Surviving accelerated nursing

[scooterscamp123]

Hi there,

I have officially been accepted into UD's accelerated nursing program and while I'm very excited to take the next step towards becoming a nurse I am terrified about how I will actually get through it. I plan on living at home with my parents. I'm 23 with no dependents of my home so it wi be nice to have some meals cooked for me and laundry done. I also have a boyfriend now who has been really supportive of me through school so far and a great friend base who I have all talked to about the major time commitment of this program. I also get free tuition with this program so there isn't too much financial pressure. I just wanted to ask accelerated alum how did you manage your social life or exercise fairly regularly? I love running and I concentrate a lot better when I exercise so I really want to get some kind of work out in five days a week if possible. Please any advice about how you handled everything and personal anecdotes would be helpful! I'm so scared!

[RunBabyRN]

I'm a mom, so my situation is different, but my program was a 2 year BSN program, so it was pretty "blast off" fast.

My social life fell by the wayside, but my friends understood. It will take a hit, that's just reality, but I took advantage of the slower times and breaks, and made coffee dates or running dates with friends. I ran my first marathon in the summer between the two years. I wasn't as trained up as I'd have liked thanks to summer classes, but I finished. I've also completed 2 Tough Mudders while in the program. I'm a distance trail runner, and I kept my mileage up until my final semester, when preceptorship finally took it down, but I still managed to work out on a fairly regular basis, but it wasn't what I'm used to. I'm now amping up my mileage again, as I've graduated and recovered from surgery I had the Monday after graduation!

If you manage your time well, and you are disciplined (most of us nursing students are!), you'll be okay. You'll find your balance after a little period of shell shock. Be patient with the process, and know that it'll all shake out alright.

One little trick that helped me was getting my laptop on the treadmill and reading my e-books that way. I'd blow them up really big so that the reading wouldn't give me a headache.

Congratulations and good luck!

[scooterscamp123]

Thank you that was very helpful and congratulations on completing your marathon!

[NurseGirl525, ASN, RN]

I feel like exercise is essential for your mental well being. I just make the time to run. I filed for divorce last August and started school in the same week. I started running back then and found out I love it!! It definitely keeps my stress levels down. My social life takes a back seat during school but I have been making up for it the past month or so. I have a great support system of friends who cheer me on and I don't know what I would do without them!!

[windsurfer8, BSN, RN]

Having no living expenses is huge. You are free to study all you want. So..as long as you hit it hard you will be fine. When I did the ABSN I worked out everyday. I think it is very important because I felt I was sitting down so much studying. Best of luck.