I start this fall in my nursing program and Im extremely anxious!!! Im looking for any advice that will help me in school. Whats the thing you can NOT live w/o during nursing school? What was the best study method for you? Index cards, recorders, palm pilots? What should I take to clinicals? I know you all were anxious when u started!!!
thanks guys
p.s. ....im hoping this will end up being a HUGE thread that other anxious students can read
Only 1 more day after today until my orientation! I'm so ready to get back in there, I have been waiting a whole year to finish 2nd year! I also got a great job as an SNA on a cardiopulmonary unit where I can make my own schedule and they work 3 shifts so it's totally flexible with school! I will get to see all kinds of things on that floor because they are kinda a dump floor, so they get med/surg patients sometimes too. It is also a stepdown unit from ICU so there are some who are still trached. I am just so freakin' excited!!!
Specializes in Pediatric Intensive Care, Long Term care.
geeeshhhhh!!!! This first week has my head spinning. sooo much material. soooo little time!!!! My instructors are all great and seem very supportive so that helps. im trying to decide how I want to study despite all of the various suggestions ive recieved because when it all comes down to it studying the same way for every class no longer works (ive learned that quickly). Im also tryig to balance studying current material with studying for future material. All of our prelecture quizzes are over the next weeks material!!!! So this forces us to study in advance! Its super stressful. for what it worth, this first week was an amazing adventure in that my mind has reawakened to learning and critical thinking. So I know all of the frustration is well worth it. My fundamentals teacher keeps reinforcing that C=RN but i dont want Cs......not that there is anything wrong with them whatsoever. Im shooting for at least Bs and she kinda makes us feel like that is just wishful thinking. Probably because she failed 21 people in her class last semester (geesh!)! Anywho im tired and still hopped on caffiene...time to collapse!!!! Dreams of nursing assessments, restraints, and caffeine will run thru my head im sure!!!
ttyl my allnurses buddies! Hope everyone is making it thru the first week with at least a shred of hope, sanity, and entusiam!
My school snail mailed us a letter that told us that we need to read a few chapters before classes start on 8 Sep. So I got started a little early.
I'm also starting a new Nursing assistant job next week. The great thing is that I get to choose when I want to work:up: and I know if I work during the week then I'll be working Eve shifts x2 a week (3:45pm-12:15pm:yawn: at this time if the floor is quiet later in the eve then I might get some studying in ).
I look at it this way, I will have 5 days a week to do all my school work:specs: and the benefit of working at this job is that it will help me get some extra money (I just left my full-time job) and I will gain some valuable experience.
Does anyone have any advice about working and how set priorities with school work?
I had a CI who had us write a full narrative-style nurses note every day during clinical and hand it in...kind of a hassle at first but I found it ended up being an invaluable learning tool, because it helps ingrain everything you need to do during assessment into your head and teaches you how to document. I do that every day now even though my other CI's don't have the same policy-just for practice and it helps a LOT when you are doing a case study on your patient to have everything documented and in chronological order.
geeeshhhhh!!!! This first week has my head spinning. sooo much material. soooo little time!!!! My instructors are all great and seem very supportive so that helps. im trying to decide how I want to study despite all of the various suggestions ive recieved because when it all comes down to it studying the same way for every class no longer works (ive learned that quickly). Im also tryig to balance studying current material with studying for future material. All of our prelecture quizzes are over the next weeks material!!!! So this forces us to study in advance! Its super stressful. for what it worth, this first week was an amazing adventure in that my mind has reawakened to learning and critical thinking. So I know all of the frustration is well worth it. My fundamentals teacher keeps reinforcing that C=RN but i dont want Cs......not that there is anything wrong with them whatsoever. Im shooting for at least Bs and she kinda makes us feel like that is just wishful thinking. Probably because she failed 21 people in her class last semester (geesh!)! Anywho im tired and still hopped on caffiene...time to collapse!!!! Dreams of nursing assessments, restraints, and caffeine will run thru my head im sure!!!
ttyl my allnurses buddies! Hope everyone is making it thru the first week with at least a shred of hope, sanity, and entusiam!
before nursing school, i was a 4.0 student...in nursing school a c=continue &=RN...its sad but the thrill of getting a c means that you have passed...a most horrible thought...good luck, glad to have you with us!!!!& wonderful that you enjoyed your first week!!!!
We did see once in a while an A in our courses, but it was a rare occassion and when we did we used to go celebrate in Barnes and Noble lol...with a cup of good coffee and right afteward we went back to studying for the next test. Good luck with trying to work ahead. In the first year, we started out that way,but eventually it truly came down to too just survive. We ended up studying for a test at a time. The load appeared impossible to manage, but most of us found our stride and then over time the feeling of being behind...became normal! Nursingschool= you never catch up with all the material. lol.
Yes. We had our first random test on Friday. We were told if we don't take the test on that day, it's considered a refusal and we're out. I'm thinking--who would work so hard to get in here and screw it up with something as stupid as a drug test?????
Specializes in Pediatric Intensive Care, Long Term care.
all i can say right now is THANK GOD WE HAVE MONDAY OFF (for the holiday)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have my first fundamentals exam this week and I have so much to study for it!!! Geesh...nursing school is no joke. Time managment is the biggest issue!! Sleep deprivation is the second!!! Geesh...i went out last nite and had a couple well needed drinks!
My first week started out really weird! 2 days of class and after the first afternoon I started passing a kidney stone! I went to the ER and got pain meds so I went to class the next day and thought I would be fine. I got home and the pain was more than the meds could control, so back to the ER! It turned out to be 8cm and stuck in the ureter just above my bladder trapped behind my Iliac artery and not going anywhere on it's own! Several frantic calls to teachers later I have rescheduled my "can't move on til you take it and pass it" math test for Wednesday morning and Friday (while everyone else is taking said math test) I was having surgery! So week 2 of school is starting out better to say the least! I'm just glad Monday is a holiday so I can catch up on the reading and math studying I haven't been able to do since I spent all weekend sleeping from anesthia and pain meds, lol! I'm just glad it's gone and this happened before clinicals started or my new job for that matter! Onward!!!
:yeah:
). 
beth66335, BSN, RN
890 Posts
Only 1 more day after today until my orientation! I'm so ready to get back in there, I have been waiting a whole year to finish 2nd year! I also got a great job as an SNA on a cardiopulmonary unit where I can make my own schedule and they work 3 shifts so it's totally flexible with school! I will get to see all kinds of things on that floor because they are kinda a dump floor, so they get med/surg patients sometimes too. It is also a stepdown unit from ICU so there are some who are still trached. I am just so freakin' excited!!!
