Alright well I have been wanting to post this for a very long time! Since I first logged on to allnurses I couldn't wait until it was my turn to say, I am a nursing student!!!
So, technically, yesterday was my first day but I was only there for a couple hours. We went right into lecture about the history of nursing and how it's ever changing. We also learned about the different educational paths a nurse can take, but I already did that research beforehand on allnurses
Today was mainly orientation and a welcome to our nursing class. We went more in depth about what to expect and also dissected our huge textbook-like syllabus. I am not joking about the size of that syllabus, it's insane. Since starting I have been reading nonstop. We have already been assigned about five chapters to read from our fundamentals book, which is not the most interesting of reads, but it's doable. I'm just overwhelmed really, probably because they talked a lot about what is to come. Over the next month, three papers are due and at the end of each semester we are taking the ATI tests. If we fail those, well then we have to take the course over.
Today was also one of our lab days. So for lab, we watched two videos about ensuring infection control by washing hands and applying ppe and then of course we had to do it. The basics for right now. Tomorrow is another lab day, bedmaking and body mechanics. So I guess I should get back to reading a couple more chapters and stop playing around on allnurses. I am just so happy to have finally made it. I'm still in a state of shock. Somebody pinch me.
If you haven't bought your books yet: don't buy them all at the bookstore!!!!! Look up the ISBNs of the ones you'll need and then go to campusbooks.com and it will compare all the common sites for you and find the cheapest ones. I've found some crazy deals-- you can potentially save a few hundred dollars! (I'm still getting a lot of mine on campus, but you can save at least a few $$.)
Orientation on the 31st-- I'm so stoked!!! I've been waiting so long for this! :)
My orientation is next week and my classes don't start until September 10th, so I have a little more time to get myself together. I'm so excited and can't wait for orientation to meet my fellow nursing students! I got all my books from Amazon. I'm sure I saved a pretty penny!
I have nursing orientation tonight! I'm pretty excited. Still waiting on my books to get here though! I want to start reading through them and am getting impatient!
I have orientation on the 20th and 21st this month. I already have three competencies I have to do before classes start on the 31st of Aug. I found out that we have a dosage calc test the first week which we have to past with a 90%. I did really bad last semester in my pre req class so I have to study. We have three chances to past it within the first three weeks or we fail the course. Now I'm just waiting for the rest my books to come in to start studying. Plus I have seven books total to lug around this semster so I had to buy a rolling duffel bag. You just gotta love nursing school.
I had my orientation way back at the end of May and I start on August 24th. I've got all my books, except one, as school decided to go with a new edition at the last minute. It should come today, so no worries! I too saved a TON of money by buying all my books online. I probably saved half of what the school bookstore quoted for all the required texts by doing so.
I too have read ahead for Pharmacology, and will start doing some reading in Fundamentals this week.
I am so excited for us all!
On a practical note, I plan to have all laundry done right before school starts and a bunch of dinners made an frozen, so that I don't have to cook for the first week (I hate to cook anyway!). Anyone else have any other good time saving ideas?
Our first class is on the 24th and we already got our first two weeks worth of reading assignments. Chapters 6,7, and 8 of Harkreader's Fundamentals. I am going to start the reading on Monday (my son's first day back at day care). I was kind of surprised that our first 2 weeks only covered 3 chapters. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens but I have heard all these horror stories up until now about thousands of pages of reading assignments. I am so freakin' excited I can't stand it. I will definitely draft up a good post, probably after our first week. Monday is lecture, Tuesday is lab and Wednesday is clinical orientaion.
So I just finished orientation and picked up my books. It was actually kind of fun. All the classes started out together and we took turns applauding each other. As one progresses through the program, you get to move over in the auditorium. That's a nice thing to look forward to.
We got a highly detailed calendar on our lives until 12/7. Our syllabus is like a whole extra book.
The instructors were really encouraging, emphasizing that it was hard but doable and totally worth it. There was none of the scary stuff, like failure rates. Our program has a 100% pass rate for the NCLEX last year and for this year to date. So it was all happy stuff, not candy-coated but still confidence-boosting.
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
I went to our Learning Opportunity center today to do assessments on what study habits would best benefit me and would be the most efficient and so on. If your schools do this I would highly recommend it. I wasn't surprised about the second "type" I was but I was about the first and after she explained it, looking back it made a lot of sense and if I had known for my Pre Reqs I probably could have done much better in those classes and not have waisted so much time on study habits that weren't really working for me. It was free to do because our tuitition helps pay for it along with free tutoring and test help and so on.
Anyway, she said that the nursing students that have come to her and used this service has seen great improvements with grades and time management.
I have to say my first day went really well! It was orientation-like, with a healthy dose of intimidation thrown in there! LOL But they don't scare me :chuckle I'm just really excited....They changed the pharm. book at the last min. which was frustrating, but oh well! I've already pin-pointed some classmates that I'd like to buddy up with, soooo...all in all a good first week! Thank God:yeah::yeah:
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9livesRN, BSN, RN
1,570 Posts
Guys... I remember how excited I was when I started... Now I am becoming a senior!
you guys are just so happy and excited, and that it is great, keep up that enthusiasm because that is what will keep your sanity in nursing school!
it is tiresome, boring at times, painfull, messes with your head... but doable!!!
i am still excited and will say that i look forward to going to class everyday!
although I can't just bounce anymore LOL
all I need is some Starbucks IV stat!