I will be starting my sophomore year working on my pre-reqs to apply for the nursing program at my school. Just like most of the other nursing programs in the country, not many students are accepted. I am anxious, nervous, and excited! Although, I have a full year to complete until I am able to apply, I'm trying to prepare myself now. I actually found someone to be my mentor (actual nursing student) in the campus library last semester and she's very busy with the program but also very helpful! Coming from high school being an honor student and not having to study at all, I have yet to build an efficient study HABIT. I was wondering if anyone had any tips/advice for me and my dilemma? Or any tips/advice on preparing for the nursing program in general?
Nikki
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July 26th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
One thing that really helped me in nursing school (it was an accelerated, condensed program) was to split up the study guide amongst my friends. One person was the coordinator, and they split up the questions & emailed it to everyone. Then, everyone would email their parts back to the coordinator, who compiled it and sent it out. This saved time, allowed us to focus our studying, and gave all of us a completed study guide. We did this in every class with every exam, and I made almost straight “As”.
July 30th, 2008 at 6:54 am
Our program had a traditional track and a Bachelor’s to BSN track. Both were the same except one summer. We did not have study guides at all period in our program, the teachers didn’t believe int hat because we wouldn’t have one for NCLEX or for life on the floor. So we would read our materials before each class (for the most part) and our study group split up what we did in class. We had about 5 people in our study group. So a few people followed in the book highlighting what the teacher focused on, others took notes on the computer, we then would get together and go through everything so we had the class notes and the important parts from the book. We would also split up the chapters and each make our own outlines of our part of the material which we would compile and share with everyone. This gave us a very thorough review of the material but allowed us to optimized our study time. INour study group we would go through the outlines together and each give how we memorized the material. By talking it through we learned the material much fast and it stuck better. Our tests were every 3-4 weeks in each class so the week before after we had studied the material together and on our own we would get together and just ask each other questions to reinforce the materials. We also used a lot of NCLEX prep CDs to do questions. It helped up know where we needed to go back and study more. I also really liked the Straight A’s book series, it helps to simplify topics and sort out the core ad fluff material. Each book had a CD with questions that helps me too.
I cannot stress how much a study group helps in nursing school. I do not think any of us could have made it through on our own, you need to share the materials, laughter, and the crying with someone to help you academically and emotionally.
July 31st, 2008 at 7:36 am
Try to remember that your life will not be over if you don’t make it through nursing school. So many people let the stress of school- the pressure from the instructors- overwhelm them. I just kept telling myself that I could be tossed from school tomorrow and my life would still be very full. Made it through with top grades. Go to class and especially clinicals prepared….if your instructor sees that from the get-go you are taking this seriously and are prepared, they will hound someone else.
July 31st, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Thank you so much! This info will help me greatly when I’m actually in the program. Any other suggestions for maintaining good grades and standing out from other applicants?
July 31st, 2008 at 9:35 pm
make as many A’s as possible in your pre-requisite classes. trust me, thats the first eliminator when they are picking students for the nursing program. concentrate most especially on your science subjects (anatomy and physiology should definitely have A’s in both parts and in the labs, then physics, chemistry, statistics, biology). bring ur GPA up to over 3.2 if possible. the closer to 4.0, the better.
now to the studing part, lol. its important to grasp the concept of your basic sciences becos they will be the building blocks to the nursing classes you take later on. understand your biology and chemistry, again know your anatomy and physiology. i learn by understanding, which sometimes entails looking up the same topic in a different textbook or online if i cant understand the class textbook. i retain stuff by explaining to others, which selfishly was the only reason i attended study groups. some attend study groups to ask questions, some study groups split topics amongst each other to save time. try out a couple and stick with the one that works best for u. some study best alone, thats ok too. i would still advise to atleast have one other person u can bounce questions/answers off for practice.
when u do get into the program (which am sure u will), there will be alot of group work so u’ll probably have to aclimate urself to working with others. this is a good preparation tool for work becos team work is very vital in healthcare. good luck.
August 2nd, 2008 at 1:44 am
The GPA you’ll need will depend on the school you’re trying to get into. Make sure you do very well in all the prerequisites. Some schools may look more closely at the anatomy and physiology grade than say history. It might help to meet with a councelor from the school you hope to attend (I did this to help me prepare, since many of my credits had to transfer from out of state and were several years old) if possible. Also, if you apply ealy before you finish your prerequisites and do not get in, don’t let this discourage you from applying again when you are closer to finishing and afterward. Since many schools have so many applicants, the ones who have already finished their prerequisite courses (and done well) may be given priority, since their prerequisite GPA is already computed and final…or sometimes they give priority to the ones who’ve finished certain ones they consider to be more difficult (for my school that was microbiology, A&P, and chemistry).
Something that stands out is volunteering on a nursing unit at a hospital. It shows you are interested in nursing and have checked it out before just jumping into a profession that seemed cool on paper. It helps with the interview when you are talking about your experiences. Now, you can’t do any technical nursing care (skills) as a volunteer, but you can care for patients in other ways and just get used to talking with them.
