nursing school advice from those who've been there

[Steph1939]

Hi everyone,
I received my letter last week telling me that I was accepted into nursing school. I'm very happy but also nervous since I don't know what to expect. Any tips from those of you who have been there before?

Stephanie

 

[minkydog]

Congratulations! I've been a nurse going on 34 years now and I think it's a great profession. Nursing school is very hard to get into, so give yourself a pat on the back--your one of the best of the best!

Ahhh, nursing school. Even though it's been over 34 years for me I don't think it has changed too much, other than the internet(YAY!) Nursing school is probably one of the hardest courses you could take. There is just so much to know. Prepare your family or significant other for the fact that you will be putting in a LOT of time on your studies. I think this is probably the thing that gives most nursing students a hard time. Its a rare family that "gets" the level of committment you must have to complete this course. If you can afford to get someone to come in and clean the house every 2 weeks, you will be glad you did (of course, if you're living in a dorm, forget it. You can keep one room clean )Sleep is critical--try not to burn the candle at both ends. Be sure you eat well and exercise regularly.

Good luck with nursing school. Hop over to Allnurses.com for some enlightening discussions. Be aware that a lot of the nurses there are very experienced and sometimes the venting can be a bit overwhelming for newbies. But watch and learn. They're a smart bunch and you could learn a lot.

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

Congratulations!!!

I am applying myself starting the fall 2011 term soon in the winter. I guess I don't really have any advice having not been there but good luck and many congrats!

 

[MomRN]

Well I graduated last year, so it's relatively fresh in my mind. Are you going for ADN or BSN?

I graduated a BSN program, that did not have a strict schedule. That was nice, because after I found out I was pregnant my sophomore year and had to pick up more working hours, I had to stretch my four year degree into a five year one.

Nursing school is tough. Clinicals are tough. Boards are tough. The first time doing an invasive procedure on a person, with an instructor standing right over you, and possibly another nurse, is intimidating. Every professor tests a little differently and you have to learn their style (class notes, read the book, or a combination of both?).

Good luck to you...the payoff is worth it, and I say this even after having the patient from hell last night.

 

[scottishduffy]

Well, I graduated nursing school in 2004 and am currently pursuing a degree as a Nurse Anesthetist ( graduate in december!!!)

Nursing school: Be prepared to study quite a bit.

1) Care plans will seem like the stupidest thing you have ever done. You will swear they are the biggest waste of time.... but they do help. Put a little effort into those things and it will help you.

2) Remember some days you will feel like an utter moron and some days you will feel like a genius. Be prepared to experience both in clinicals. Some people like having students and some people hate students.

3) Just when you have perfected one skill set, you will get a different preceptor and be told everything you have learned is wrong... the only right way is their way. Learn to be flexible!

4) Prepare your family for the idea that you may have to work holidays and miss important events due to your schedule.

5) Pay attention in the sciences and in pathophysiology. Knowing what to do is one thing. Knowing WHY you do it is an entirely different thing. That is what differentiates OK nurses from Great nurses.


Have fun!! It is a great career! Be flexible, be easy going, be open to all the knowledge people may give you, There is a big difference between what the book says and what actually gets done.

Good luck!

 

[Fire14]

Invest in a good scope It makes a world of differance in what you hear.
STUDY Study Study Did I say study? Free time is not an option

 

[johnsontrio]

Hi everyone,
I received my letter last week telling me that I was accepted into nursing school. I'm very happy but also nervous since I don't know what to expect. Any tips from those of you who have been there before?

Stephanie

New Rule!

I graduated a looooong time ago but I have a couple of pieces of advice. First, over prepare for your tests when you begin so that you can dial back the amount you may need to study once you have figured out how high the bar is set. You do not want to be playing catch up with your grades. Better to knock it out of the park and then have less pressure on you at the end of the semester. You will also benefit from the fact that the instructors will now view you as a good student and you will benefit from that impression.

