Succeed in Nursing School
Congratulations on being accepted to a nursing education program! Like many other aspects of life and education, the more you put into nursing school, the more you'll get out of it. With a little patience and determination, it's easy to make the most of your investment.
Steps
- Come to class. Yes, it's college and not high school, so the attendance policy may be a little lax, if it exists at all. However, the reason no attendance policy exists is that you are in class of your own free will and you've paid a lot of money to be there. So why wouldn't you show up? Besides, if you're not in class, you often miss key material that shows up on the test later.
- Take notes. If a teacher stresses a point frequently, consider it something important, both in terms of your nursing practice, and in terms of what will be on the test. Also, if you take notes, you are more likely to retain the information. Essentially, you learn the material three times: once when you hear it, once when you write it down, and once again later when you read your own notes to study.
- Complete the assigned reading and (if you have time) the suggested reading. The best way to deal with reading is to follow the syllabus and read the material before that specific class. If you have questions as you're reading, write them down so you can ask in class. Which brings us to...
- Participate. Ask questions of the teacher and answer the questions your teacher poses to you. The more engaged you are in the class, the more you'll get out of it.
- Study for tests. Find a method of studying that works for you. Go through your notes (once immediately following class, and again before the test); if you are a highlighter, go through your highlighted textbook; if you are a social animal, go for some collective study sessions (just make sure they don't turn into gossip sessions).
- Show up for clinical. In the Army, the saying goes: "right time, right place, right uniform, right attitude." The same holds true for clinical. Although class may not have a strict attendance policy, you can bet that clinical will. Therefore, if you show up late (without a good excuse, that is), it marks you as unprofessional and will invariably hurt your grade. Also, make sure you know where you're supposed to meet. Hospitals are confusing places, so showing up early on the first day is a good idea. Make sure that your uniform is ironed, fits properly, and is clean. Lastly, join clinical in the right spirit. Clinical is where the rubber meets the road and you implement everything you learn in class. So, seek out new opportunities and don't be afraid to try new skills. Look up your patients' labs and medicines, which will familiarize you with them for tests and the NCLEX-RN.
- Listen to your instructors. Although you will get frustrated with some of them, bear in mind that they have been nurses for a long time and really do know what they are talking about. Also, a good nursing instructor will also want you to succeed. The biggest frustration for nursing instructors is when students do not seek them out when they are having trouble. Therefore, if you are struggling with anything, talk to your nursing instructor about it. Bear in mind, they are trained to listen and to help others. Trust them.
- Volunteer or work as an aide during breaks or over the summer. Not only does this look great on a resume, it gives you valuable experience in the healthcare setting.
Tips
- Read. Read, read, read, read. Subscribe to nursing journals, read online articles, read other books. Never stop learning. Read non-school books. Read magazines. Read cereal boxes. Stay curious and be relentless in your search for knowledge.
- Take the lead in clinical. If your teacher asks for a "charge nurse", volunteer. It marks you out as a leader and gives you the opportunity to learn a lot.
- Get involved with service activities, such as Relay for Life or your school's health fair. Who knows? You might get extra credit for them, and they are also really fun.
- Familiarize yourself with online resources, such as the website for the Centers for Disease Control, American Nurses Association, National Student Nurses Association, etc.
- Figure out how to use your reference materials and make sure that you use up-to-date scholarly (nursing, not medicine or psychology) articles when writing care plans or papers. Make friends with the Cochrane Database, EBSCO, CINAHL, etc.
- If permitted, record class. Often the material is intense and you can miss things while taking notes. Listening to it again not only refreshes it in your memory but helps you catch things you may have missed.
- Coffee is a xanthine-derived stimulant that you should absolutely make friends with. You should be as alert as possible in class and especially in clinical.
- Take assignments seriously and complete them on time and to the best of your ability.
- Form/join a study group. Make sure the group has a mix of people with different grade levels and personalities. You want to be able to get different perspectives on the material. (i.e. if you are Type A, obsessive compulsive type don't join a study group with only those types in it!)You never know what someone else may have picked up or the viewpoint they may have seen the material from. Don't only study with students from your own age group also! There are lots of "mature" students that have been nursing children or parents for quite a while who have real-life experience they could share with you and you may be able to help them brush up on study skills they haven't used in a while. Focus on the win-win for you both.
- Make up mnemonics and associations to help you learn material, particularly anything that has to be memorized. For example, to remember right versus left-sided CHF, think "Left" = "Lungs". Therefore, if the patient has left-sided CHF, blood backs up into the lungs (e.g., you'll hear crackles, they'll have respiratory distress,&c.). They both start with L. You can use devices that already exist (such as that one), but they'll stick better if you make them up yourself, particularly if they are outlandish, vivid, or dirty.
