Things You Know Now (And Wish You'd Known Then!)

[x_factor]

This is for every student and past student, from pre-nursing to those who have graduated. What are things that you learned along the way, even if your just now getting done with your first semester? What are things you know now that you wish you'd known when you started?

I'm was a pre-nursing student, and I'm now going into my first semester as a full-fledged nursing student in just a few weeks. Things I've learned so far, that I wish I'd known in the beginning:

Ink-pens have legs! And they're fast little boogers too. The minute you turn your back, they're gone. And there's typically not one to be found, especially on the day of a test. As soon as the teacher hands you the test and says, "you may begin..." you go to grab your pen and poof, it's gone. What luck.

The Financial Aid nightmare. Every student goes thru it, even the seniors. If you are receiving financial aid, DO NOT WAIT until the week of the starting semester to go visit financial aid after filling out your FAFSA. Over 200 students were crammed into the waiting room, it was a 7 HOUR WAIT. As soon as you fill out your FAFSA for the upcoming semesters, go visit the financial aid office! Doing it months ahead of time beats doing it days ahead of time. For the 2012-2013 semester, I'm going to visit the financial aid office in just a couple months, as soon as I get my W-2 and do my taxes. It'll be much easier.

Save yourself! Get a rolling backpack. I spent months lugging an insanely heavy backpack up and down stairs, going from class to class. I was stubborn because I had invested a good bit of money in such a nice new backpack, and I didn't want to invest in another one in the same semester. BUT, for this upcoming semester, I bought a new backpack... ON WHEELS. O-M-G. It's heaven. I'll never go back to a backpack without wheels. :heartbeat

I also learned a lot about people. I learned that they can be liars, gossipers, haters, biggots, and just plain full of hatred... but they'll smile to your face. I learned to do my best to weed out the good from the bad, to not include myself in the gossip, and to separate myself from the negative. Trust me, the drama is not worth it. Focus on your studies, surround yourself with positive people, and move on.

So, what have you learned so far?

[NurseToBe3]

I over estimated my ability to manage time. Just because I was able to work 4-5 days a week, manage my husband and three kids and keep good grade while doing my pre-recs does NOT mean I can do it in nursing school. I learned that even cutting back to two days a week is not always good enough. I've gotten VERY good at functioning on little to no sleep and learned that my cohort in my new family. I spend all day, every day with them and when we aren't together we are texting. They are the only ones who know what you're going through and the more you network, the better you will do in school. If you don't understand something or just want to bounce ideas off someone, they are the ones you go to. Also, find a good place to buy ink and paper because you will go through a TON. And I have always been good with technology, but I have never had it so incoorperated into every aspect of my education. My phone is my new best friend. It has my drug guide along with a ton of other clinical references. Sorry this is long! Good luck!

[ranidays]

Some of these may have already been stated, but this is my list :)

1. As many people on here have already said, nursing school is EXPENSIVE. Let's just say when I first started nursing school (now in my last semester!), I was flabbergasted at the amount of money I had to spend on textbooks, some of which I actually never ended up using. I found that most of my professors actually made excellent powerpoints and lecture notes, and that I studied better from most of my notes than from the book. That being said, you will likely have professors that don't give notes that are up to standards from studying. Learn your studying style and how you can access your information!

2. Be prepared for classes and clinical. I am not an organized person whatsoever. At the beginning of the semester, I always sit down with my syllabi and write down the dates for every test, project, clinical, etc in my planner. In so many words, a planner will be your lifesaver, so USE IT!

3. Get to know your professors and clinical instructors. I had a professor starting in my second semester in nursing school that everyone was absolutely terrified of. Additionally, she was my advisor, so I was doubly afraid of her since I would have to meet with her regarding my schedule during the semester. Instead of continuing to be terrified of her for that semester and semesters to follow, I would visit during office hours with questions from lecture and lab, along with just chit-chatting about other things. Getting to know your professors beyond just classes and labs makes your life so much easier; they become less intimidating!

4. SLEEP. I will always stand by my guns when I say that sleeping a decent amount the night before a test rather than doing a last-minute cram and getting no sleep is the best way to go. I don't know if everyone will agree with this philosophy, but I have yet to pull an all-nighter studying for a test because I know there is no way I would be able to take that test the next day without bursting into tears from the stress and lack of sleep. I know, based on my study skills, that if I don't get a good night's rest the night before a test, I will not do well. Again, this non-existent thing in nursing school called "sleep" may not always be a reality, but try to make it work if you can.

5. The best advice I can give: TAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF. Again, this is another thing that is laughable when one thinks of nursing school, but even just taking an hour or two for yourself does wonders. Take a nap, take a walk, take a bath, watch TV, ANYTHING that isn't studying, is a lifesaver. I personally like to read for fun (reading for fun...... hahahahaha), but whatever you choose works too.

Welcome to nursing school! Hope everyone has a great semester! :heartbeat

[cjoy55]

I am in ns1 and was scared to death by what I was told... It has been overwhelming so far but I like to hear comments like this! I think it is all doable with good time management.

[RN_Male_2013]

I have just started my first week in my nursing courses and WOW! is all I can say. When I was leaving the first day of class my advisor came up to me and asked me how it was going. I know I had a blank stare/look on my face like I was just hit by a truck, but her words to me were "You can do this. It just takes time." I have read all the comments and its nice to hear from other nurses that have a wife/husband and kids and are doing just fine in their studies and clinicals, so I know it can be done. I feel once I get into my groove it will be okay, just need to find the groove though.

[newstudentrn]

I wish I had managed to relax a little more and enjoy the company of my classmates a little more. Don't get me wrong, a lot of us that graduated in December are still keeping in very close contact and have become life long friends. I mean, I wish we would have made more opportunities to be together and enjoy our time. It really went be so fast, and now we are all going our own separate ways. I also wish I didn't have the delusion that when I graduated I would be able to just pick the job I wanted with no competition or trouble getting it. I have a job, but I thought I could pick ICU and immediately get it. Not so.

[Iridescent Orchid, CNA, LPN]

[color=#2f4f4f]i wish i would have known that i didn't have to beat myself up so much for my a&p struggles. i made an 88 and was so upset that i let myself slack towards the end of the semester. i still got into the program. i wish i would have spent more time during the christmas break being happy with family and my boyfriend, enjoying the break to my fullest, instead of being stressed waiting on a call from the school for the lpn program selection. i also wish i would have saved a bit more money, instead of buying supplemental learning materials for a&p when i didn't even touch over half of them. i also wish i would have known how beneficial starting n-clex questions were. i've started them now that i am in the program, but i could have really benefited from starting them as early as two semesters ago for practice and insight on the way the exams will be set up in the program and would have felt more prepared starting out.

[AZMOMO2]

I always advise pre-nursing students to buy a NCLEX review book and start answering questions the day you get your letter of admission, if not before that!

[Dlam88]

What path did you take into nursing? Accelerated BSN or two yr program? Which one is better?

[Dlam88]

What is the best NCLEX book to buy? Don't you need to take classes in order to start studying for the NCLEX?