tried to cheer me up today and told me that I am doing wonderful and that everyone has hard times. It just seems like the last two weeks have been incredibly stressful and I am doubting next semester even! On top of that you add friends and family that do not understand the commitment nursing school requires... ugh... I dont have any great advice for you.. just wanted to let you know that you are not alone! How long til May 2008?

My suggestion is to first check with the school and see if they have recommendations on what they prefer students to use, etc. I just bought mine the other day. I stuck to my local stores and found that for the most part a manual cuff is a manual cuff. I did try to go the cheaper route before and ended up with this one that was almost plastic and I was scared it would pop while in use... needless to say it was returned. Walmart had a manual cuff... but you have to be careful because they came with the steth already attached and positioned so you did not learn positioning. I think things to look for... and this depends on how much you are willing to spend as well... are cuff size... If you think that you will be working with people with larger arms or children you have to take into consideration using the wrong size cuff will alter the B/P reading. There are sets online that have the bulb, guage, and different cuffs. Getting an adult cuff and one for larger arms would probably be most helpful to you if you can find a good set. Or else... since the majority of people can use the normal adult size just stick with that. The other thing is that you want to make sure that you are getting a nylon type cuff that you can wipe down with an alcohol wipe (and yes... some schools will make you clean off the school cuffs after each clinical day) Otherwise, in my searching, it seemed there were different brands but they were all basically the same thing. If you wanted a particular color or were looking for a pattern then they seemed to be priced just a tad higher...

I was totally surprised to see my letter today when I got home from work... I was told they wouldnt be sent out until around the 20th... I can not believe that this fall I will be a student nurse!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is just amazing. I was so stressed over my NET and certain that I had failed it when I left the room (I got my times mixed up and ended up running out of time in one section)... I am just so shocked but excited. I have worked so hard for so long and now I have something major to show for it! Just had to share though!!! Alnee

I probably fall into this club. I always start with the best of intentions and then something comes up or I get sidetracked and before I know it I *have* to have it done and I am almost out of time. In most cases I can wing it but looking at nursing school starting (hopefully in the fall) I am VERY nervous about my previous track record. I like the way you put it Peachy... I think the two of us will live forever at the rate we are going :roll Alnee

Thanks for the advice!!! Is the one study guide the only one you guys would recommend? I noticed a couple at Barnes & Noble today but they did not have that particular one. It seems like it may only be available through the publisher. Of course none of the public libraries have it nor does the school library. I was really trying to avoid having to order something off the computer. I will ask around and see if perhaps someone has one that they are no longer using locally. Thanks again for the advice. I am a little nervous just because we can only test once for each admission period and I do not know exactly how the scores will be used in the admission process (it has not been discussed as of yet)... and perhaps a little more nervous since one of my classmates and study partners just failed the test a couple of weeks ago. Alnee

Hi Everyone... I went yesterday to fill out my nursing school application only to find that the entrance process has changed. They are now requiring that each applicant take the NET (although they will not say how exactly the scores will be used when they process applications)... so my question is to those that have taken the NET. Did you purchase any of the study guides available? Did you find them useful? I honestly am not sure what to expect and always considered myself lucky because this school had never done any major entrance testing before (they only required the basic admissions testing)... Thanks! Alnee

My first college attempt was a nightmare!!! I will not even mention what my GPA was when I left school... lets just say it was pretty dang low. Once I stepped back and got my act together and focused on what I wanted I was ok (have had 2 4.0 semesters)... Look at what your school requires for admission. The school that I am applying to goes off a points system and the only time your GPA comes into play is if you are tied in points with someone else for a seat. You have to have a min of a 2.5 to apply to the program but your GPA is passed only on the classes that are in the nursing program (technically the only pre-reqs to our program are chem, bio, and eng, the others are considered co-reqs) Even with my lower than dirt GPA last year I could still apply to the program because thankfully the 3 classes I had taken were 3 that I actually showed up for the first time around and it gave me a 3.0 GPA. When I apply later this month going off of what my "nursing" GPA would be then I am applying with a 3.8... my overall GPA is still a 2.4 something even after all the classes these past two semesters. It is much easier to screw up a GPA than it is to repair it. What I would focus on is why you did poorly in the classes to begin with. Was it because you were not studying and working or was it because you were struggling with the material? Your nursing classes will base a lot on you having already had the other classes and having an understanding for the material taught. You might get a quick review with the introduction to the material but it will not make up for not learning it in the first place. Good luck!! Alnee

The osteopathic schools are nice... but I dont think med school is for me. I am happy with my choice of nursing school (at least for now... maybe when I get out in the field and few years under my belt that will change)... although I honestly think that if I was going to go to school for something else that would require such a big time commitment I would go to school and become a chiropractor. But for now (and hopefully forever) the choice is nuring :) Alnee

I was in the same boat... really thought long and hard about going to med school. I have a friend of mine that graduated last year from med school and is doing his residency. He is what convinced me not to go. The amount of work and stress he went through... and now I hear the horror stories about his residency and it makes me glad that I am going to nursing school!!! LOL although I hear just as many horror stories about nursing schools and nursing in general these days He also was very right when he told me that if i went to nursing school... got my RN and worked for a while but then decided that going to med school was what I wanted to do I could always go back. His theory... older students make better students in a field like medicine. (he was 34 when he graduated from med school so not exactly "old" but he was older than some of the people in his program who entered med school straight out of college who went striaght out of HS... he said they tended to struggle and couldnt manage real life with med school) Since you are right out of school I would suggest that you start taking pre-reqs while you make your final choices like other posters have said. You will need the basics in either program. In order to get into med school you have to have a BA/BS basically. I know one gal that applying to med school with her BSN and additional science classes. She has worked as a nurse for 10 years and now would really like to become and MD to continue her work with the oncology patients she has worked with for the last 8 years... but on a different level. She just got called back for her second interview and her first pick school. She was told in the first interview that they admired her previous work experiences, dedication, and her academic performance (she was an outstanding student and had really good MCAT scores.) I have no doubt that she will be an awesome doctor because of her previous experiences, etc... not to mention she will be a doctor that knows how to treat nurses :roll Good luck!!! Either way get into school... you will be happy that you did regardless of what your major in! Alnee

Some of the things that have worked for me... #1 - Color code. It can either be the color of the card or what my personal preference was writing in different color markers #2 - Use either questions that I thought I might be tested on or just a key vocabulary word. I would then write a number beside the word or question after looking at my notes so I knew how many facts I had in my notes about the particular subject. This was really helpful in my microbiology class when we were learning all of the different bacterium. #3 - When you do your flash cards it should be a review and not a first time learning for you.... therefore you should be able to just a bullet type format when you answer your question or define your fact and not using complete sentences. The point of note cards is to help you remember the key parts and then you can fill in the little details if needed from memory and with other study tips #4 - Keep it SIMPLE... easier said than done I know. Try not to cram too much on a card. If you feel like you are covering something in too much detail break it up into multiple cards under different sub-titles to help you better organize your thought. Hope this helps! I remember being in medical terminology and going through about 300 note cards a week... and then in Micro I only used them when we got to the microbes. They are helpful things :) ALnee

I always get an excited nervous feeling right before I start a class. This semester I am off and totally feel like I am missing out on something... I have been in "school mode" and taking a semester break just doesnt seem right!!!! Applying for the nursing program next month and will know in April though if I got in... til then it is off to work I go :) :) Good luck this semester!!! Alnee