The start of nursing school is filled with so many different emotions: excitement, apprehension, nervousness, anxiety. I remember feeling so overwhelmed when I first started, and wondering how I was ever going to accomplish everything. To be honest, I still feel this way at the beginning of every class. However, it can be done, and you will be successful! I titled this post 7 tips for starting nursing school, but I know this information can be beneficial at any point in the program.Be prepared Have everything you need when you go to class. Computer (and charger), notebooks, pencils, pens, lecture material, whatever you need for the day. We use Blackboard as our online student portal. I have been taking classes at my college for three years when you include my Associate in Science degree. Every new class I start it takes some time to learn the layout of Blackboard, so make sure the first few days of class you really take some time to navigate and learn your online portal. You also want to make sure you print out any information you need for class. I like to take time on the weekend to print everything out for the week and look it over before lecture. Taking the extra time to be prepared will make for a much better and less stressful classroom experience. Also, you never know when a pop quiz is coming!

Get organized This goes along with what I said above. Get a planner, an app, or use the calendar on your phone to get organized! I prefer to hand write things, but do what works best for you.Write down all your assignments and place due dates a couple days ahead of time. This will give you a buffer. After you get everything in your planner or calendar, the next day go and verify the due dates you have written. You do not want to miss an assignment because of a transcription error. I also print the course calendar out and put it in the front of my binder (in the clear sleeve on the outside) so I have quick and easy access to it to check due dates and also to make quick changes if anything comes up in class.

Make a friend I have found having someone (or a few people) that you can get in contact with if you are in a bind or have a question is a life saver! Instructors aren’t always very quick at answering questions during the hours when you are at home, you classmates are much more likely to quickly reply to a text or phone class. My class has a private Facebook group where we can ask questions about clinical times, due dates, ect also which I have found to be a big help.

Ask for help If you find yourself struggling, the sooner you ask, the sooner it can be addressed! Nursing classes move FAST, so you do not want to fall behind. Take full advantage of all your resources (including free tutoring you college may offer), ask questions in class, and meet up with you instructor if you are still struggling. Many times your classmates can be excellent resources for information you are not understanding too. Nursing tests are critical thinking questions, not fact recall. They are a totally different beast than other tests you have taken! You really need to understand the material to be able to apply it to the question in nursing. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when needed!

Stay positive At the beginning of every class I have ever taken in both my LPN and RN programs, the first couple days, I am OVERWHELMED! There is so much information, so many assignments, so many tests, clinical days, papers. You seriously don’t know how you will accomplish all of it. But you will. You will take it one day, one test, one assignment at a time, and you will be successful! Take a deep breath, take a break, call a friend, do whatever you need to do to regroup and get the job done. You can do it!

Do not procrastinate This was something I really have to continually work on. There is just to much information and things move to fast to procrastinate in nursing school.Study the material each night as you learn it, and then review everything before the test. If you have a paper or project due, start on it ahead of time! Seriously, DO NOT get behind in nursing school. I can’t say it enough.

Take care of yourself.

Believe in yourself One of the biggest keys to success is to believe that you can accomplish your goals! You can do it!

Feel free to ask me any questions! Good luck to everyone starting nursing school or a new semester!