Things you wish you would have known!

bluesky, BSN, RN · Oct 18, 2004

Looking back on it, there are two things I wish I would have known or at least better realized. One is, don't get all bent out of shape about x, y, or z you don't like about your nursing program. It's just 2 years. It'll be done in a jiffy.

Secondly, I wish I would have actually listened and learned the material in MED-SURG. I managed to fly by with a B but I didn't really learn any of it. I had to play major catchup ball when studying for the NCLEX which was stressful.

That's it, really.

Antikigirl, ASN, RN · Oct 18, 2004

the one thing that i found to be most important while in nursing school is time alone. time alone to study, time alone for homework, time alone to not be a mom, wife or student. your "down" time is very important. make sure to get a lot of rest...and don't stress over the things you don't know. everything will come to you in time...but the best gift you can give yourself is taking care of you. nursing school is very trying...and sometimes, you may feel yourself wanting to give up and walk away. when that happens, put down the books...go out for a run, a shop at the mall, a bubblebath, a cup of quality coffee at a cafe. call an old friend or see a movie.
then, when you are feeling better...back to the books.

oh yes..very important..but, if you are a mom, wife and what not...do they get automatically excused from the love and emotional support they really need? there is no such place! be real and realisitic!

if you have a family that will not accept this well...don't go for it. if they don't and you think it is the if and or but...then separate yourself from them. sorry..but you and your needs have been linked with others in a very significant way...to all the sudden change that...and they react less than favorable...go figure!

i still say...as much as it hurts...nurses should be single people...

never think your job as a mother, wife...is less important than treating a bunch of strangers..if you feel this way..you aren't giving...you are only giving from you with no regard to who you are!

but many chose this path..watched it many times..i was one....i feel that each person has to make their own choices, because it is what they need...but i also answer..."give up those that really matter..by the time you are done..you are truely on your own!!!!!!!!!"

don't use nursing as an excuse to get away! you will be very disappointed!!!!!!!!

bluesky, BSN, RN · Oct 18, 2004

OH yes..very important..but, if you are a mom, wife and what not...do they get automatically excused from the love and emotional support they really need? There is no such place! Be real and realisitic!
If you have a family that will not accept this well...don't go for it. If they don't and you think it is the if and or but...then separate yourself from them. Sorry..but you and your needs have been linked with others in a very significant way...to all the sudden change that...and they react less than favorable...go figure!
I still say...as much as it hurts...nurses should be single people...
Never think your job as a mother, wife...is less important than treating a bunch of strangers..if you feel this way..you aren't giving...you are only giving FROM you with no regard to who you are!
But many chose this path..watched it many times..I was one....I feel that each person has to make their own choices, because it is what they need...but I also answer..."give up those that REALLY matter..by the time you are done..you are truely on your own!!!!!!!!!"
Don't use nursing as an excuse to get away! You will be very disappointed!!!!!!!!

I dunno. I never had to study too much in nursing school. I don't think it's all that necessary if you develop a conceptual understanding of the material and determine which material is worth memorizing and which isn't. I never spent more than 3 hours studying for a single test. Others in my program labored and labored and spent months with their noses stuck in their books. I still graduated with honors and passed the NCLEX the first time with 75 questions AND spent plenty of quality time with my two year old (at the time).

I think it is much harder to have kids when you are starting a new job because most hospitals require rotating shifts which is a killer if you have a husband who works nights and no other childcare support.

Farkinott, RN · Oct 18, 2004

When you are checking the cuff pressure on a trachy and it is down..................only give a tiny puff of air into the manometer! The first time I did it I gave the ball a good squeeze like bp cuff and the poor woman nearly ended up on the roof! I was mortified but it would never happen again!

Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN · Oct 18, 2004

... I learned so much about myself in 6 months of nursing school than I ever knew exisited! I learned how I learned, found out what I do and don't like, and found how I can best work in anything that was thrown at me...in essence...me and all me! They say you work with patients...but first..you work on you!...

Hey, Triage. Like your avatar and your thinking.

Thanks for sharing.

Jo Dirt · Oct 18, 2004

OH yes..very important..but, if you are a mom, wife and what not...do they get automatically excused from the love and emotional support they really need? There is no such place! Be real and realisitic!
If you have a family that will not accept this well...don't go for it. If they don't and you think it is the if and or but...then separate yourself from them. Sorry..but you and your needs have been linked with others in a very significant way...to all the sudden change that...and they react less than favorable...go figure!
I still say...as much as it hurts...nurses should be single people...

Ideally, yes. But we must face reality, few people enjoy this status. So the rest of us encumbered with a husband and children must learn to make due.

It is true, however, that if you are married/coupled and you do not have support from your family you will either not make it through or you will abandon your family to do it. I have three children and a disabled husband but luckily they are very supportive of my finishing school (husband realizes who will be bringing home the money).

But even if you have a supportive family there are still mother/wife duties they will likely not let you forget. They will still get hungry, still need their clothes washed, etc.. I've wanted to pull my hair out at times and it was especially hard in the beginning learning how to manage everything. I was so exhausted I was making myself sick. One day I just threw up my hands and said to heck with this(actually used a few more %$#& words), I'm not going to kill myself anymore, if I crash and burn I crash and burn. And guess what? Things started falling into place! It still isn't easy by any stretch of the imagination, but I at least no longer feel defeated.

It can't be stressed enough how important it is to find alone time, though. There will be days you simply do not feel like you have a minute to spare, but as Mickey Mouse and corny as it may sound, the truth is you have to make the time, even if it means all you get is a 10 minute soak in a hot bath *alone*. This has done wonders for me, believe it or not, and it may sound pathetic but in the middle of a hectic Calgon take me away day, I will find comfort in knowing I'm going to get that bath TO MYSELF tonight!

Seriously, if you are a mother and/or wife, see to it you take good care of yourself.

leslie :-D · Oct 18, 2004

in nsg school i would have preferred being taught patience before actually taking care of patients.

and ethics. wish i had been far more prepared in the siutations a nurse encounters and how to judiciously handle each sitatuation.

leslie

JoniL&DRN · Oct 18, 2004

Go for it...just be real! It isn't the title, it isn't the money..it is what YOU give! And that can be a harder realization than most expect :). I learned so much about myself in 6 months of nursing school than I ever knew exisited! I learned how I learned, found out what I do and don't like, and found how I can best work in anything that was thrown at me...in essence...me and all me! They say you work with patients...but first..you work on you!!!!!

I love this aspect of nursing as a profession.. the self examination, especially for someone who has a lot of self to examine ;o). Just being in school I am learning things about myself EVERY DAY, and I'm 30, imagine what I could have learned if I had started at 20!

Haunted · Oct 19, 2004

Practice starting IV's on your school buddies. Keep cheat sheets in your pockets (lab values, parameters etc) always read the H and P in the chart of your patient and focus on their primary diagnosis. Always let your nurse on the unit know what you are doing (meds, charting, dressing change) as well as letting him/her know when you will be taking lunch, a break or leaving for the day. Be assertive! Ask if you can OBSERVE every procedure you can as often as you can, that way when the time comes for you to do it, you will have a general idea of what you are doing. It's BOOT CAMP BABY!!!