well.........

I look at the regular threads in the first year forum, and to me everything seems like a foreign language!:uhoh21: I'm starting to get really nervous that I wont be able to hack it. Our nursing program just increased the passing rate of the program. You now have to have an 80% to pass.... I'm really scared.

You need to study - if you don't have good study habits - you must now get them (I developed very good study habits for nursing school and I already had a bachelors degree in business)

You have to devote your life to learning the important basics of your profession.

the 80% passing rate is ok - you don't want any less because you want to be able to pass your nursing boards.

It's tough but doable and no one can take your knowledge and acomplishment away from you - and you'll always be able to get a job!

good luck, hang in there!

You need to study - if you don't have good study habits - you must now get them (I developed very good study habits for nursing school and I already had a bachelors degree in business)

You have to devote your life to learning the important basics of your profession.

the 80% passing rate is ok - you don't want any less because you want to be able to pass your nursing boards.

It's tough but doable and no one can take your knowledge and acomplishment away from you - and you'll always be able to get a job!

good luck, hang in there!

I do consider myself to have good study habits, but i always like help. If you have any suggestions of what helped you please let me know!

Take your time, take a breath, and use this forum for specific questions. Unfortunately its hard to give general information about what helped. Also, vent here, we'll listen, and give cyber hugs :)

Take your time, take a breath, and use this forum for specific questions. Unfortunately its hard to give general information about what helped. Also, vent here, we'll listen, and give cyber hugs :)

I'm sure I will need some cyber hugs! Thanks!

I've only been a nursing student for 3 weeks, although there are days when it feels closer to 3 months or years! The things I have found help me are:

Having all my assessment dates written out on a calendar, where I can put a tick or sticker next to them when they are completed, so there is a visual note of my achievements.

Reading a chapter of one of my texts each night as I am going to bed - that way I keep up with the readings (the bath is also a good place for reading!).

Having nice books, pens, folders and stationery - I know this one seems kind of silly, but I find that it makes me more likely to look through my notes, feel organised and proud of my work.

A good dictionary. I'm constantly looking things up in my Medical/Nursing dictionary. I spent a bit more money to get a really nice one because I appreciate having nice books. I'm actually considering getting a second one that I can leave in my bag because I find myself looking up any term I'm not sure of.

And the most useful thing I have found so far - having a weekly debrief with my peers. I've been spending about an hour each friday sitting around with my fellow nursing students, drinking a coffee and chatting/venting/discussing what's been happening over the previous week. We complain about being tired, share resources that we've found useful for classes, laugh about the stupid things we did in the tutorials or clinical labs and offer encouragement and help.

And of course there's always AN and cyber *hugs*

Study groups helped me a lot. Flash cards on 3X5 index cards that I carried with me 24/7. Re writing my notes from each class. I worked full time during my first year of nursing, took a year off due to c-section birth in august then worked as a paramedic one 24 hour shift every weekend during my second year of school. I passed my boards first time.

I've only been a nursing student for 3 weeks, although there are days when it feels closer to 3 months or years! The things I have found help me are:

Having all my assessment dates written out on a calendar, where I can put a tick or sticker next to them when they are completed, so there is a visual note of my achievements.

Reading a chapter of one of my texts each night as I am going to bed - that way I keep up with the readings (the bath is also a good place for reading!).

Having nice books, pens, folders and stationery - I know this one seems kind of silly, but I find that it makes me more likely to look through my notes, feel organised and proud of my work.

A good dictionary. I'm constantly looking things up in my Medical/Nursing dictionary. I spent a bit more money to get a really nice one because I appreciate having nice books. I'm actually considering getting a second one that I can leave in my bag because I find myself looking up any term I'm not sure of.

And the most useful thing I have found so far - having a weekly debrief with my peers. I've been spending about an hour each friday sitting around with my fellow nursing students, drinking a coffee and chatting/venting/discussing what's been happening over the previous week. We complain about being tired, share resources that we've found useful for classes, laugh about the stupid things we did in the tutorials or clinical labs and offer encouragement and help.

And of course there's always AN and cyber *hugs*

Thanks so much for your input. It's nice to hear from a fellow nursing student!!!! I also love buying notebooks, pens, floders, haha so that will be easy for me to do!!! I am such a social person and would love to have a "debriefing" at the end of the week. Thanks for that Idea :) :heartbeat

I just though of something else that I am finding useful at the moment...

I got some 'write on tabs' that can be put on the pages on books and written on, which I've used to mark out all the set readings in my text books. I've found it makes it so much easier to find what chapters I need to read each week, and makes it easy to find to review. This is actually something I picked up from my last job where I to tab all the meeting agendas/readings/information for my boss.

Some of the people in my classes have said they find reading the chapter summaries in the text first a good way to understand the focus on what we are supposed to be reading.