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
TVCCRN2009, great post. OP - read that post, and read it again.
Having said that, here are my two cents:
stay flexible and don't overextend your time. Nursing schools are notorious for feeling entitled to 'own' you; accordingly, they change and reschedule at whim. You'll likely have no say in the matter, and no, it's not fair. We all have gone through it and got through it. You will, too.
akin to the above: studying for exams begins on the first day of class. Don't wait until the end of the chapter(s) to review; don't try to memorize and cram. Skim the chapters before class, perhaps note some keywords and concepts in the way you best absorb, and reread same after lecture. Review and refine those key concepts, from your notes and lecture notes, as the semester passes. Come test time, you won't be overwhelmed.
Keep all of your notes and lecture-related worksheets, handouts, etc together in a binder.
Don't go crazy with gadgets, books, study guides and nurse-related items before you're even in school. Really. Buy the required and recommended textbooks, yes. Look into a PDA if you're the type but know that not everyone will find one useful; I'm very tech savvy but actually found that using my Blackberry wasn't helpful for me personally.
Whether you buy a planner or a PDA, write down ALL dates and times. You'll need to stay on top of everything - workshops, tests, reviews, clinicals, skill lab demonstrations - and having it on hand will be essential as things can change quickly.
For clinicals, I'd like to second, third and fourth packing a go-to kit for yourself. Tuck some money into the pocket, (for the day you misplace your wallet), tylenol, sugared candy, mints, a few hairbands (if applicable) and a travel-size gel (you'll have those frazzled days, too). A hardy snack that won't spoil, (granola bar, beef jerky, mixed nuts, etc), is also good idea. Pocket-sized notebooks have been indispensable for me, (just be sure to never write specific individual patient information in them!).
For books: I always brought a drug guide and Taber's to clinicals. I purchased a pocket-sized RNotes to carry, just for quick reference, and packed it in my clinical bag with the other two. That being said, you can make friends in your group and split up who brings what, so no one person is lugging the books themselves.
As mentioned above: make at least one good friend, if possible. Having someone to compare notes with and jaw to is priceless, but much more so when they are going through what you are and understand.
At the hospital: be friendly with the techs. We probably have a lot we can show you and help you learn quickly, particularly when you are just getting comfortable with patient care.
Students are guests at clinical sites; introducing yourself, offering your help to your nurse and taking the day in stride, (remember: breathe!), should be common sense but folks would be surprised how often it's obviously not. As clinicals progressed and we attained skills, I would write a card with my name, my CI's name, the skills I was able to perform, and my patient assignment and give it to my nurse so she could better plan out our shared activities for the night. It also cut down on some of the frustration we experienced when nurses would expect us to do or have done certain things, only to find out that we were not yet allowed.
If you don't know, ASK! *laughs. I asked plenty and was glad I did.
Getting a little familiar with the hospital can make things a lot easier. Take little notes about the codes for the doors, locations of items, and what the different floors contain.
Know that everyone screws up sometime. Be more careful next time.
Speaking of careful, always check your patient's ID band and double, triple, hell - quadruple - check your medications before giving them. Can't tell you how much time I spent making sure everything was right, and so glad I did. Doesn't take nearly that long now but some caution never hurts anyone!
Have some fun. Nursing school doesn't last too long, (though it will feel like it), and you need to maintain an outlet throughout to vent some of the excess intensity.
Specializes in Pediatric Intensive Care, Long Term care.
:balloons:congrats, maleman on getting accepted to NS (and every other nursing student reading this)...be sure to let me know how your first week goes, if u have time :chuckle
RELAX. Students who stress themselves out do worse in the long run than those who can step back and look at the big picture. Our program director tells us that whenever times get hard we should just pause, breathe, and think "there are thousands of nurses who have come before me and thousands who will come after me. I can do this!"
I just finished my first year in an ADN program. While I'm certainly not an expert (I still have a year to go)! I do have some tips I have picked up along the way...
