ladysushi

Hey guys! I feel like I haven't logged on here for a long time! So I just finished my first semester of nursing school :)! It was an eye opener! 1. The very first thing I learned was that nursing school exams are NOTHING like the exams you take for your other college courses. The questions are based on what the BEST answer would be rather than which answer is correct. Nursing school questions are like... What color is the sky? a.) black b.) aqua c.) rainbow d.) cobalt and the answer is almost always the first one you pick, but being a nursing student focused on getting an A you will almost always second guess yourself and change your answer. Our class motto by the end of the semester was NEVER CHANGE YOUR ANSWER.! 2. Next I learned that you are never going to not think about nursing school. After our first 2 weeks of the semester we basically had two exams a week until the last week of the semester. I felt like I was ALWAYS studying and if I wasn't studying I was working and preparing my projects or presentations for clinical or lab, and if I wasn't preparing than that meant I was missing something and I needed to figure out what it was. 3. Next thing I learned was that you really will grow close with your nursing school class mates. Something about all of us equally freaking out brought us closer together. I have already formed some pretty awesome relationships with several of my classmates. 4. The last thing I learned this semester was that I can do it! I was so nervous about starting nursing school. But going through this semester showed me that I can do this and I will do this! I managed to get all As in all of my nursing courses this semester!! I know it is only going to get harder from here but I am ready for the challenge. Right now I am going to enjoy my summer break until Semester Two starts up in August!!

I am the exact same way. (reserved, introverted, and slow to warm up to others) I start nursing school in January and I am worried about this. During my training for my CNA my clinical instructor gave me a review of..."You are such a sweetheart, you get a long great with the residents, you practice awesome patient care and you perform your skills very, very well....but you're quiet..." then she just stared at me like I was supposed to explain myself. I just chuckled and told her that everyone tells me that. Then she gave me my score for the clinical and I was 10 pts under a perfect score. I was confused because there wasn't anything negative on my score sheet and when I questioned her she said "Nobody is perfect." Then when I compared my score sheet with other classmates, there were plenty of "perfect" scores. I have been giving myself pep talks to try and force my talkative, outgoing side to shine, but that just isn't me.

Thank you for the advice! I have a meeting coming up with my supervisor for the new job, she is going to give me tour and some more background about the new job. I think that I will be able to make a more adequate decision after that.

Sorry I have been MIA for the last few weeks. Been busy getting thing squared away with school and of course finishing up A&P II . Needing some advice from you all. So basically, I have to work in order to keep my bills paid, currently I work the regular 9a-5p work hours everyday but this will not be a schedule I can keep when nursing school starts in January. I have two options. 1. Stay at my current job. They have told me they will work with me on my hours. I have class Mon. and Wed. from 2p-8p and then clinical Thu. 1p-8p. So I would work all day and then immediately go to school the rest of the evening. I work in busy Doctor's office with little sit down time. The best part about this option is that I will get reimbursed for my nursing courses. The worst part about this option is that I will be busy all day and I am worried that I won't have adequate enough time to focus on my nursing courses. 2. Take this new job. This job is an overnight job. I would work 3-4 nights a week 11p-7a with the option to take more hours if requested. The job is very rewarding, I would be assisting disabled individuals in a group home. I am most worried about this option because I have never worked an overnight shift ever. But I feel like I would have adequate enough time available to focus on nursing school. I am leaning towards option 2, but I will miss getting my reimbursement for my courses. Advice please?

Been reading this thread for awhile now. I figure I would give it a "bump" since Halloween is this weekend! Hope to get some new additions! :Ghost:

I originally wanted to go to medical school and become an MD. But once I started working on my Bachelor's degree I was having a hard time with all of the math and science courses. So I decided to leave university and do some more research on what I wanted to do. I found a local program that did medical assistant training and decided to give it a try. I knew that I wanted to work in the medical field but I just didn't feel the passion to go for my MD. While going through my MA training I learned about all of the different healthcare team members that existed. But I fell in love with the nursing profession after I started working as an MA along side other nurses. I really enjoy working with patients one on one and being an instrumental part of their recovery process. I start my ADN program in January and plan on getting my BSN after I finish. I am interested in going into FNP, but I will figure out if I will pursue it after I finish my BSN and practice bedside nursing for several years.

