Tell me about your first day of nursing school

♑ Capricorn ♑ · Apr 4, 2012

Thanks ladies and gents. :)

I really enjoyed your comments and your input is appreciated. I will let you know how my first day went when the time comes.

FLboundBSN · Apr 4, 2012

My first day will be at the end of August. I will tell you all about it!

FORTHELOVEOF!!!! · Apr 21, 2012

I fell asleep listening to 63 students introduce themselves in a 3-5 min bio, literally!

NP Sam · Apr 21, 2012

I honestly cannot answer all those questions. I know exactly what type of nursing school classmate you will be . Relax! I know it is very exciting to be accepted and starting :). I remember sitting near all of my classmates I met on Allnurses. The first day is really just introductions, expectations, and "light" lecturing. I did not have homework the first day. I do not regret my decision going to nursing school or being involved at my college of nursing. I believe that really helped me get a job:). Remember on exams, every answer may be right, but you have to pick the best answer.

brittanywatson · Apr 22, 2012

1. I didn't sleep

2. Probably just had coffee (breakfast of champions, I know)

3. I was anxious, excited, motivated, nervous

4. Eh, probably sunny

5. First day of class was uniform check-offs, so I had to wear my uniform with all supplies. Minimal makeup.

6. Flipped through a few books, read the first 7 chapters of Test Success, which was required reading

7. Clinical supplies for check-off, brought like 5 huge books, two binders, a pack of pens, pencils (wayyy too much. Now I just bring a notebook, maybe a book, pen, pencil, and calculator in case I get a dosage cal test thrown at me)

8. I got there 15 minutes before class

9. Found it on my own

10. First day was from 0800-1500

11. Didn't know anyone

12. I was on the younger side of the class

13. I'm not a male

14. My impression of the first semester instructors were intimidating. They were straightforward and basically told us to quit our jobs if we had one and to get on Adderall if our minds often drift. Looking back, they were the sweetest instructors and most lax. Now, it's so much more demanding.

15. We learned dosage cal and Maslow's and pt safety techniques, the basics

16. It was overwhelming at first, but looking back, it was easy

17. Enjoyed it very much

18. Had lunch at Honeybaked with a few newly made friends

19. Yep, had about 4 new contacts that day

20. No, no treats for me

21. Of course I had homework. It's not about how many hours it takes to complete, but how long it takes for you to understand and apply the information. The reading material took about 4 hours, but understanding it all and using reference texts, completing mandatory assignments, probably about 20 hours.

22. ???

23. I have two kids, who were 18 months and 4 months at the time. No TV

24. I don't know what time I went to bed, that was over a year ago...maybe 5 hours?

25. I'm in my 4th semester now, with a giant test on genitourinary, so no I'm not looking forward to it

26. I liked it

27. Maybe once or twice I thought I bit off more than I could chew, but I'm still here and glad I stuck with it.

28. If I was asked this question in my first semester I would've said anxiety was a 9. Compared to today, the first day of school seems like a 2.

LVN/RNBridge · Apr 22, 2012

Hi everyone.
I am curious to know what everyone's first day of nursing school was like and how it went that day. From the time you woke up until the time you went to bed that evening, describe your first day. I often hear how anxious students are on their first day of nursing school and thought this might help those (myself included) prepare and transition better into nursing school. It may give someone an idea of what to expect on that first day. First day of class is usually a memorable one.
I'm really looking forward to nursing school. I will begin my nursing classes this coming Fall and I'm very excited about it. :w00t:Even though I won't start nursing school for another 5-6 months, I will bookmark this and answer my own questions regarding my first day when the time comes.
Anyone can answer this whether you're a nurse now, current nursing student, pre-nursing student (just alter your answers to fit your situation). I'd like to here from many of you. Please elaborate and be honest with your answers. You may be as wordy and descriptive as you like. No, you do not have to be "too personal" in your answers. This is the internet after all. But, I'm not looking for just "yes" or "no" answers. Most of all, be honest with yourself.
What I want to know is:
01) How did you sleep the night before?
02) What did you have for breakfast?
03) How were you feeling that morning?
04) What was the weather like that day?
05) What did you wear the first day? Did you dress up with hair and makeup done?
06) Did you do any pre-class reading from your nursing textbooks? The night before, week(s) before, or month(s) before nursing school?
07) What did you bring with you to class? (books, supplies, iPad, laptop, backpack etc.)
08) Did you arrive early or late to class?
09) Were you able to find your classroom on your own or did you ask for help?
10) How long was your first day? Couple of hours? All day long?
11) Did you know anyone personally in your class? (friends, relatives)
12) Were you younger/older/same age, as your classmates?
13) If you're male, were you the only guy in class? How did you feel being surrounded by females?
14) What were your first impressions of your instructors? Did you like them? Did they like you?
15) What nursing material did you learn in school the first day?
16) Was the nursing material difficult or overwhelming? Did you feel lost? Confused?
17) Did you enjoy learning what was given the first day?
18) What did you have for lunch? Did you eat alone, with classmates, or someone else?
19) Did you make friends with any of your classmates? Exchange phone numbers and/or email?
20) On your way home from school, did you stop and treat yourself to a snack/dessert/beverage for surviving your first day of nursing school?
21) Did you have homework from the first day of nursing school? How long did it take you to complete it that night? Did you finish it all that night?
22) What did you have for dinner?
23) Did you have any free-time tonight to watch TV, be on the computer, hobbies, etc.?
24) What time did you go to bed? Were you able to fall asleep quickly?
25) Are you looking forward to you next class day or dreading it?
26) Overall, how did you feel about your first day of nursing school?
27) At any time today, did you feel you made a mistake in attending nursing school?
28) Please rate your anxiety level from this day, on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 highest, 1 lowest)