Secondly, try and identify a smart student and develop a study buddy relationship with that person. That will be key to getting you through any areas that you are not particularly strong in and will keep you both motivated when times get tough.

If they publish a syllabus for the semester that includes articles etc... try and get all your materials at the beginning of the semester before things get busy. You are much more likely to read them if you have them on hand vs. having to go to the library the week you need them.

Realize that the nights before clinical you may only get a couple hours sleep. Manage your time well and expect long nights before clinical and tests. If you have to prepare drug cards, care plans save all those things. It will save you work later as you progress through the program.

Congrats and good luck!

 

[disney1990]

My daughter was an A student in high school and in Community College. Her daughter, my granddaughter, was diagnosed with cancer in 2007 when she was 8 and was treated at Childrens National Medical Center in Washington, DC. She has non hodgkin's lymphoma, Burkitt's Syndrome. Thankfully, she is now in remission.

Anyway, my daughter, decided that she wanted to go back to school (in her 30's) to become a Oncology Nurse. She will graduate in December of this year. She said it was much harder than she ever imagined that it would be, but she has received all A's & B's in her classes & clinicals. Her family has been very patient will all the hours she has put into studying -- and the hours that she has NOT put into housework, cooking & cleaning.

I know she will make a great Oncology Nurse because she knows exactly what the future holds in that career choice.

Congratulations on your decision to become a nurse.

 

[starann]

When you start having clinicals and follow other nurses you will think

"I must be stupid, because I don't know half of the stuff she/he does"

You are NOT stupid. When I 1st became a nurse I thought I had to be the stupidest nurse on the floor, I didn't know half of what the other nurses knew. Example, a seasoned nurse can pronounce med names and tell you what they are for and side effects, can tell you about the symptoms of various illnesses and can smell 'cdiff' when walking into a patients room. Now I have been a nurse for 10 years and know a lot (there is still even more I don't know) but I didn't learn it over night and most of it I didn't learn in nursing school!!!!


Good Luck!

 

[Mandychelle79]

Be prepared to have no life

Make friends with clinical group

Never make an instructor mad

A= Excellent
B= Great
C=RN

Strive for excellence but deal in reality.

And remember

The difference between nursing school and hell? You will tell your friends to go to hell.

Seriously though, congrats. Im starting my 2nd yr of a ADN program in the fall. Hardest but most rewarding thing I have done on my 30 yrs on earth.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Work on developing a thick skin. Try not to sweat the small stuff.

Schoolwork is stressful. The first few years on the job can be even more stressful. Find a few people you can lean on and lean with. That support will be very important to you.

Try to keep in mind why you went into it when things get nuts. That's what it's all about.

Nurses are like mothers. Both are endless, thankless jobs, and it's difficult to capture all we do. Very few understand or appreciate the professional nurse's actual role and responsibilities (Nursing Process? Nurse Practice Act? Nursing Research? What are those?) or even the difference between a person answering a phone, a medical assistant, a technical nurse and a professional nurse. And like mothers, nurses are subject to lots of criticism, warranted or not.

Hold onto the sincere thanks you occasionally get from patients and families. You've made a difference for them. Remember that you will be part of some of the most difficult events of their lives.

Systems in hospitals and other health care facilities are far from perfect. You may very well feel people's frustrations firsthand. Try not to take it personally. When you're on the other side of the bed yourself, you understand more how they feel. Treat everyone the way you yourself would like to be treated and you can at least feel confident you've done your part, and remember that a large part of what you do is to advocate for them - again, the same way you'd want someone to do it for you if it were your family member in the bed.

Good luck with your studies.

 

[Steph1939]

Thanks everyone for your comments. I'm going for ADN. I already have a BS and MA so this is a career change for me - one that I should have done about four years ago. But - I can't change that so I'm just so happy that I've been given the chance to do something I really want to do. I know that nursing school is going to be tough but I think I'm ready for it. My orientation is next month and that just has my head spinning since it's just so close.