- Invest in a good:
- Drug book: the newer the better. A good drug book will have the generic name, brand name, class, indications, dosages, side effects, contraindications, precautions, interactions, incompatibilities, administration, duration, antidotes, and nursing teaching for each drug. A really good drug book will have herbal and dietary interactions.
- Lab test book: again, the newer the better. A good lab book will have what the test is for, how to do it, what form is necessary (e.g., is it a special or invasive procedure that needs special permission from the patient?), what the normal values are (sub-divided by age and sex if necessary), and what increased or decreased values indicate.
- Little nursing flip book, like RNotes. This is a helpful and convenient reference in clinical, say if you want to quickly look up lab values or how to give an IM injection. Because no one remembers everything.
- Stethoscope: when you're new to nursing and health assessment, you're going to have a hard enough time listening to subtle differences in heart and lung sounds without having to strain through the earpieces of a crappy stethoscope. Besides, you'll be using it plenty after you graduate.
- Mode of transportation: whether it's your car or someone else's, make sure that you have a reliable way to get to clinical on time.
- Pair of shoes: you will be on your feet a lot in clinical (and in your career), so make sure you have shoes that give you good ankle and arch support.
- Watch: Ultimately, the type of watch you choose will come down to personal preference; however, it must have a way to count seconds. It is also helpful to have a digital watch that you can set to military time, because that is how you will be documenting.
- NCLEX-RN review book: it is never too early to start studying for this test, and it will help you out on nursing school exams as well. A good NCLEX-RN review book will have a section broken down into topics (i.e., Maternal/Child, Med-Surg, Pediatrics, Psych), as well as a set of comprehensive tests. The advantage of the topic sections is that you can use them for that particular class.
- APA manual. You will probably be writing care plans and papers in APA style, so take the time to familiarize yourself with it. Getting dinged -2 points on a paper (and, say being bumped from an A- to a B+ as a result) because you forgot to italicize a book title hurts, and it's very easy to avoid.
Warnings
- Don't be afraid to be considered pushy or a know-it-all in class. If you're unclear about something, speak up. If you know the answer to a question, speak up. If you don't, you're only selling yourself short. The meek may inherit the earth, but the bold dominate it now.
- Do not dissemble or kiss butt. It may seem like a great way to get ahead, but success means maintaining your dignity and integrity. Besides, no one likes a sycophant.
- Do not slack in the fundamentals. Without a firm grasp on chemistry, microbiology, and anatomy & physiology, you will have a hard time grasping pathophysiology, pharmacology, and nursing in general. Remember that it is, at it's heart, a science degree. Also, it's a great feeling to be "that girl/guy who GETS arterial blood gas values."
- Remember that class and clinical are NOT times to surf the internet, whisper with your buddies, text message on your cell phone, or sleep. At some institutions, classes are $100 a pop, so take them seriously.
- Do not get overly stressed. Succeeding in nursing school takes drive and discipline, two things that can easily lead to burnout. Find some activity that allows you to de-compress and do it regularly. Make sure you get plenty of exercise and eat well (remember that the brain runs on oxygen and glucose). Try to get enough sleep and have a social support system (i.e., friends, family, life partner). Team sports are a good choice if your school offers them, particularly sports where you don't have to travel, like a club, intramural, or junior varsity sport.
- Take infection precautions seriously in clinical. Never wear fake nails. Wash your hands frequently. Wear gloves when touching anything wet, or potentially wet. Follow isolation procedures. To do otherwise is dangerous to both you and your patients.
- Do not sell back your nursing books after the class is over. Nursing education builds on itself, so you will find yourself constantly referring back to old material. Which brings us to...
- Never show up to clinical drunk. It's better to call in sick than show up drunk or severely hung over. Both conditions are unsafe for both you and your patients. Many people have failed nursing school because of alcohol. Don't let it happen to you. This is especially true in schools near the Canadian border; a MIP (DUI as a minor) in the U.S.A. is a felony in Canada, so if your school does cross-border clinicals, you may not be eligible to participate without appearing before a Magistrate and paying a hefty fine. Alcohol is the enemy of the nursing student until exams are over!
Things You'll Need
- For clinical:
- Stethoscope with bell and diaphragm
- Black ink pen
- Alcohol wipes (carry them in your pocket during clinical so you're not searching for them when you have to deal with IVs and injections)
- Little nursing reference flip book
- Good shoes
- Mode of transportation
- Watch with second hand
- Drug book
- Lab book
- Completed care plans
- Name tag
- For class:
- Notebook and/or laptop computer
- Writing implement
- Completed assignments
- Academic Planner ----
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