What advice would you give to prospective nursing students?

[Leelee2]

Just curious what kind of advice other nurse's here would give to other prosepective nursing students?

Mine would be, check out last years placement statistics at your school of choice. Don't be sold by the line that "Nursing is recession proof"...

[Music in My Heart]

To that I'd add: Be ready to do ANYTHING that comes your way for a few years after graduation. The reality for myself and several classmates has turned out to be very different than what we imagined for ourselves when we embarked upon the journey.

If the "shortage" is playing any part at all in your decision then re-think your choice -- there is NO SHORTAGE of nurses.

[rachelshusband]

Make sacrafices and be happy about them. You'll have to live with less, see people less and be married to school.

[rn/writer, RN]

Bring to your education a good character. Be willing to examine yourself and take an inventory of your strengths and weaknesses and give them the attention they need to flourish or be shored up. Shun drama. Be careful about whom you trust--both as a student and as a person. Be honest. Listen more than you talk. Stay away from trouble-makers.

Try to create a balance in your life. School may be center stage for a while, but you still need to have a life. Prepare your family and friends for your immersion. Express appreciation for their support. Take a giant step back from nay-sayers and discouragers.

Eat, sleep, exercise in ways that will keep you healthy. Nurture your spirit. Going to a lighthearted movie, reading a good book, taking a long walk, baking a loaf of bread--things like these can help to restore your perspective and fill the empty well.

As you learn each new subject and study each new area, occasionally stop to integrate them into the whole wonder that is a human being. Revel in the details, but remember that they combine to form a complex and marvelous big picture.

Be grateful even for the stresses and challenges. You will learn from difficult people how to deal with cranky patients and crotchety co-workers. Time pressure teaches your brain to prioritize and keep going. Making mistakes gives you an opportunity to practice humility with grace.

Come here to AN often and let us help you through it all. Some members can be impatient with students, but we were all in those shoes at some point. Most of us love to nurture our future brothers and sisters.

[mariahas4kids]

Don't get caught up in grades. Learn the lessons but do not freak if you got a B instead of an A. "C's and B's get degrees" was our class motto when someone would gripe about not getting an A. LAUGH often and a lot. Take assignments that scare you. Better you get the experience as a student with support from your instructor and preceptor then be to embarrassed as a nurse to admit that "I'd never done one of those before" Most important: BREATHE. Without an airway there is not point on going further.

[headinsandRN]

learn how to study a little at a time each day.

learn how to manage your time so you can make the aforementioned possible.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Don't get fooled by the hype. There are a lot of sleazy for-profit schools popping up all over the country. They have slick brochures and websites -- and maybe some pretty new buildings, learning lab equipment, etc. Sure they do, because "marketing" is what they spend their money on. Those pretty marketing tools do NOT indicate that the school is a high quality school.

Go with well-established schools that are affiliated with long-standing academic colleges and universities that have been institutions of higher learning for some time (not a "career college" that just opened a nursing program to make a buck from people's belief that nursing is recession proof).

Also, look at not only their NCLEX pass rates, but also their rates of people dropping or failing out of the program. Look also at where their students do clinicals (the best hospitals?) and where their graduates find work.

Choose your school carefully. Go for quality, not convenience.

[mustlovepoodles, RN]

Develop a thick skin. Nursing is hard and dirty. If you need to cry, find a closet, get it out and get back to work. Everybody cries. It doesn't mean you aren't a good nurse. Expect to feel overwhelmed and dumb sometimes. But more than anything else, learn to stiffen your backbone, tuck you head, and keep on walking. No sissies allowed.

[Leelee2]

Make sacrafices and be happy about them. You'll have to live with less, see people less and be married to school.

So very true!!