When you get to nursing school, expect to study harder than you ever have, and expect to spend more time studying. Expect to read a lot, and be in some class or clinical almost every day (and when you aren’t there, you are studying). Seriously, even if you are one of those students who barely had to study to make A’s before…nursing school is just different. If you usually study alone and that works well for you, then continue to study in the same way when you get to nursing school. I generally study alone, except for a few hours I might get together with a friend and bounce ideas off each other or study Book CD or NCLEX study guide questions related to the upcoming test. I never rely on others to split up the study material in studygroups, because I need to read it and figure it out for myself. Actually, I’ve read “study guides” (summaries of chapters) that previous semester students have put together, and found several very importnant mistakes…if I hadn’t done the reading myself beforehand, I wouldn’t have known it was wrong and would have learned it wrong. Also, what helps one person learn, doesn’t necessarily help another…so you need to figure out what works for you.
Build a good support network if you don’t have one already. My husband wasn’t very supportive or helpful with the kids until after I started nursing school. Once he realized this was going to be a tough transition, he really stepped up. He’s a better husband and father, and I couldn’t have done so well in school so far without his help. But also, no one will understand what you are going through as well as a fellow student, so make friends with some even if you don’t study with them. One instructor told us if everyone in your study group does poorly on the first exam…run!
Ohhh…and don’t listen to those people that tell you that all you have to do is pass. Yes, it’s true, in part, to get your degree you only need to pass all the classes….but if you are capable of getting A’s and B’s and being at the top of your class, then go for it. But also don’t be suprised if you are normally an A student, and you get Cs in nursing school. Try your best, learn well, and aspire to be a “good nurse.”
And yes, prepare well for clinicals, show compassion for your patients, and be prepared to answer the instuctors questions or say you don’t know it, but will look it up (or you haven’t has the opportunity to do that skill, but are ready to learn now). Also, remember the evaluations your clincal instructors give you get passed down, so your next instructor will have an idea about the type of student you are even before you meet them. Be prepared the first day!
Good luck and enjoy this experience.
August 2nd, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Some programs including the one I attended do not turn students away, as long as the student meets all of the requirements (3.0 GPA, pre-req courses, etc.). They do this to try to help get more nurses in the field an help the shortage (though are classes are still small, not more than 40 usually).
August 4th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Thank you so much for all the great advice! But I actually have another question to go along with the last….
I am a full-time student with work study and my tuition is fully covered (by various scholarships and grants). So, I really don’t have to pay for anything. However, just like anyone my age, I want to have my own car and apartment. Based on experience, do you suggest I stick with work study and stay on campus? Part of me wants to save money and use my time maintaining good grades. Rather than, working only to pay bills when I really don’t have to. I feel like I will be the last of my friends actually staying on campus within the next semester or two…maybe I’m just exaggerating lol!
August 6th, 2008 at 6:52 am
Nursing school is unlike any other schooling I’ve ever done. I am an older student (almost 40), and while I’ve been lucky to cruise through an undergraduate degree in my late teens and early twenties, this was a whole new ballgame. The sheer volume of information presented was amazing! I find myself studying a lot, but it pays off.
Best piece of advice is to form your own opinions. Don’t listen to the naysayers and negative nellies. Make your own way through the program. You can completely disregard instructors, classes and clinical experiences by listening to disgruntled and unhappy fellow students.
Set aside enough time to study and paperwork. This part of your life is your job now. There will be plenty of time for work (and lots of it!) when school is finished. I was not lucky enough to devote all my time to school. I worked full-time while going through the majority of my nursing program. It can be done. Again, don’t listen to those who will try to bring you down and tell you it’s impossible.
Most importantly, enjoy each moment of nursing school, with all its paperwork, tests, etc. Set a goal to be the best nurse you can be!
August 6th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
I am a senior nursing student graduating in April and from my experience, I worked as hard as I could to get in. I tried to make the best grades as possible in all my pre-req’s. But once I got here, it’s a whole different world. You need to learn to be flexible. Maybe it’s just our school (but i know nursing in general can be this way) but they change test times and dates at the drop of a hat. You also have to learn to “critically think”. There is no black and white anymore. It’s all grey. There are always 2 right answers. You have to critically think which is the best right answer for that situation. That was the hardest thing for me to grasp a hold of. But if you can, once you start, get a job in the hospital as some sort of tech so you can start to absorb it all in. That’s what I did, and I feel like i’m a step or two ahead of classmates that didn’t.
August 24th, 2008 at 6:12 am
Hello,I have been trying to get more info on what I can do to get into RN school.And someone told me to go to other country to study.IS it posible?
September 21st, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Sarah,
Hi what nursing school did you got too?
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:08 pm
How would you recommend getting more prepared for clinical? I find myself feeling like i don’t know what I am doing a lot of the time in clinical and I don’t know how to change that without more practice, but we only have clinical once a week. Any tips?