What should I do before starting my ABSN?

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Specializes in Student.

Hi everyone, 

My question is-What should I do/study before the start of my nursing program?

I understand that I will not be expected to know what I haven't learned yet. I'm just thinking with the free time I have now, it couldn't hurt to jump start my learning.  

The program begins in about 4 months and will last 16 months (four semesters, I've attached a screen shot of the Summer plan). I have plans to relax and take a few small trips, but I want to be prepared to hit the ground running. For example, I've read that it may be helpful to master dosage calculations before starting. I've also heard that Mosby's Pharmacology Memory Notecards are useful, if anyone has experience with those or something similar.

What did you do prior to the start of your program? Would you do anything differently?

Any advice or recommendations on resources or materials is appreciated. 

Thank you!

1670940404_Summerclasses.thumb.PNG.4b04d3ea54450766c9b44ba61565e042.PNG

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Following this thread! I just ordered "NCLEX-RN questions & answers made incredibly easy!" since once of my professors put it under her highly recommended on the syllabus. ?

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I'm in the same boat... I've finished my pre-reqs and have applied to four ABSN programs starting in June 2022. I've had two acceptances (rolling admissions) and am waiting on two more programs who make offers in March/April.  So I know I'm definitely going somewhere!   

Other than working (in a memory care), I don't have much else happening until Summer.

 

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1 hour ago, TrixieHobbit said:

I'm in the same boat... I've finished my pre-reqs and have applied to four ABSN programs starting in June 2022. I've had two acceptances (rolling admissions) and am waiting on two more programs who make offers in March/April.  So I know I'm definitely going somewhere!   

Other than working (in a memory care), I don't have much else happening until Summer.

 

I start my program in about a week! I also worked during my gap year (-ish, more like months). I can't even express how bored I got (worked in dermatology)! I miss being in school ? I'm such a type A person where I like to get a jump start on things. 

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Specializes in Student.

Thanks for the share on the NCLEX-RN questions, I'm going to look into these. Congrats to you both on getting into your programs! I completed my prerequisites over the last year or so and now that I do not have much to do until Summer I am trying to figure out how to spend the time while making sure that I am as prepared as possible. I did not think that I would but I also miss classes. I'm eager to get started. Best of luck to you!

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Specializes in ICU + 25 years as Nursing Faculty.
  • Shampoo the carpet in your home.  

Do it now..... you won't have a chance to do it after school begins. The above suggestion is half in jest, and half quite serious.  The meaning of that suggestion is to do NOW any nagging, "important, but not urgent" tasks that will drive you bonkers if you can't do them once school begins.  

  • Spend time with the ones you care about.  

You are likely to be surprised at how difficult it is to carve out time for "non-essential" activities, like sitting with friends and family.

  • Take a reading skill assessment and remediate if you score lower than "Rock Star"!

It is hard to express persuasively how important high-speed high-comprehension reading skills are for study, clinical, and EXAMS.  Put your ego aside for a moment... find an assessment and take it. If you crush it... no big deal.  If you discover that your reading skill isn't as good as you believe it is... fixing it now will be a HUGE step forward.  Having a previous degree does not guarrantee that your reading skills are excellent.

  • Watch this video:  

This video describes HOW to apply metacognition to your classwork to help you achieve mastery (and great grades!)

https://www.kaltura.com/index.php/extwidget/preview/partner_id/245942/uiconf_id/19789012/entry_id/0_i04vfe2l/embed/auto?&flashvars[akamaiHD]={"loadingPolicy"%3A"preInitialize"%2C"asyncInit"%3A"true"}&flashvars[twoPhaseManifest]=true&flashvars[streamerType]=hdnetworkmanifest

 

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Specializes in Student.

Great advice, thank you! I couldn't agree more with your suggestion to take care of some of the stuff that I've been pushing off around the house and I definitely plan to spend time with family and friends. I hadn't considered a reading skill assessment, but I think that it's a good idea. I appreciate you sharing the video. I started watching and made it to the section on studying as if you have to teach the material to others. Fantastic lecture, I've saved it to finish watching later. Thanks again for commenting!

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If you are not good at math, start practicing med math asap. A busy first term of nursing school is an unfortunate time to discover that you are having trouble with dosage calculations. It will make your life much easier. Aside from that, do some fun things that you want to do before nursing school! 

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Specializes in Student.
28 minutes ago, Triplepoint said:

If you are not good at math, start practicing med math asap. A busy first term of nursing school is an unfortunate time to discover that you are having trouble with dosage calculations. It will make your life much easier. Aside from that, do some fun things that you want to do before nursing school! 

Thank you for the helpful advice! I've started reviewing dosage calculations from RegisteredNurseRN on Youtube and I do have a few fun things planned before the start of the program. Do you have any recommendations on resources for med math?

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Specializes in ICU + 25 years as Nursing Faculty.

As a general rule, I find students who are skilled at the dimensional analysis (aka: unit cancellation or Chemistry approach) approach to drug calc are the most comfortable when faced with complicated dosage problems. 

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Specializes in CCRN.

Could not agree more with the sentiment of @GrumpyOldBastard 's post. You got into your program! Congrats. You are educationally ready to enter into this program and be successful. That's what the school is determining with admissions. The BEST thing you can do with your time in the coming months is build a great structure to your life so that when you're settling into a very busy ABSN program, you do not have to worry about what day of the week you prep your meals, or when/where you do your laundry, or how you are going to structure your time between studying, working out, or those (all too evasive) breaks with friends and family. If you feel you still want to prepare even more, buy your textbooks early and read just the first chapter of each one. This is a habit I got into in school - it will familiarize you with the structure and style of your reading that semester and can be hugely helpful in preparing your mind. 

But at the end of the day, ABSN courses are as much about being proficient in balancing your life, leaning into your support systems, and managing your time as they are about nailing down your study topics. Good luck! You are in for a great learning experience. 

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Specializes in Student.
On 1/12/2022 at 1:21 PM, GrumpyOldBastard said:

As a general rule, I find students who are skilled at the dimensional analysis (aka: unit cancellation or Chemistry approach) approach to drug calc are the most comfortable when faced with complicated dosage problems. 

I became fairly comfortable with this method throughout my Chemistry classes. I'll definitely practice some more. Thanks for the tip!

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