Yaaay for Spring 2016! I just registered for my courses yesterday! I have lecture and lab on Mondays (2-8p) Pharmacology and Health Assessment on Wednesdays (2-8p) Clinical will be on Thursdays but they haven't let us know the schedules as of yet. Our scrubs are the ugliest color of blue I am soooo excited! I have been filling my cart on Amazon with tons of nurse stuff! I am trying to decide between a wrist watch or a lapel watch. What are you guys going with?

I am currently in A&P II. I haven't found much difference in difficulty between the two because they go into the same details it just differs in the systems. In A&P I we went over integumentary, bones, muscles, nervous, and special senses. Now in A&P II we are going over the endocrine, reproductive, cardiovasular, lymphatic, digestive, respiratory...etc. I will say that I am enjoying A&P II more than I did A&P I, mostly because I find the systems very intresting. But as far as difficulty, they are the same....maybe A&P II is a wee bit harder....but only a wee bit Good luck!

It awesome that these really exist! Never seen them used at any of my area hospitals. I am a hard stick when it comes to IVs and taking my blood, they actually had to get an ultrasound out and use it !!! I know the pain of having a nervous nurse or tech digging blindly into your arm and it is not fun, especially when they act like it is your fault they are having issues getting your vein. I am just dread-ding the day I come across a hard stick, like myself. But I guess I have to put my big girl scrubs on and arise to the challenge. ha ha.

Vein viewer? Is this a real thing? IVs are one of the things I am most nervous about placing during nursing school. So I am all about this vein viewer. What do you all think about it?

All of my online exams could be taken anywhere I had internet connection. We could use our books and notes but the exams were timed. They were basically timed where if you studied and knew the material then you would have enough time to complete the exam and most likely pass, however, if you are relying on your notes and book for answers then there is was no way you could complete the exam on time and receive a passing grade. I found that this method kept all of us students accountable, well if we wanted to pass the class that is.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am glad to hear that tears of joy are a typical reaction And good luck to those still waiting to hear about acceptance!

Microbiology is indeed a monster I found that recording lectures and listening to them again really helped me. The website quizlet helped me a lot as well. Utilize your book as well! Read and reread the process of aerobic and anaerobic respiration and fermentation, write out the processes step by step, understand every aspect of each down to specifics, then go over it with your professor to make sure you are understanding the processes correctly. If you are a learner like me, then it takes these extra steps that others may not need to take in order to be successful. These extra steps helped me get an A in micro. Good luck!

This week I learned.... -That hard work indeed pays off! -I am going to have to leave my full time job come January for nursing school, and I didn't realize how attached I am to this place. I am going to miss it. I am lucky enough that we will be able to survive off of my hubby's income while I am in nursing school -The heart is actually making sense to me now....but the arteries and veins...that is another story. -I actually really enjoy A&P II. I think that it is because my professor is so awesome. She really enjoys teaching the subject and she really wants us to learn as much as humanly possible! I wish I would have had her for A&P I. Best professor I have had so far, hands down! -I am nervous that I might be preggers, this morning I have had the worst nausea I have ever had in a long time. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if I am because my husband and I have been actively trying because I didn't think that I would get into nursing school until Fall semester, but now that I am accepted for the Spring I just don't know if I can handle pregnancy and nursing school at the same time, but I will if I have too -My classmate that got her rejection letter congratulated me on my acceptance and I thought that was very mature of her. She has gotten very discouraged though about her future, and I really don't know what to say to encourage her.....*sings Journey's Don't Stop Believing!* -Then there was the facebook friend that posted a long drawn out status about how she feels like she hasn't gotten anywhere in life because she didn't get into nursing school. She gave the typical excuse..."I am a B, C student. I have never been an A student" In my opinion, everyone is capable of being an A student, it is just harder for some than it is for others. I am one of those where I have to work very very hard and study long periods of time to grasp materials. My grades of A in my prereqs came with sleepless nights. You honestly have to work hard to get what you want. Hmmm...I probably should have responded to her status like this, but now that I think of it; she would have taken it the wrong way anyway. What did you learn this week?

I am starting nursing school in January as well. I have found some nursing students on youtube that have given me some great advice and also shared specific books and materials they use to help get them through nursing school. You should check a few of them out, I find they help relieve my anxiety