Tips for first semester?

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Hey everyone! I just got accepted into nursing school, and hoping to get some tips on doing well the first semester...so give me all the advice ya got!!

Also, I'm considering (over the summer) getting my CNA, EMT, or Phlebotomy cert to work part time thru nursing school. Any opinions on which one would be best?

Thanks so much!

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

The first tip I always think students need is to know how they learn. It's a big change and a big reality check when transitioning from public/private education in high school and before to the adult education in college. Quantity of studying does not always equal quality studying. The best way to ensure that you get quality studying is to take a learning styles inventory and tailoring your studying to how you best learn.

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Specializes in CMSRN, hospice.

Get your CNA and work as a tech in a hospital! Great experience and possibly, though not always, an in for job interviews.

I agree with PP who said know how you learn best. For me, looooooots of diagrams, loooooots of YouTube videos. Today I took a class where we actually reviewed certain anatomy by making Play-Doh models. :roflmao: You may be more auditory, kinesthetic, whatever. Figure it out and use it to your advantage.

Also make at least one friend or study buddy. I liked to review lecture stuff by myself at first, but having a partner in our practice lab was crucial. Watching others, learning from their techniques, figuring out solutions together - you will do this all through your career, so start now.

Practice as much as you can in those labs, by the way. And be willing to take what you've practiced into class whenever possible.

No question is too dumb to ask, but always start by looking for the answer yourself it collaborating with peers. I found certain professors much more willing to talk when I could demonstrate that I'd made a good effort to figure it out on my own. Use their office hours! Don't be shy about asking for advice, especially from instructors you really connect with; they are there to help you succeed!

I'll see if I can find you the sheets I made up to study nursing care for various conditions. It was basically a chart I filled in with likely assessment findings/labs, nursing dx, likely treatments, important meds, and signs of effective treatment.

Good luck! Work hard at this; you are gonna be so proud of yourself! It is amazing what you will find yourself capable of by the end of this experience.

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Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care.

1. Rose's opening response is priceless. Do learn how you learn best.

2. If you are not normally an extremely organized person, start learning how to organize. Set up a planning system (paper, electronic, mixture of both, etc.) that will work for you.

3. Try to get a copy of each class's syllabus and/or reading list in advance of the class start date. When you get it (early or first class date), be sure to carefully review each page. Pay special attention to what must be done when, and plan for it. Do be careful in your review of #3 as sometimes there is only a few words or a sentence about ATI, drug cards / medication sheets, etc. that are often missed; don't miss them. Also take note of names and phone numbers; and set them up in your contact list.

4. Don't wait until the start of the clinical day (or the night before) to find out where you should be at what time et al. Make sure you know well in advance of where to go, what you are expected to wear, and what you need to have with you. Most nursing programs view on time as being 15 minutes early. BTW, don't get caught up in assuming there will be proper parking near the clinical site; find that out also in advance of where you should park.

5. Do you extreme best to never ever fall behind on your readings. Cuesta College :: Students :: SQ4R still works; but you'll need to adapt it to your text book and try to focus over time (it is very hard the 1st semester, but gets easier each semester) on what a nurse would need to know (sadly, text books have fluff).

6. Practice NCLEX style questions on a regular basis. Whether you do 10 a day or 50 on weekends, that's up to you. But get in the habit. Do try to find NCLEX questions related to the material you are studying. Davis Q&A success series is good as well as Lippincott Q&A for the NCLEX RN. Online, nurselabs.com has good ones.

7. As part of #2 above, make sure you plan practice time for your skills.

8. Get to know (whether friends or at least acquaintances) every nursing student you encounter. The upper classmates can be excellent resources for study tools et al.

9. On any exam or quiz for which you don't get a score you are happy with, promptly see your professor(s). Do not wait until x quizzes or exams go by to then start asking for help. Ask help FIRST from your professors.

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I start my first semester in a matter of days this Summer. I learning to become more organized and get ahead. I want to go into class knowing what will be discussed and have questions on what I'm u sure of. I'm figuring out my learning style and what will work best for me. Good luck to you.

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Thanks for the great advice, yall! This has been super helpful. Anyone have planner recommendations? I know that's going to play a big part in keeping me sane.

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I start classes in the fall. This thread is really helpful. :)

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futurenursenan said:
Thanks for the great advice, yall! This has been super helpful. Anyone have planner recommendations? I know that's going to play a big part in keeping me sane.

I was going to buy a Erin Condren planner but I decided against. I got the same style and type of planner from Target for 10 bucks. It's big like the size of a notebook and it is monthly and weekly and it will do me just fine. I didn't want to spend 40 dollars on a planner.

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Make sure you make time to study. My problem at the beginning was that I didn't make time to study. I would study two nights before. Also I had never been a CNA before, so a lot of basic stuff people knew I did not.

Be organized! When I finally got flcused, I was unorganized. And that only hurt me. I did a 15 month, LPN course, my first 3 actual nursing classes were me at my worst. I passed my tests just barely & anytime I opened my bookbag papers were flying out. As soon As I got organized I did GREAT. One of the top students in my class!

As stated above, study how you always studied. I graduated high school in 2013, so I'm fairly young. Actually the youngest in my class. But those first 3 months of nursing school were the hardest. I didn't quite know how to study. I had almost 5- 8 chapters to read a night. I tried high lighting and writing things down! Did not work for me at all. I spent the first 3 months of actual nursing schools trying to find how I was going to study. Whenever I barely passed a test, I tried a different way. But I knew how to all along. ALL through out high school, I studied making flash cards, month 4, I started making flash cards & I never barely passed a test after that.

be well rested! & let the people around you know that you are serious about being a nurse. I had a boyfriend who had me out all times of the night when I had class in the morning or homework. We are no longer together & weren't together after month 2. Also plz plz plz plz plz be open to making friends!!!! I didn't make any nursing friends until month 7, I stayed in my box! & im telling you there's no better way then being around people who encourage you and want the same thing!

good luck!!

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I know it has been quite sometime since this post was posted but how has nursing school been? I am going to apply to the Cuesta nursing program in the fall

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