Starting nursing program next month.... am I ready?

flyingchange · Aug 6, 2011

Stay on top of your readings. A lot of times profs will start their first lectures assuming you've already done the first reading. It's pretty much impossible to catch up once you're more than a few days behind.

Then, to make your life easier come test time, make notes on your readings as you go. IME, profs are more likely to test "ideas" from the text rather than specific points. So don't get too anal in your note-taking. I usually just make notes from the headers so I can quickly scan the material when studying and then I remember what it was I was reading.

Good luck, it's like nothing else :)

fleetfoxRN · Aug 8, 2011

I'd suggest yes, to follow up on your readings, however... when they give you like a thousand pages to read in a month, be smart about it. Follow the powerpoints you get in class, expand on the powerpoints. You don't have to read every single page. I think new students make the mistake about that. There is a lot of reading, yes.... but just expand on what they talked about in class, not all the other stuff. I find that's mostly the case in theroy classes.

As far as physio - you HAVE to keep on top of that. That Na K pump nearly killed me, but it's so important. To understand about that, those things will NEVER got away in your nursing career. So learn to like it.

Be prepared for clinical. You'll most likely be in the class room setting for the first semester... do your homework, read up on what they talk about (seriously, you have to... because it's embarrassing when there is a smaller group of you and your clinical instructor asks you a question).

And most importantly.. be organized. Time management. Do things that are important and not due soon, first. reduces time stress. Keep your desk clear and organized.

lemidora · Aug 8, 2011

Ditto on time management and not having to read every single page you're assigned. What I did for my nursing classes in first year is get together with a group of people and divide up the work. Every week we had a "module" to do (basically it's a list of definitions we need to know for that week and a list of questions about the readings in the book). We'd break up the list into 4-5 parts and each do a part, then send our work to our group members. It saved me a ton of time because I was reading about 20-30 pages total per week instead of 100. As canundergrad said, they tend to test you on ideas so you don't need to sweat every single page in the textbook. Another thing- practice tests are going to be one of your best friends. I found that tests were so much easier after having done practice exams because I was familiar with the way questions were asked. Finally, stay on top of A&P and patho- the more you review the better you will understand the concepts, especially when everything starts to come together into a coherent whole with your nursing courses. Having said that, don't get too ahead of yourself. Yes, it's nice to read ahead if you can but remember that your profs will teach you things in a timely manner. Good luck!

dishes, BSN, RN · Aug 8, 2011

I recommend reading "Career development for health professionals: success in school and on the job" by Lee Haroun

http://books.google.com/books?id=HOuYAAAACAAJ&source=gbs_book_other_versions_r&cad=3

joanna73, BSN, RN · Aug 10, 2011

You will figure out what works for you. Everyone is different. I would very occasionally get together with one other friend, but I study best on my own. Large groups can end up wasting time. Learn the basics about fluids and electrolytes and review this, because those concepts are very important. When I was a student, I would review my assessment two weeks before school started. Once you start clinicals you will be expected to know your assessment.

SurroDoula · Aug 12, 2011

Get anything you need to get organized done now, because there won't be much time once you are in school. I plan to go through my closets soon and get rid of any junk that has piled up, bake a bunch of bread, and make and freeze some meals ahead of time, etc so that I don't have as much to do during the school year. I also have most of my Christmas shopping done, lol!