WANTED: Nursing student tidbits of advice

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hey guys,

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

* a good stethoscope! don't buy those cheapy ones, personally I think they're terrible and the quality isn't good. Splurge on a good stethoscope and don't let it leave your side. I have a Littman Classic II S.E. that was $74.95 off http://www.reddingmedical.com (included S&H and tax) and I LOVE it because I can hear so well with it! And I like the color, too - ocean blue! The Littman Classic II S.E.'s seem to be very popular with other nursing students at my school. I also have a stethoscope ID tag with my name on it in case it gets lost, but I never let that thing leave my side.

* storage clipboard to keep all of your papers and stuff in...I got mine from Walmart for like $10...mine also has a calculator at the top which can be handy when it comes to doing dosage calculations (if you have it on you...lol)

* planner/calendar to keep you organized!!! you will have so many nursing assignments/lab practicals/test outs/quizzes/exams/projects/clinical prep things to do and having a planner/calendar will help you stay on top of things.

* clinical report sheets. your CI might provide one or you can make one yourself. Also black clicky pens/sharpies (don't have to worry about the caps) and a yellow highlighter. Orders that have been discontinued are usually highlighted in the chart (but I guess that also depends on the facility and whether or not you have bedside charts or computer charting).

* a little bottle of Purel/hand sanitizer that I like to keep in my pocket...oh and i always carry hand cream in my bag too because your hands will get ridiculously dry after washing/Purel'ing them so many times!

* a coffee maker and some good coffee with an insulated coffee cup

* HIGHLIGHTERS!!! I color code everything :)

* a good drug book. Make sure it's the most recent edition.

* hemostat (because you never know when you'll need a clamp!), bandage scissors (I have used these sooo much), alcohol wipes and tape. I keep all of these things in my pockets at clinical and I put the roll of tape on my hemostat and clamp it to the outside of my pants pocket.

* if your instructors allow you, recording lectures can really help.

* I would keep some spare ink cartridges and some spare packs of printer paper on hand. I have printed soooo many things since I have been in my program and it really sucks when your printer runs out of ink or you run out of paper late at night....

* ask questions. if you're not sure, ask! in the clinical setting, never do anything that you either have not done before or do not feel comfortable doing.

* study a little bit everyday. Don't cram the night before the test because chances are you're not going to know it when you actually take the test.

* pack your lunches/snacks the night before! it really saves on time. I also carry a water bottle with me which is cheaper than having to buy bottled water all of the time. I drink a lot of water (but I also drink caffeine especially on clinical days lol)

* remember to de-stress yourself! go to the gym or practice some yoga or something. chronic stress can have some bad effects on the body and nursing students are always under stress and usually never take the time to relax and de-stress themselves because it's so hard to find the time to. MAKE TIME.

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Specializes in Pediatric Intensive Care, Long Term care.

thanks curly and shrimpchips.....and everyone else who has responded

this thread has gotten hundreds of views!!!!!! Good to know people care enough to take time and share advice with us "newbies"!! Its really helping me mentally prepare for school and know exactly what to get. :rcgtku:

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thanks curly and shrimpchips.....and everyone else who has responded

this thread has gotten hundreds of views!!!!!! Good to know people care enough to take time and share advice with us "newbies"!! Its really helping me mentally prepare for school and know exactly what to get. :rcgtku:

I agree!! This thread has helped me a lot! Thanks again everyone!

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Specializes in Pediatric Intensive Care, Long Term care.

correction..this thread has gotten over 1,700 views!!!!!! :eek:

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Specializes in Interested in ER, Flight Nursing.

Thank you so much to everyone who has shared tips and ideas. I've been addicted to this site for a while now, but felt like such a poser because I wasn't even in a program yet...but I just got accepted this week!! I start in the fall and I'm SO excited!! :yeah: All of the advice shared on this thread has been so useful!!:wink2:

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Specializes in Pediatric Intensive Care, Long Term care.
Thank you so much to everyone who has shared tips and ideas. I've been addicted to this site for a while now, but felt like such a poser because I wasn't even in a program yet...but I just got accepted this week!! I start in the fall and I'm SO excited!! :yeah: All of the advice shared on this thread has been so useful!!:wink2:

:balloons::balloons:congrats on your acceptance!!!!!!!!!!! are u anxious like I am????

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Specializes in ER, ICU, Education.

