Summer Break and Overwhelmed!

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I am about to start my last year of nursing school in August(ADN program). I am off this summer. I have Peds, Psych, and Adult Health 2 before I graduate next May(09).

I am not sure what I should be doing over the summer. :confused:I got a C in Foundations and Adult Health 1. I feel that I am weakest in these areas, however I hear that Peds can be a real nightmare at my school. Should I spend more time looking at my Fundamentals/Med Surg or should I start looking ahead to next semester? What is the best way to study and in an organized fashion? Should I use my NCLEX review book, or go back to my notes and texts? (I already have notes for my upcoming classes) This is SUMMER I am supposed to feel relaxed...but I can't help feeling overwhelmed!!!:eek:

Any words of wisdom from those of you with experience would be greatly appreciated!!! :yeah:

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Me and you are just about in the same boat. lol I think that if you are weak in med-surge you should go back and review that stuff b/c you said you have Adult health 2 which is a continuation of the class. It also wouldn't hurt going over your fundamentals. After all of that I would start worrying about the upcomming class. Remember one step at a time. Hope this helps. :specs:

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Specializes in Staff nurse.

Are you working this summer? If you aren't, look into working at a hospital to keep it fresh in your mind, and you can look at labs and do treatments as a nurse intern/extern.

Any weak areas, read and quiz yourself on, with NCLEX-type books/programs. It won't hurt to read the peds texts now, to familiarize yourself with the differences on this service...ie, the meds per body weight, Erickson's stuff, family dynamics, social services for suspected abuse, etc.

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Specializes in Psychiatry.

Are you working?

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

what did you hear was so bad about peds? i'd spend some time focusing on that. peds is really not a whole lot different from med/surg except for the fact that it usually covers developmental tasks/milestones that children are supposed to achieve by certain ages. that affects the psychosocial aspects of their care and how you interact with them. medication dosages are affected by age and weight. there are also some medical conditions that are primarily experienced in children, but kids have the same anatomy and physiology and adults.

if you were "weak" in adult health, you need to figure out why. is it because you didn't learn the material? or, did you just not do well at answering application type questions on tests? those are two very different things. the first is a study problem.

the second is a problem of learning how to think critically.

the critical thinking flow sheet for nursing students is a link at the bottom of all my posts that can be opened up. it is a form to help you study and learn medical diseases and their treatment and nursing care.

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Specializes in LTC.

If you want to go over your notes do so. Just take them to the pool or beach and sit skimming over them. Make sure that you make time for yourself.

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I am interning at a hospital in the Mother/Baby Unit, so I am exposure, just not Med-Surg.

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I spoke to my recruiter today about possibly floating to other units such as med-surg, oncology etc. In response to Daytonite's question - I think that I am much better with my test taking skills. I am most uncomfortable with fluids/electrolytes, ABG's, and labs in general. Thanks for all the links and advice. Thanks to all that replied! Hope you are enoying your summers!

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