Real talk: I am so ready to be on summer break! I think its safe to say that everyone else in my class feels that way too! A lot of my family and friends are heading out on vacations and summer fun while I sit in class all day and study and work on the weekends, I am ready for some summer fun too! Luckily I am twelve days away from a 5 week summer vacation!
There is going to be more than one time in your nursing school journey when you want to quit. Anything can happen, from shrinking bank accounts to studying all night to do poorly on a test, the list goes on! It is STRESSFUL! However, you have to keep going! It is all going to be so worth it in the end!
Change Your Expectations
To believe that you can have a perfect house, gourmet meals, and make As on every test in unrealistic. I tend to get very high strung over my school work and feel like anything lower than an A is a failure, but this is simply not true! Measure your nursing school journey on how you are growing and all the information you are learning. Look at how you have improved in clinical since your first day. Yes, you need to pass your classes, but knowledge and growth are way more than a letter grade. Plus, once you are on the floor and in practice, your grades from nursing school will be the last thing on your (and everyone else’s) mind.
Prioritize
When you start feeling overwhelmed, it’s time to prioritize (which is great practice for when you enter the nursing world.) 😉 Make yourself a manageable list of what is most important to get done. Can you put off that housework another day to study for your test? Can you afford to study a little less for that 10 point quiz to get the care plan done that is weighted more? Lists help you see exactly what you need to do and go do it!
Relax and Recharge
You can not only do school work and/or work 24/7! It WILL catch up to you and will result in so much more stress and anxiety! Nursing school is HARD, it is honestly one of the biggest challenges of my life. This being said, you still have to find the time to relax and recharge. Go for a walk, read a chapter of a good book, head to the pool or beach for a couple hours. Do whatever will help you find some peace!
Remember What Your Working For
Nursing school is not forever, even though I know sometimes it feels like it. Remember, it will end, and at the end you will have a college education and a career! Sacrifice now for major gain later! Imagine yourself in the near future working as a nurse, helping real patients, and with a real pay check! One of my best nursing friends told me when she was in nursing school, her instructor told her to write Her Name, RN (or LPN). This helps you to visualize the goal and helps keep you going. I am not ashamed to say that I have written Megan Weaver, RN more than once in the past year since she told me that, and it really does help!
Good luck and keep going! Do you have anything to add about keeping motivated in school?