What was your secret weapon for surviving nursing school??

cwazycwissyRN, RN · Jun 25, 2004

What was your secret weapon for surviving nursing school?

graduation :rotfl:

Keep your eyes set to the light at the end of the tunnel and......

obey the law of holes......when you find yourself in one,,,stop digging.

Good luck and best wishes :)

missmercy · Jun 25, 2004

I was part of a study group. We were "different"... not the agressive get "A's" on everything types nor the "just do what you can to scrape by" types. Our group fed off the strengths of each person and helped overcome weaknesses. It was great. We got together at least once weekly and always a special meeting before tests.
It definately helped me.
Same here! After particularily grueling tests, we would occasionally plot our imigined revenge on the horrible test writer -- or else head out somewhere for icecream to celebrate our survival through another test!!
Sometimes we would study at DENNY's or some other all night diner -- they didn't mind too much -- we drank alot of coffee/soda and ordered brain food on occasion ( mozzerella sticks, fries, pie...). the manager christened the back corner table as "the nurses nook" . He used to get a kick oat how nurses talk when we get in a group!! ( eat and discuss abcessed wounds etc. without any problem, etc.)

husker-nurse, LPN, LVN · Jun 26, 2004

:balloons: When I was in my first semester of Nuring School, and I was freaking out because it was SOOOOO hard to get through, I approached our Nursing Instructor and asked her if she could look at a person and tell if he or she did not belong in school. She replied "How bad do you want it?" When things got very tough, all I had to do was remember that, and I graduated with honors. How bad do you want it? :kiss Best of luck to you, you'll be fine....

mandykal, ADN, RN · Jun 26, 2004

I love all these remedies for I'm soon gonna be feeling it.

I love that quote 'How bad do you want it?"

Gromit · Jun 26, 2004

Hi! I am a new nursing student(I have only been in school for about 3months). With all of the studying that we as nursing students must do to excell in this profession, it can be physically and mentally draining at times. Just wondering- what was the one thing that you needed to have to give you energy while in nursing school? Any suggestions would be extremly helpful. THANKS!!!
God Bless!

I'll dispense with some of the obvious first. You know you are going to need to study as much as you can -if this isn't obvious, then you need to sit back and live a little, because if you don't do this, you won't survive. If you're like many of us, and don't have the option of not working while going to school (I was in my mid 30s when I began, and to make matters worse, as soon as I was notified that I was accepted into the program, my job laid me off -due to the crashing of the economy after 9/11, and I'd bought my house only 6 months prior -because the house payments were less than even the lower rentals).

Study groups are good, if you learn that way, and by all means, one thing I always did was to bring my book with me. When I had to wait for an appointment, or had time on the job (lunch hour, or if things were really slow) I'd crack the book, and start reading, and TAKING NOTES. Summarize the chapter. If you write it (NOT COPY IT), you will learn it.

During my 2 years of the actual RN program, I lost 6 family members (two grandparents one week apart, just 3 weeks into the RN program, and the last was my mother after a long bout with cancer, the day before I got "pinned" (graduated)).

There is no social life, and you should avoid one. Plenty of time to play and party after you finish.

There will be many times you feel overwhelmed, or at least on edge. For me, I decided that I would reward myself when I finished. I had a goal, that required me to get through, to accomplish it. My goal is to build a 2 seat biplane (one that is proficient at aerobatics -I love to fly, but have no wings), nursing will allow me to earn enough to do this, in time. I printed pictures of the plane, and put them in my notebook. When I felt blue, or just overwhelmed, I looked at them, and thought about how nice it would be, once I got there. I have friends who planned big trips or vacations to celebrate. Find what does it for you. You get through this, you will have earned the right to dig into that dream.

