A New Beginning

Hello fellow Nursing students, Pre-Nursing students, thinking about Nursing, students,

How are you guys doing? Today marks the beginning of the end of my spring break. I go back to school Monday with two new sets of classes: Nursing Fundamental II and Pharmacology, and a new clinical day. I am exciting for a new beginning but I am quite nervous as well. Pharmacology is a little intimidating because this is the class students fail. I have taken Pharmacology before but this time, I know it will be very different.

I have already began prepping for this new quarter by cleaning my binder out from last quarter. Now, I need to plan my time of when I get up, leave in the morning because I commute and also plan how my weekly schedule will look like, and one last thing to prep for this new quarter is studying for a test. The quarter hasn't even started and we have a test already! Crazy right?! 

I'm not sure how other schools do things but at my school with each new quarter, each nursing student has to take and pass a dosage calculation test before starting clinical.

Other than that, nothing new to tell. I am going to go ahead and finish this post here before it becomes too long.

See you guys at the finish line!

I'm Still New at This

Hello fellow Nursing students, Pre-Nursing students, thinking about Nursing school students,

How are you guys doing?? As you can tell, it is Tuesday...and not Wednesday or Thursday. In my previous (very first post) post, I said I would be back Wednesday (3/19) or Thursday (3/20) to discuss my finals of the first quarter of Nursing school and study tips...

Obviously, that did not happen...I am still very new at this, but I am going to do my best at keeping current and up to date with my blog. I want to see my progress and how I grow. I also want to help as many as I can along the way.

Anyways, let us move on to our scheduled programming.

First, let's talk about my finals -- this will lead us into study habits. Crazy enough, I finished with an A- and a B! I am super proud of myself because honestly, the moment you get into the program the concern should be to pass. Achieving an A is a great goal, but a C >75% works just fine. Once you're in the program, there is no school that needs to be impressed anymore. This was my mind set and these are the tips I gathered during my first quarter to help me:

1. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE: This is number one because it is one of the most important things to remember. I know for myself before getting into the nursing program, I could procrastinate a day or even hours before something is due. The same can not be said for nursing. There is too much information to remember to procrastinate and wait last minute. Keep up with reading assignments because the last thing you want is to fall behind on your reading. Also, know when test are a week in advance to give enough time to study and do well. This leads us to our next point
2. Time Management: Make a schedule for studying for a specific class, when you'll do homework, hang out, watch tv, recreational reading, etc. Whatever it is you need to make time for, designate times for it. I did this slightly, but did not keep up with it.When times are set aside for a particular task, it can make some things feel not so overwhelming. Also, learning now how to manage your time will not only help in class but also during clinical. A big thing is managing your time appropriately and prioritizing (this word is used quite a bit during nursing school). 
3. SLEEP: I can not express just how important this is. Towards the end of the quarter, I was feeling the effects of not sleeping enough. I was waking up later and later, I was falling asleep in class and during a test, I was getting sick physically! Sleep is your best friend and along with time management and prioritizing your day, schedule when you sleep at night and when you take a nap (if you need one). Do not stop your self from sleeping. Like I learned from a classmate, no matter how much or how little she finished she went to bed by 10 each night no matter what. 
4. Study Guides: For myself, this was key. Many people have their own ways of studying but I need study guides. It focuses my attention on the key parts. In nursing, everything that you learn is important but prioritize and and decide what is most important and needs more of your focus. In one of my nursing classes, I realized pretty quickly my teacher was not going to give out a pre-made study guide, but she made it clear many times in the class to focus on the objectives and look at the objectives. It became pretty clear to me that the objectives was going to become my study guide for the quarter. If you're reading this and asking, "what the heck is an objective?" The objectives are the focus of topic each class day. Making study guides for each test makes prepping and studying for finals so much easier. Objectives can also serve as a reading guide as well. Also, study guides are only effective if made early enough to actually read thoroughly and study the material.
5. Skim through the Reading: My final tip (unless if I think of anymore a long the way) is to skim through the reading as much as possible. When I say skim, I do not mean to read quickly without absorbing the information. Use the objectives to guide your reading so you do not have to read through every 100 pages the teacher has assigned because it happens.

Oh my goodness! We made it. I'm sorry for the length. I want to get out as much information as possible and I know there are more tips to give, but these have been detrimental to me. These tips are ones I have implemented or am going to improve on starting this next quarter. If any of you have any more tips, I would love to read them!

I hope I was able to help someone get a head start and begin to prioritize their learning.  

I'll see you guys at the finish line!

Keep Calm, I'm a Nursing Student

Hello fellow Nursing students, Pre-Nursing students, thinking about Nursing school students, 

How are you!? My name is Bernadette and as the title states, this blog is to discuss the experiences I go through while in Nursing school and how I overcome the amount of work teachers put on us. I wanted to keep track of my experiences while I am in school and by doing so, I hope to help others who are going through their own problems know they are not alone. 

I started Nursing school January 2014 and am nearing the end of my first quarter. This first quarter has been tiring, stressful, a bit crazy and overwhelming, and overall exciting! In just 10 weeks of school, I have learned so much. I learned how to give injections, how to insert a catheter and NGT (nasogastric tube), how to give a head to toe assessment, and so much more and this is only the beginning!

The plan is to post something at least twice a week, those days being Tuesday and Friday. I have finals this Wednesday, so the next post might be that same Wednesday or Thursday. I am going to discuss my study habits and how it did or did not work, my time management and an overall first quarter of Nursing school experience. After that, it will be consistently Tuesday and Friday. Hopefully, I stick to this goal of mine. 

I want to document my journey and bring any one else who wants to follow along with me. With all the stress and sleepless nights, it will be all worth it in the end and this blog will be a testimony to it. 

See you at the finish line!