Starting school and terrified

Nursing school is very difficult It was definetly not what I expected but just take it one day at a time. You will learn what to expect of each of your Instructors, be proactive get a head start on your reading as soon as you get your syllabus, form study groups, realize that your whole world as you know it will be all about nursing school until you are done. Your family & friends need to be mindful of this because it is going to be very hard, you will be very stressed, but in the end you will appreciate every experience that you encountered, and it will be very well worth it. GOOD LUCK!!!

I was shocked at how how much was involved. I was working in LTC as a secretary and thought it couldn't be too hard to learn how to push pills. What a rude awakening lol. School is fast paced. Don't fall behind in anything because everything builds upon what you've already learned.

Well class starts tomorrow and I tried to get a head start by reading the first chapter on foundations of nursing and then quickly read intro to anatomy. Every time I start to think about school I get a sick feeling to my stomach. Hopefully it will calm down soon. I think I will do well but I'm extremely scared. The thing that is now frightening me is taking the boards next year. I don't know if I can retain a year's worth of information. Please help with any words of advice. I need prayers at this point.

I believe you will enjoy every bit of it. It's alot, but not hard if you do what they ask you to do to retain it. I think alot of people are surprised that their way doesn't work and you REALLY have to read and use the cd's that come with the book, the study guides and powerpoints, recording class if you can, and NOT going to Uncle Franks party if you know you should be studying.

Thanks bcskittlez. I have a few questions for you. About how many chapters were you assigned each class and how much reading did you spend every day? Did you make flash cards for the tests? How often were you tested? I guess I can get these questions answered tomorrow but I'm a ball of nerves right now.

Being nervous is expected. After a week or two, you will start to calm down and know what is expected of you and what to expect. Start out immdiately getting yourself into a routine and stick with it. Bcskittlez is right, you have to make school your primary focus. Most of what makes the program so difficult is the amount of material in such a short time.

Don't let yourself worry about the NCLEX-PN next year. Learn how to test while in school. Most schools will get you used to the types of questions you will see next year. The NCLEX is designed to insure you are able to practice safely as an entry level nurse; you will not necessarly be expected to recall specific information about subject matter!

Good luck to you! Go in with a positive attitude, don't let it stress you too much! You will have a great first day!

First day wasn't bad at all. It was kind of slow even which help me get over my pre-class jitters. I know it will pick up a bunch though and get more difficult but today made me happy. Our teacher certainly drilled in Foundations of Nursing into our heads, which actually wasn't that much information.