I'm an instructor and the seniors and fellow posters here on AN have recommend the following for a new student:

4-color pens, a flash drive, lots of notecards, highlighters, and post-it flags for marking chapters, key points, etc. I personally used flash cards for each test, would put a rubber band around them and label them (ex- test 1- cardiovascular and respiratory), then at the end of the semester, it was easy to go back and study for finals. I also could make note of any concepts I missed on the cards after an exam. You can download lectures onto MP3 and listen to them in the car if your instructor lets you record. Folders with lots of tabs/dividers. One poster in a previous thread (why can't I find it now?) had a great suggestion- he or she removed the binding from books at Kinko's, and then would take the relevant sections to class and clinical vs lugging the whole book. For clinicals- a good all in one care plan book, or one specific to the area you are studying, retractable sharpie, black pen, and highlighter, a retractable name badge holder, hand sanitizer, and GOOD shoes.

Good shoes and a good stethoscope are well worth the investment. I always feel sorry for the students who buy the cheapest shoes possible then limp their way along after only an hour in the clinical setting. Don't be tempted. Buy something decent. I see a lot of people recommend Dansko clogs, Merrell, or new balance.

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Specializes in PACU, Case Management.

Gigantic, enormous, huge thanks to everyone who put their two cents in! I'm starting school in about 6 weeks, and as it gets closer, the more reassurance and advice I need to calm down!

This website has helped so much, and this thread as been great!

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ita about the good shoes. i also have some socks made for diabetics, extra thick, they don't rub the feet good support. even with great shoes, don't be surprized when at the end of the day your feet are killing you. the chairs around the desk and computers are for the nurses and docs 99% of the time. you don't sit down except at lunch. you must immediately give up chairs to the docs is our rule, don't wait for someone to tell you, if they have to tell you or ask you it's not a good thing.

if you want to sit down for a few minutes, find a patient who has to have sitter and let the sitter have a bathroom break. not only will the sitter appreciate it, but you will too.

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Specializes in Pediatric Intensive Care, Long Term care.
Gigantic, enormous, huge thanks to everyone who put their two cents in! I'm starting school in about 6 weeks, and as it gets closer, the more reassurance and advice I need to calm down!

This website has helped so much, and this thread as been great!

so glad this thread has helped you!! Congrats on starting NS

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I just graduated with my BSN this morning. I'm a traditional age college student, 23 yrs, no spouse or kids but an awesome and supportive family and boyfriend.

Find out what works for you. Yes, it takes some trial and error (and errors will happen along the way, and that's ok. We're all human.) A lot of my professors really emphasized the study groups and pretty much said that's what you needed to do well in the class. I'm very outgoing and social and find that i get very sidetracked in study groups so that never worked for me. Same with my best friends from school, we each just did our own thing and might quiz each other in the five or ten minutes before the exam.

A lot of profs also insisted on reading the chapters in each book. I tried that, in and some classes it was helpful, but more it was more helpful to review my notes from class.

My best study/nursing school tips were:

1) Break it up into small sessions. I would do 1-2 hours a day, MAX. I started on the very first day of class. By the end of school I was studying only Mon-Fri and taking weekends off for myself. Some of my classmates did the huge cram sessions the couple of days before the exams and that worked for them.

2) Be organized. Keep a notebook/binder for each subject. Helpful for in class notes/printed powerpoints/syllabuses, etc.

3) Use your class notes. The profs emphasize certain stuff for a reason! :)

4) Make yourself a priority took me till almost the very end of nursing school to start getting the importance of this! Go for a walk, hang with your family, read non-nursing books, watch your favorite show..whatever helps you be YOU and relax! SO important!

5) Have fun! Enjoy getting to know your fellow nurses! I've met some wonderful people (lots of aquaintances and two awesome close friends) and we are all looking forward to the new phase in our lives as nurses! My close buds and I are going on a "We're Done With Nursing School" trip next weekend and are hoping to make it a yearly tradition.

(Every nursing class has "groups" mine didn't have cliques per se but everyone knew which group the other 100 belonged to! lol for the most part the groups were very nice and accomodating to one another. I tended to float between groups more than a lot when it came to lunches between class, chatting before class, etc.)

I'm happy to answer PM's from nursing students!

Best wishes to all of you. Nursing school is the most awesome, challenging, growing experience you will have!

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Thanks so much for all the advice!:yeah: I realize I am just a pre-nursing student, but I am always thinking ahead. With going back to school at age 38 & having 3 kids ages 15-21, I have to stay on top of things. Between keeping my schedule straight & all important dates & events for my daughter's college; I'm always busy:bugeyes:

I am already so glad I found this site. It's nice to talk to like- minded people who have similar goals as mine.

Keep it up, I', sure I'm not the only one who's been helped & put at ease. Thank you one & all:cheers:

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