4 answers
Savannah
Student
Summerville, South Carolina
2
Questions
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What's an important thing to remember throughout nursing school that helped you get through it?
#nursing #college #nurse #healthcare #hospital-and-health-care
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4 answers
Nick Collins, MS, RN, CNS
Critical Care & Cardiogenomic Clinical Nurse Specialist | UCSF Faculty
13
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Nick’s Answer
I’m going to give a somewhat unconventional answer. Yes, of course there’s all the essential components about going to class, excelling in class, and taking tests required for school as well as excelling in the clinical setting. However, I think what made my goal of getting through nursing school more attainable was the realization that despite how vigorous the programs are there are still quite a number of nurses who been through this process and are successful.
It’s all about time management and that balance in integrating your academic life into the rest of your life. It can be hard at times but take the program step by step, semester by semester, class by class and clinical by clinical. It’s quite common, the a student who excel academically in the classroom can have quite a bit of difficulty acclimating to the clinical environment. In fact I see this as one of the more common issues that cropped up with the students that I teach. It doesn’t necessarily make them bad students, but it is an adjustment and everyone makes that transition differently and at different stages in their learning.
Finally, being a student is somewhat uncomfortable especially when you are taking care of patients in the clinical setting and you have to act like an expert (in front of patients) when you’re still learning. My suggestion I tell students is to get comfortable with their discomfort, because through program you’re going to feel this way despite reassurances from faculty. Healthcare education among all the professions involves both didactic and clinical demonstration. And, that means that when demonstrating your clinical skill to faculty it’s almost like a stage performance in that you’re always “on stage.” Even when you make that transition to professional practice you will still feel that way for a time as you build you confidence in your chosen craft. Nursing school is a journey with a destination, but I would argue that the nursing profession you are pursuing is a journey without a destination in that you’re always obtaining new skills and reinventing your own style, confidence and purpose along the way.
It’s all about time management and that balance in integrating your academic life into the rest of your life. It can be hard at times but take the program step by step, semester by semester, class by class and clinical by clinical. It’s quite common, the a student who excel academically in the classroom can have quite a bit of difficulty acclimating to the clinical environment. In fact I see this as one of the more common issues that cropped up with the students that I teach. It doesn’t necessarily make them bad students, but it is an adjustment and everyone makes that transition differently and at different stages in their learning.
Finally, being a student is somewhat uncomfortable especially when you are taking care of patients in the clinical setting and you have to act like an expert (in front of patients) when you’re still learning. My suggestion I tell students is to get comfortable with their discomfort, because through program you’re going to feel this way despite reassurances from faculty. Healthcare education among all the professions involves both didactic and clinical demonstration. And, that means that when demonstrating your clinical skill to faculty it’s almost like a stage performance in that you’re always “on stage.” Even when you make that transition to professional practice you will still feel that way for a time as you build you confidence in your chosen craft. Nursing school is a journey with a destination, but I would argue that the nursing profession you are pursuing is a journey without a destination in that you’re always obtaining new skills and reinventing your own style, confidence and purpose along the way.
Sandra Hurst
nurse
32
Answers
Jacksonville, Florida
Updated
Sandra’s Answer
Hello,
It literally took me about 15 minutes to think of an answer for this because of the MANY tangible and intangible things that you need to get through nursing school; however, the MOST important intangible thing that got me through was thinking positive out loud to drown out the silent negatives that come across your mind; saying things like, "I will get through nursing school", "I know I can do this", "I'm not going to let anything deter me to complete school", or "I will graduate from nursing school this year", will increase your motivation and determination to complete nursing school. Here is a little information on positive effects when thinking out loud: https://advice.theshineapp.com/articles/4-science-backed-reasons-to-take-your-self-talk-out-loud/
It literally took me about 15 minutes to think of an answer for this because of the MANY tangible and intangible things that you need to get through nursing school; however, the MOST important intangible thing that got me through was thinking positive out loud to drown out the silent negatives that come across your mind; saying things like, "I will get through nursing school", "I know I can do this", "I'm not going to let anything deter me to complete school", or "I will graduate from nursing school this year", will increase your motivation and determination to complete nursing school. Here is a little information on positive effects when thinking out loud: https://advice.theshineapp.com/articles/4-science-backed-reasons-to-take-your-self-talk-out-loud/
stefan buschnyj
Technician
22
Answers
Chicago, Illinois
Updated
stefan’s Answer
Hi Savannah,
If you’re studying for nursing or any other subject/degree, at times It can seem like graduation is too far away. Sometimes it helps to remember why you started. Was it because you wanted to help people that are injured or sick, or to get a good paying job to have money to provide for yourself and your family? It helps to remind yourself that you can do it. You can accomplish whatever goals you decide to if you work at it. Also, it’s OK if you change your mind. I started out wanting to go to nursing school but decided that it wasn’t for me. I changed to studying how to repair medical equipment, like EKG and x-ray machines. Some of things I learned while preparing for nursing school helped when I studied how to repair medical equipment. Good luck and keep learning!
If you’re studying for nursing or any other subject/degree, at times It can seem like graduation is too far away. Sometimes it helps to remember why you started. Was it because you wanted to help people that are injured or sick, or to get a good paying job to have money to provide for yourself and your family? It helps to remind yourself that you can do it. You can accomplish whatever goals you decide to if you work at it. Also, it’s OK if you change your mind. I started out wanting to go to nursing school but decided that it wasn’t for me. I changed to studying how to repair medical equipment, like EKG and x-ray machines. Some of things I learned while preparing for nursing school helped when I studied how to repair medical equipment. Good luck and keep learning!
Jordan Morgan
Registered Nurse
2
Answers
Fresno, California
Updated
Jordan’s Answer
That you will graduate! You will get your license! You will be successful! This’ll all be worth it in the end! Don’t quit. It’s ok to doubt yourself at times but don’t lose sight of your end goal, you’re smarter and stronger than you think! If you can do this, you can do anything! Don’t be afraid to ask for help, to ask those “dumb questions” because those are usually the most important.