It’s that time of year- where a new semester begins and the hustle and bustle of school is underway. Although I have had periods of time off during my journey to my Bachelors, it feels weird to not be packing up a backpack and heading back to school. However, I have learned a thing of two during my four degree programs I have completed (LPN, ASN, ADN, BSN.) Today I’m sharing three tips for success in nursing school and also linking to some of my other nursing school related post.
1. Get Organized & Stay That Way
I am not naturally the most organized person. I had to WORK to learn to be organized in nursing school. But with so many due dates, clinical, classes, projects, and more- you have to get organized in order to be successful. One missed assignment or clinical could cause you to fail an entire class. A few key elements to staying organized and on track:
- Use a planner! Whether digital or paper have all these due dates in writing!
- Keep your papers together! I had a 3 hole punch and ALL my papers and notes went into the binder for each class. I would print the course calendar out and put in the clear sleeve of my binder so it was easy to see.
- Find a buddy who you can check in with about assignments, etc. They don’t have to be you best friend, but if you have someone you can text if you have a question about something that was said in class you will get a response a lot quicker than an email from an instructor.
- Have all your stuff ready the night before! If your trying to pack your backpack or dewrinkle your scrubs the day before clinical, that’s a recipe for disaster.
Being diligent with your time and schedule will lead you to success (and cause you a lot less stress.)
2. Self Care is MANDATORY
You WILL burn out in nursing school if you don’t take care of yourself. The amount of work, pressure, and stress of nursing school makes it feel like you have no time to take care of yourself, but you do. Sleep, eat well, move you body, and do something you enjoy every week. That one hour of self care will be more beneficial than an extra sleep deprived stress meltdown hour of studying. Choose something that makes you happy- and make time for it every week.
3. To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, to be late is NOT TO BE
Guys, you do not want to be late to ANYTHING in nursing school. Ever. I have seen people get locked out of tests, classes, and sent home from clinical. I know things happen and there are things in life that cannot be controlled. But you HAVE to leave early for class. You need to go and find your clinical site the night before. I usually was at clinical (in our meeting spot!) 15-30 minutes before we had to be there. I was always at least 10 minutes early to class (seated in class 10 minutes early, not sprinting across campus.)
A few more post to help you be successful in nursing school:
Tips for Surviving Nursing School
I hope you all have a great semester! Good luck and take things one step at time. I remember feeling so overwhelmed at the amount of assignments on the syllabus every semester, but then at the end, you always somehow made it through!
What classes are you taking this semester? Do you have any questions or ways I can help you?