Published
Ok I am not a freshman (starting senior year) but there are a few things that I would have loved to been told. Maybe how to stay organized, how to stay on top of things, how you should have famiy help at home. Also that is overwhelming and crazy for everyone but as long as you do your work and take things seriously than it will be fine.
Good luck with your speech!
hi dani, i just checked out your page too, awesome! anyway i am a 1st year and i was trying to think of some questions, but i can't, maybe you should just talk about your experience for a few minutes, and then take questions from the group. usually one persons question is on a lot of peoples minds and your answers in front of the whole group will probably get to more people than one on ones with the 2nd years. that way you will be sure you are answering this particular groups questions, our questions may not apply to the folks you will be speaking to, you know? just a thought!my college asked me to speak at a the new student orientation on the 30th. i'm supposed to talk about my experiences when i was a first year nursing student.
i am by no means a public speaker. i stutter, sweat, get all anxious when around a large group of people like that. but, that's a whole other post.
for you first year students-- what type of information did you find helpful? is there anything you wish you would have been told? i need some ideas!
thanks guys!
dani
I am actually speaking at orientation for freshman coming to our university who are interested in nursing (I speak tomorrow). So the students I am speaking to are not in the nursing program yet. I plan to speak a little about the importance of getting high grades in their pre-requisites, the importance of building strong study habits, the importance of having a strong support network, and the importance of learning time management (really going to stress on that one). And then I am just going to answer general questions they may have.
Good luck! :)
Dani: I also think it is a good idea to open up for questions. It will also cause you to relax as if you were talking to a single student instead of a large group. Also, just reassure the students of their fears and worries of the work load, organization, and encourage to get a study group. You will do fine because you are doing something that you love and it will show in your speech!
Kim
I remember my orientation talk. The guy was telling us how is was going to be so HARD, our lives were OVER for the next two years, very dramatic. I felt like it was setting us up for failure. And quite honestly, there wasn't a darned thing I could do with that information at that point than consider running for the hills. Entirely useless.
My suggestions are:
Don't be condescending. It's easy, as the one "in the know," to do the whole, "I remember when I was in your shoes..." but people are really just looking for info and a friendly face from someone with experience.
Be positive! Make it a pep talk. Give strategies for success, but don't scare your audience. They're scared enough. Tell them that they were accepted because they demonstrated the skills needed for success. Make 'em feel good about themselves.
Encourage class spirit. Encourage collaboration and mutual support. Let them know who to turn to when they need a helping hand.
I bet you'll do great. Good luck!
you guys = awesome! thanks so much for your replies.
not scaring them is sooo important. i was terrified when it came to my orientation. there was an instructor that said, "if you have kids, married, or have a full-time job, you're setting yourself up for failure." she was and still is so darn mean.
i'm making a list of all the recommendations you guys have given me! now, i'm going to have to battle the whole public speaking thing...:barf01:
As a mother, it was important for me to hear the following things:
That for those of us who worked hard on our prereqs and did well, nursing school is doable. Yes it's hard, but given that we've already survived some tough classes, and if we keep using and improving on the skills we learned to do well in our prereqs, we will do more than well and still have a family/social/work life.
The heads-up that the biggest change between pre-reqs and nursing classes will be the emphasis away from memorization skills and more towards critical thinking skills. That most of the tests going forward would mimic the NCLEX in format (multiple choice with more than one right answer and that we would need to find the best answer). We were advised to start working off a subject specific NCLEX book (and I actually believe one will be provided for us).
The advice to work in study groups, even for those of us who have flown solo thus far. Advice to also keep on top of the reading, and not to slip behind in any one subject. And, that for many chapters, skim reading would be fine as the professor would have powerpoint handouts of the areas needing slower, more detailed reading.
Advice to those who worked full time this would only be doable in first year, and that by second year the strong recommendation was to work part time only. Although, people have done it and done well in the program.
This was the info I found useful, Good luck!
The things I would have liked to find out at my orientation were:
-What organization method they found helpful
-How many hours per week they studied, on average
-If they were required to bring all of their textbooks to class
-What type of information we should get a headstart on studying (lab values, fluids and electrolytes, ect)
Eirene, ASN, RN
499 Posts
i am by no means a public speaker. i stutter, sweat, get all anxious when around a large group of people like that. but, that's a whole other post.
for you first year students-- what type of information did you find helpful? is there anything you wish you would have been told? i need some ideas!
thanks guys!
dani