Depends on your attitude going in. Personally; first day was pretty boring and the first term going into part of term two was horrible, but half way through term two until the end was much better. Loved maternity and pediatrics!!!

ImKosher · Apr 22, 2012

lol 28 questions about your first day of school? your psyching yourself out. Just get good sleep eat breakfast and turn on some jack johnson on the way to school.

BrittRN2B14 · Apr 22, 2012

I start in August so I will answer all your questions then! I think I am just as nervous and excited as you are!

Clovery · Apr 22, 2012

It was two years ago, so I can't really answer most of these questions. But I'll answer what I can, if it helps your anxiety a bit:

I'm sure I wore some makeup, jeans, sweater. I might have tried to do my hair, but probably ended up pulling it back because that's what I always do because it annoys me to have it down when I'm trying to do stuff. I didn't know anyone in my class. A handful of people looked familiar, as they were probably in some of my prereq classes but I wasn't very social with anyone in those classes so I didn't approach them. It was an evening class, in a big lecture hall, with 60 students, and I was surprised to find a mix of ages. Some students were just a couple of years out of high school, while others were obviously what I call "back to school moms". (In order to be a proper "back to school mom" you MUST have a rolling backpack that blocks up the aisles). There were a handful of guys, maybe 5 or so. My instructor seemed funny and animated, yet serious and strict about her policies. I liked her stories of personal experience. I emailed her prior to the start of class, asking which books we needed to bring. The list of required books was so long that I really would have needed one of those rolling backpacks to transport them. She replied that we only needed our text book, so I brought that and a binder with some loose leaf. I think we had a reading assignment, but I didn't do it, and it turned out not to matter much. She spent half the class talking about policies, what to expect, proper uniform attire, how to access Blackboard, etc. Then she began the first lecture which was on the history of nursing, which included a powerpoint presentation and a motivational youtube video glorifying nurses. It was a two hour lecture and then I went home. I don't think I spoke to anyone, except maybe a "wow, that was intense" or something like that to a fellow unknown student as we walked to the parking lot.

My first impression was that it was more "serious" than I expected. I didn't have many expectations, but after getting a degree in Psychology from a somewhat prestigious school, I thought "how hard could a nursing program at a community college be?" HA. hahahaha. We were somewhat eased into the difficulty, but I really had no idea it would be this challenging. It took me a while to become friends with my classmates, but I quickly formed bonds with the girls in my clinical group after the first night or two. I still had time to watch tv at night, but I wasn't working during the day. I didn't do that well in Fundamentals (got a B+) because I was highly resistant to the NCLEX style questions. My previous academic environment rewarded students for being creative, reasoning, and thinking outside the box. To be honest with you, when I find out some of my answers were WRONG after I had thought long, hard, and rationally about the choices, I was pretty mad. By the next semester, I kind of lost the chip on my shoulder and succumbed to the nursing school programming. I learned what I needed to do to be successful and have been making As since.

My advice to you is go into it with an open mind, leave your past experience at the door. Don't fall behind and do what they say. Don't try to argue about anything. Try not to be so nervous - like most of us here, you'll soon forget all these details about your first day, because it's really not that important in the long run. Good luck :)

guest042302019, BSN, RN · Apr 22, 2012

Wow, if you ask that many questions to your patients his or head will be spinning. lol Umm, can't remember my first day. Can't remember what I did this morning. It'll be fine though.

FLboundBSN · Apr 22, 2012

It was two years ago,.... Good luck :)

Nicely put, Clovery! :)

NCRNMDM, ASN, RN · Apr 23, 2012

I understand how concerned you are, so I will try to answer all of the questions that I can. Here it goes.

1- I slept alright the night before. I had to drive one hour and ten minutes one way to get to the campus where class was meeting, I had never been to the campus before, it was in another county, and I wasn't sure what the building looked like. Because of these factors, I didn't sleep as well as I would have liked.

2- I don't ever eat breakfast, and my class didn't start until 4 PM. I was so nervous that I didn't eat anything prior to leaving for class.

