What advice to give your fellow LVN students??

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Hello all,

I am almost done with completing my LVN program - we are currently working on our NCLEX preparation (YAY). These past 2 years have definitely been rewarding and have met some great people, however, my nursing professor wants the top 4 students in class, including me, to help give advice to the students who aren't doing to well. I don't really know what to say or tell them?! We all have different study habits, etc, I just want to give them some sound advice that they would WANT to follow. As a nurse, its both a blessing and curse, we want to help everyone! And I would feel terrible if I couldn't help them properly. Any advice for anyone who has been in this situation?? Thank you much. Happy Monday everyone, hope you all are having a blessed day.

-MS

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Specializes in Rehab/LTC.

My best advice to students is to prioritize and plan accordingly. Studying is important but it’s pointless without dedicated and structured study habits. Sometimes just reading and re-reading the material isn’t enough. You could give study tips like using flash cards, making quizlets, how to organize notes, pnemonics that really work, outsourced information-such as videos or links to websites that really break down the information so it’s easier to process and understand.

What really helped me when I was a student was forming study groups with my cohort. That way we all could work together and share what has helped us learn the copious amounts of information we were learning. We bounced learning and studying ideas off of each other and working in groups helped ensure that everyone was able to ask questions and have others who had an informed idea on the subject explain it outside of lectures. We also shared notes amongst the class. It was nice to see how others perceived the information compared to how it was presented in lecture.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

Probably my best advice is: Don't let your classmates decide how your program is going to go. You may get along with everyone or you may not mesh so well, but there will be anxiety. Some people don't handle anxiety and pressure very well. Take a deep breath, focus on you and your study habits, and don't take in their anxieties too. I don't get test anxiety as a rule, but everyone having a meltdown on every day of our exams would make my heart race. If you know you are a person who gets very anxious, take some major steps to keep it under control. Medication, therapy, breathing exercises, whatever you need. Because you cannot go around transferring your anxiety to patients.

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I made a youtube video about this!! Check out Nurse_Nell on yotube.

My recommendations are get plenty of sleep whenever you can, try to find balance with other aspects of your life but don't be hard on yourself about this...nursing school will be the priority and that's just the way it goes, pet animals to relax (lol), EXERCISE when possible (you'll feel SO much better and sleep better), connect with your teachers early on, connect with classmates (!!!) because you are in this together and you're now a family, practice meditation (my video goes into details about my favorite meditation! SO helpful and combated panic attacks for me), get support from family and friends and stay connected to family and friends when you can, skim slides/chapters before class (obvious but tends to slip as time goes on)…

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE, I believe in you!!!

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