1) Study EVERY day. Read a few pages for your next lecture, or from your previous lecture, or listen to your recorded lecture, or flip through flashcards, or even do a little bit of everything! But I found out the hard way that daily review was what I just had to make time to do. Get up an hour earlier if necessary. :)
2) Record lectures. Buy a little recorder from Walmart and record if possible. And listen to them several times. You can do this in the car instead of listening to the radio, or anywhere. I never was an *auditory* learner...but this started really helping me, especially around the time of cumulative finals.
3) Find a study partner. It might be trial and error to discover that some people just really don't help you study, but rather detract from your learning. If you are not getting anything out of "study sessions", study on your own. If you feel like you spent three hours "studying" with others and you don't feel like you learned anything-its time to figure something different out. You don't have time to waste "studying" and not learning anything. One hour of real studying is worth more than three hours of partial studying. Mean business if you get together with someone to study-this is not the time to be discussing so and so's relationship problems! I study best with one specific person. It took me a while to find this out...work on finding out what works best for you.
4)Start out on the right foot by reading ahead for your lectures. At least skim over the required reading. I think that it helps.
5)Find a way to relax. Go for a walk-take a couple hour break on Sunday to gear up for the next week!-listen to relaxing music-clean your house.
6)Clean out your car every couple of weeks. It will help clear your mind.
7) Drink water and pack lunches the night before. Fast food and caffinated drinks get old really, really fast. And it doesn't help the waistline, either.
8) Relax. Cry if you fail-laugh if you pass. There is no shame in crying into your dashboard on the way home...or laughing either. No one is perfect...and every mistake made is just another learning experience. If you make a mistake or do something wrong-store it in your memory bank and just don't let it happen again!
9) Remember at clinical: No matter what kind of a bad day you are having, your client is probably having a worse one. You get to leave at 3 and eat dinner with your family. They have to stay in a strange hospital, with strange food, and strange people, and they feel awful. How would you feel if you were laying in the bed?
10) Ask, ask questions. No question is dumb.
11)Be thankful every day for the amazing opportunity of being in a nursing program. Be proud of the profession and be proud of yourself. If you want this badly enough, you can do it!!
A million thanks to SarahLeeNurse2B, tvccrn2009 and OSouthern for the wealth of advice!
I am a new NS, about 3 weeks into an ADN program. So far, I have realized that the key is being organized and using effective time management strategies. I use a Covey Planner to keep track of all my personal, school and work related commitments. I find that using one master calendar keeps everything in perspective and allows me to focus on all three areas without overlooking anything (I hope ). Having everything planned out and at a glance definitely reduces my stress level.
I also find that organizing everything the night before (kid's homework, uniform, lunch, snack, books, etc.) helps me to feel prepared and less rushed in the morning.
Keep the advice coming all you fellow and former NS students!!:1luvu:
The number one peice of advice that I can give you is stay ORGANIZED! There are going to be so many things going on in your life during your program that you don't want to get behind and allow yourself to get unorganized. Your free time is going to be extremely limited and the last thing you are going to want is to be hassled with is disorganization in all aspects of your life. Make sure your binders are organized, your notes are organized and you have a system in place that allows you to find things quickly when you need too. I make sure that I get everything ready Sunday nights for the whole week, so I am not stressed out during the week trying to get caught up. I make sure my meals are cooked, my laundry is done, I have gas in my car and all my books and binders are ready to go. This preparation does take time but it really saves me time in the long run.
As far as studying flashcards have been a huge lifesaver for me. They are super portable and really help you with quizzing yourself.
I really hope this helps. Organizing your life at school will really help you with all other aspects of your life. So wierd how that is!
Congratulations on getting into your program and good luck!
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amarilla, RN
318 Posts
TVCCRN2009, great post. OP - read that post, and read it again.
Having said that, here are my two cents:
Good luck all,
Southern