RCC ADN Fall 2011 Start

Loloberry · Sep 11, 2011

I will be starting at RCC this Fall! I am beyond excited and can't wait to start in a few weeks. Have you gotten your scrubs yet or are you waiting until orientation?

darling2014 · Sep 12, 2011

Cool! I did get my scrubs; about three days after I heard I was in:) I am excited too, but a bit intimidated by the very large stack of books on my desk! It's great to hear from a fellow student!

cchesney · Aug 7, 2012

Hi, I know this thread is a year old, but I am just wondering if you have any advice for someone entering the RCC ADN program for 2012, since you all are seniors this year... TIA if y'all are still around. :)

Loloberry · Aug 7, 2012

First of all, congrats on getting in! My biggest piece of advice would be to make sure you get enough sleep. It is impossible to memorize every little detail that you are taught, but you can think your way through almost everything. If you aren't getting enough sleep this becomes much harder. You also really don't want to get sick if it can be avoided.

My next piece of advice was given to us by the second years last year. They told us not to beat ourselves up if we don't get A's. This was really hard to do because we were all so used to having to get A's just to get into the program. Unless you have literally nothing else going on in your life (no significant other, no job, no kids, no friends, no life) it will be really hard to get straight A's. It is definitely not impossible to get A's, but don't beat yourself up if you don't.

If you have it in your budget I would recommend getting Lippincott Manual of Nursing Practice. I think it was about $70. It REALLY helped with my clinical prep forms which you will become super familiar with in winter term. It literally shaved hours off of my clinical prep. I know quite a few other students bought it as well and it helped them also. This of course will all make much more sense once you start the program.

Make study groups. Get yourself connected with your fellow students. It really will help you prepare for exams. Practice doing NCLEX style questions as all of your exams will be given this way. There will probably be two answers that you can disregard right away, and two correct answers. You have to figure out which answer is more correct. Also don't hesitate to ask questions during the exams. The instructors won't give you the answer, but they may help you find a way to think through it in a different way.

And probably most important, don't give up! The first year of nursing school was very possibly the hardest thing I have ever done. Make sure your family and friends understand what a huge time commitment this is. The hardest part of nursing school is not the content, it is the fact that life is still going on outside of nursing school. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and you will get through it. If you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask! Once again, congrats!