Trust me, you can do it. If your class is ANYTHING like ours, you will all bond, and be there psychologically for each other. In my class, every single student lost at least a family member through one means or other (one had a miscarriage), we banded together hand helped support each other emotionally. Thankfully, not all classes have these kinds of things happen. My point is, you will become a quasi-family. And if you are committed to getting through, and will not take "no" for an answer, you will have what it takes to stick through it. Let NO ONE dissuade you. Believe me, A LOT of it really is attitude. This stuff isn't rocket-science. Nursing, to me, was fun (much more fun to remenisce, I'm a new RN, and remember well all of the worry and fear, but now that its over, it was all worth it, every last bit. )

One last thing. There are plenty of people on Allnurses.com that offered advice and encouragement while I was in the program. This is a pretty good resource.

Good luck! (hey, and ENJOY the program)

Energizer Bunny · Jun 26, 2004

Gromit....I like your idea of a goal. Mine is right in front of me every day........so I won't have a problem with that keeping me motivated.

Gromit · Jun 26, 2004

Thanks CNM2B.

Just writing about it, I grabbed my notebook that I had in school, and I still have the picture of the plane on it.

The craft I wish to build is called a Pitts Model 12 biplane, its powered by a Russian-built Venedeyev M14P 360hp supercharged 9 cylinder radial engine. The plane, AND the engine are beautiful.

My first real true love was flying, but my eye sight wasn't up to the air-forces' standards. My eyes aren't THAT bad, but their requirements back in the early '80s were that high. Not being able to get into the armed forces as a pilot, meant not being able to rack up enough flight hours to be of interest to any commercial interests. My next love was medicine (at first, emergency medicine -but I tired of that after a number of years. In a sense, its fairly mundane (you don't have a lot of job flexibility as far as different fields are concerned). Nursing, on the other hand, is just SO diverse, I couldn't live long enough to try out everything nurses can do -so it seemed like a dream come true for me.

I intend to work toward getting into a cardiac icu -I have a fondness for cardiology. With the level of diversity available in the nursing field, I'll never get tired of it, there will always be something new to try. And the best of all, I'll be able to have the time, and resources, to build my plane, and take to the sky as well. Its the best thing that could have happened. Kind of like having your cake, and eating it too :) I've had jobs in quite a few different fields, most of them non-medical, and I can truly say I've finally found a home.

I'm enjoying my new career (to say the least) .

One thing is for sure, I'll certainly continue to encourage others who are interested in this field. I didn't pass my NCLEX the first time, and was devastated (I scored As and Bs throughout the program, I honestly didn't think I would bust the NCLEX) -nothing like having an experience. I know first-hand just how valuable it is to have someone else be there to keep your hopes up, and just to talk to (helps keep you focused). I owe a bit to people on these threads -I haven't been around in almost a year, but I haven't forgotten, either. I want to do my part, and do for others what was done for me.

Fly4Life12 · Jun 26, 2004

In Nursing school I schedule time to work out. i work nights and go to school full time... its the only thing that works.

Gompers, BSN, RN · Jun 26, 2004

Honestly, the best thing I did during nursing school was RELAXED. Anxiety during tests is one of the worst problems nursing students seem to have - and it all builds up until it's time to take boards and then people get like psycotic anxious! But test anxiety can really do a number on you and your grades. By just studying, relaxing during the test, going with your first instinct, and then MOVING on, school will be a lot easier. I had several friends fail school tests and boards because they second guessed themselves and changed their answers over and over again, just agonizing over everything. In school they'd run out of time and never finish tests, and in the boards, they were in tears while taking it. Just my own advice, as it got me through school without failing a single test and passing boards on the first try - and I hardly studied unless you count cramming my notes the night before the tests studying!!!

tshores · Jul 6, 2004

And when you're really overwhelmed and want to drop, just go again and do what you need to today. You can make yourself make it through one more day...each 'today' at a time.

warrior woman · Jul 6, 2004

Leaning on my classmates and remembering to breathe.

ADNCyn · Jul 6, 2004

Look in the mirror and tell yourself, say, self you can do this there's nothing too hard for God. Bless your heart. God Bless you as you are on your way to joining the ranks of those of us you have sat in that same chair you now sit... Sit in it knowing if God can do it for one, He can do it for one more, YOU.