Top 10 tips for nursing school

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I start nursing school on August 20th and was wondering what are the top 10 tips you would give to a new student to survive nursing school?

great ideas! thanks :)

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I know a lot of people say to watch your caffeine intake but I wouldn't get through clinicals without tons of coffee. 11 hr shifts that start with you waking up at 0445 require lots of energy. Haha!

Good luck!!!

I love what you said about caffeine...there is no way I will be able to get through school without caffeine....especially having clinicals at 6:45 am! haha

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These are amazing tips ... Thank you for sharing them.

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Another tip that was not mentioned is to find out what learning style you are.

There are a few different ones and knowing which one you are can really help for your benefit. If you are visual then reading the books will have more of a benefit, but if you are auditory then try recording lectures or recording yourself reading aloud and play these back.

There are many different assessments that can be found through google that will tell you which one you are... here is one that I found

What's Your Learning Style?

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Wow, these are all great tips! Thanks everyone!!

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I would buy a copy of Saunders: A Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX Exam. It is a really great study tool for not only NCLEX but also nursing exams. It breaks up content into sections and has review materials and questions. It also comes with a CD with about 4000 questions. I used this to study for nursing exams and NCLEX

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Treat every experience like it is a job interview.

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- Your classmates are not your competition anymore, they are your allies. I couldnt have gotten through nursing school without some of the friends I made there.

- Your free time will dramatically decrease but still find something outside of nursing school you enjoy doing and dont give it up. If being a nursing student becomes your entire identity it'll be very difficult to de-stress.

- Get a planner/calendar and write down every assignment/project as soon as you know about it. Nursing is hugely about time management, and this is your first true test of your skills! Plan ahead so you can do some work every day and not be left with an overwhelming load by procrastinating.

- Others have said to read, read, read, use flash cards, and lots of notes, but I'm actually going to go against the crowd on that one. I'd say do what works for you. I personally very rarely read, I only used the books to read if there was a concept I didnt understand in class. Of course I did take notes, but instead of focusing on writing down every little thing the teacher said I just paid attention during lecture to let things absorb. I found that a lot of times when I was focusing on writing notes I wouldnt really process what the teacher was saying.

- NEVER BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS. I cant stress this enough. I was shy/scared to ask questions so I do understand being nervous, however in class/clinical is the place to learn it. You'll be much more nervous if you wait until you're an RN and its your license on the line. Plus, I guarantee you no matter how stupid you think the question is someone else is wondering the same thing.

Lastly, good luck! Nursing school can be stressful, scary, difficult, demanding, and make you cry, BUT you'll also make the best friends, learn a ton, make memories, and sometimes even love it ;)

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Specializes in Neuroscience.

1. IGNORE WHAT EVERYONE ELSE IS SAYING, AND EXPERIENCE IT FOR YOURSELF. Cannot stress this enough. If I had to do it over, I would buy muzzles for a lot of my classmates. Good god.

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If you're a wife and mother, let the house go!!!! Its ok to be messy. Also, take study breaks to refresh and relax the mind. Exercise to burn stress. Admit you know nothing, even if you do, and start at the bottom (learned that one the hard way ;)). Note cards and most importantly use the workbook offered. I have found I have read the chapter and felt I knew it but when I did the workbook questions I found that I didnt. Its a good way to learn how to answer questions. Oh, buy a NCLEX study guide. That also teaches you how to break down the questions and answer them.

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1. Don't stress out too much, it's nursing not brain surgery

2. Study, but don't kill yourself. The questions don't only test your grasp of the material but also your reasoning ability and how much you can think like the test writer. There is usually more than one correct answer, pick the one your professor would think is the best

3. Always start at the patient. OUr aim is to provide patient centered care, not just focus on the medical management of their illness.

I know that's only 3, but my other 7 have already been listed numerous times.

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*7. Do not show that you are nervous by any means. Clinical instructors feed off your fears and will make your life miserable. You need to play the part.

I learned this one too late. Try your best not to show any "weakness" , all too many instructors will use it against you.

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