3- My class was in the afternoon. I was really nervous, excited, overwhelmed, and uncertain about everything.

4- It was in August, and it was hot. I live down south, so it's always hot and humid during the summer. I think it was like 95 and the head index made it feel like 108 or something. It was pretty miserable.

5- I'm a guy, so no makeup lol. I just wore jeans and a collared shirt. I didn't want to look too formal, but I didn't want to look too casual. I settled for a happy medium.

6- We didn't even have all of our textbooks until the fourth week of class. I had my main textbook, but I got 12 more during the fourth week. I didn't do any reading prior to class.

7- I brought my backpack, all the books that I had (I didn't need all of them, it was a ridiculous and unneeded strain on my back), my Macbook, a notebook full of paper, about ten pens, five highlighters, a calculator, my syllabus, and two or three empty folders. I was way over-prepared.

8- Class started at 4 PM, and I got there at about 3. I was very, very early.

9- I found the building and room on my own, but it took about twenty minutes. I was determined to find it on my own.

10- My first day was about five hours long. It was 4-8:45 PM.

11- I didn't know a single person in the class. All my class members are like family now, but, at the time, I knew no one. That changed quickly.

12- At age 18, I was the youngest person to ever be accepted to my nursing program. There was one 20 year old, a few in the 25-29 range, and a lot in the 30-50 range.

13- There are four guys in my class, counting me. I don't have a problem being a minority in the class. Nursing has been my dream since I was young, so I don't care who is in the class with me.

14- I loved my instructors. I have some great instructors, and they are absolutely wonderful. At first, I was intimidated by them because most had Doctorate degrees, and the rest had Master's degrees. They all seemed so intelligent and all-knowing, and I felt stupid. Now I realize that they are hilarious, down to earth, and normal people. I also realize that they really do want to see the class succeed. I love my professors, end of story.

15- Honestly, we went over all the course requirements the first day. It took that long to go over the syllabus, skills lab information, student and instructor introductions, textbook information, ATI and My Nursing Kit information, etc etc.

16- The first semester was a breeze. I ended up with a 97 A. Nursing 112 (the first eight weeks of second semester) was absolute torment. I pulled out a 90 B, but I really struggled with that class. Nursing 212 (the second eight weeks of second semester) has been really easy. I have about three weeks until third semester begins.

17- Like I said, we didn't learn anything nursing related the first day. The first day was tedious, boring, overwhelming, and scary. It wasn't fun.

18- We didn't get a lunch break. We got a snack break, but we were all too nervous to eat. I did drink a cup of coffee. If you don't like coffee now, it will be your best friend before first semester ends.

19- I made friends with almost everyone. There are a few who I am just nursing school acquaintances with, but they are few and far between. I am very close to the majority of the class. We email, text, talk, and go out to eat. We sit together, laugh, joke, and share stories about our families and home lives. We are all there to support each other.

20- No, I didn't. I had to drive an hour and ten minutes back home from school, and it was coming one of those lovely southern night time severe thunderstorms that I love. I do not, however, love them when I am attempting to drive down the interstate at 70 miles per hour in the pouring rain, 60 plus mile per hour wind, and horrendous thunder and lightning.

21- I didn't have any homework the first night (at least not from the nursing 111 class). We don't really have homework. We have reading assignments, clinical papers, unit exams, finals, and other work to do. The only thing that counts as part of the our final grade is the unit exams and the final. The rest of the work is simply pass/fail, and it doesn't contribute to our grades.

22- I don't remember what I had for dinner then. My memory's good, but it isn't that good.

23- No, I didn't have time to do anything when I got home. I had skills lab the next day and I had to be familiar with Foley catheter insertion, bladder irrigation, hand washing, sterile field and putting on sterile gloves, gowning, gloving, and putting on a mask for isolation precautions, and patient identification. I was really stressed about skills lab that night.

24- I went to bed at about 5 AM. I fell asleep pretty quickly, but I didn't sleep well. I was up at 11, and I was in skills lab by 2 PM. You get used to not sleeping a ton.

25- I'm looking forward to next class. We are doing increased intracranial pressure, ventriculostomy drains, ICP bolts, vent management, mannitol and other diuretics, and ICP management. I love neuro.

26- To be perfectly honest, I'm glad my first day is over, and I wouldn't want to go back and start over. I'm glad that I only have 11 months until graduation, and I can't imagine being a first year student again. It's terrifying, frustrating, overwhelming, but fun. You meet new people, learn all kinds of things, start clinical, learn all your skills, and you really feel accomplished when you make it through first semester.

27- I never feel like I made a mistake by choosing nursing as my major. I would never do anything else with my life.

28- I would say that my anxiety on my first day was about a 6 or 7. It wasn't unbearable, but I definitely knew it was there.

Good luck, I hope this helped you. Let us know how your first day goes.