I am going back to school for my second degree in nursing and got into a traditional program although I applied for an accelerated program. But then I got a phone call yesterday saying I did actually get into to accelerated program and i start in 4 weeks!! I am very excited but now I only have a month to mentally prepare myself, when I previously thought I had until September.
So here is my question to you, nurses, students, and anyone with advice....
What do you wish you knew before beginning school? Any good books you suggest? Any material I should study up on that would come in handy?
we all started from a blank paper...we have the guts to do a task but don't know how to start. My advice is be grateful that you still have time to relax now coz the above posts were right...once you start the program (if you're serious) you wont have time to spend with your loved ones....that's my problem with my mom sometimes coz she didn't understand how busy I am with my papers/clinicals...I just wish I could do all her errands...I've stopped schooling last semester because of financial reasons and I have now my job, despite this I still review my lessons, read the fundamentals and research more and more....I am planning to transfer to other school and continue my studies this june... although I'll be irregular student this sem..just to take some minor subjects....the bottom line is KNOW THE BASIC...THE CONCEPTS...!!! no matter how the questions are formulated, you will find what was asked for......just be witty...I dont believe in luck...I believe in God...He makes us a way and it is our turn to lift our feet and walk his path....remember to always pray...prayer and sacrifice should always be together....God bless you....
Are you getting the idea that nursing school takes a lot of time? I'll back that one up. This ADN program is my 3rd degree and is *by* *far* the hardest thing I've done in school, maybe in life in general. I was totally unprepared for that. I'm glad now that I didn't know before or I might not have done it! But I'm so glad I did. The world is my oyster in five short days...
On top of what has already been posted, I wish I had done all along what I finally started doing this semester (my last). For each module/unit/chapter/whatever, I read the material and do whatever the exercises are, but in addition to that, I make up a sheet that I call my "cold sheet." It's the stuff that I need to know cold, just memorization to have down pat, that I can study anywhere/anytime, whenever I have a few minutes. It tends to be data points (lab values, which drugs do you use for which conditions, what are the "hallmark signs" of this condition or that condition, that kind of thing). I try to know the bigger-picture stuff conceptually, but I've found it very helpful to pull out these data points separately, it's made it easier to straight out commit them to memory. And now that it's time for our final, I have a study guide ready to go. The conceptual stuff I find easier to remember, and the data-point stuff is already pulled together to refresh my memory.
Also, don't skip learning the drugs. That's another thing that took me until this semester to finally accept. It was so overwhelming at first I just decided to focus on everything else and give up those points on the exam in favor of knowing the other material better. But we really didn't have any guidance about what meds were important to know. Do whatever you can to drag out of your instructor what the key medications to know are, and what the key points about those meds are (that's really hard as a new student, to know what it is about each of these meds that you really need to know, what they're "famous" for as far as side effects or adminstration or route or whatever), and do what you can to commit those to memory, on the cold sheet.
Tru d'at to the always-say-yes attitude in clinicals. Also, always be asking "Why?" If you know the "why" behind interventions, medications, precautions, then remembering all of it is much easier, and it makes you much more prepared to know when something is going wrong, and how to fix it. If your patient is getting a med, ask why that med? If you can't tell based on the diagnosis, look further, keep asking why. A lot of times, meds are given to treat side effects of other meds that are being given. (Make a note for future reference: Not every patient getting sliding scale insulin will be diabetic!)
I almost wish I could do it all over again knowing what I know now. Except the thought of spending another minute in nursing school makes me want to throw up. Only because I'm so close to freedom! I can't remember the last time my heart soared like it did at five-minutes til post-conference on my last day of clinicals!
All great advice. Be prepared for your life to change completely in 4 weeks! Nursing school is DIFFICULT, INTENSE, and at times LONELY. But in the end it is all worth the sacrifices you will make. If you can afford it, hire a housekeeper to come in. Eat as healthy as possible, most people put weight on in nursing school. You SIT alot!!!! Get as much sleep as possible. Study, study, study. You can not wing nursing school, you can not wait until the last minute for anything. Care plans suck! :angryfire
Real world nursing is soooo much better. But nursing is also intense, physically and emotionally demanding. I love it!!
I, too, was in an accelerated program and found that recording notes or key points made it much easier to memorize all of the things that I needed to remember. Tests come closer together and you are afforded less time to study each module or subject. After doing the initial recording, I could play it back during times that I ordinarily wouldn't consider "study time." While I was driving, or cooking dinner, or doing housework, or taking a bath, or even getting dressed in the morning, I was also effortlessly reinforcing material I needed to know. This doubled my available study time with very little effort on my part. I hope this helps you.
I wish I would have know how easily I could get pregnant. Then I wouldn't of spend my last semester of nursing school praying that I didn't have the baby before I finished my preceptorship hours!:chuckle
But seriously, in addition to all the good advice you've already gotten, I would add take a few hours each week to do something for yourself. Don't let school be the only thing in your life, even though it will be a very, very big part of your life.
I think that I would have been WORSE off if I'd known what nursing school really entailed... because I might have decided not to do it. Because I didn't really know what I was getting into, I jumped in with excitement. I'm glad I did. I'm glad I stuck with it. I'm glad I finished. It's worth the time, effort, and stress.
Because I think I would have been worse off had I known what I think I might have wanted to know beforehand, I'm not going to tell you those things.
Just know that even when you feel like you are behind or lonely, you have support. Your family and friends will have no clue what is going on with you but your fellow students will. They will all be going through the same thing. Remember to breathe and that is will be over soon. Never tell yourself I will NEVER get this. You will. It just takes time and practice. Remember to smile and don't freak out and you should be A ok.
PS: Also a C is still passing. and if you fail a test/class/ whatever. It doesn't make you any less of a nurse.
I'm graduating next week and keep in mind that nursing school prepares you very little for real life nursing,take advantage of your lab room (you wont be able to try all the skills in the hospital settings),and learn on your own,the instructrors only touch up on general ideas you have to push yourself to find out more and lastly start doing nclex questions from the get go.
I'll back that one up. This ADN program is my 3rd degree and is *by* *far* the hardest thing I've done in school, maybe in life in general. I was totally unprepared for that. I'm glad now that I didn't know before or I might not have done it! But I'm so glad I did. The world is my oyster in five short days...
rollydrooly208
27 Posts
Thank you all so much for your great advice! I appreciate you taking time out from your busy schedule to help :)