Top 10 Things You Wish You Knew When Starting Nursing School...

I'm starting a list for anyone out there who stumbles across my blog, because so far for me, this is just turning into a head-spinning, sleep-depriving, hoop jumping journey, but I don't think it has to be. I wish I had heard or known all of these things before being 1 semester into my 2-year accelerated BSN program. Some of these are based on my own experience, and some are things I have recently learned from other students farther along in the program. And this may eventually expand beyond 10 things, if I'm being honest, but I figure this is a good starting point.

So without further ado, and in no particular order:

1. Make sure you have ALL medical forms you will need the doctor to fill out in order to attend your clinical assignments, BEFORE making your FIRST appointment for titers/vaccines/physical/TB test.

- This will undoubtedly save you money in the long run, since if the program you're in is anything like mine, they will continue to add or change forms (or just forget to give you some to begin with) if you start the process too early without confirming with them that you have everything you'll need. As a result, you'll end up setting up multiple doctor's appointments or nurse's visits for something that could've been taken care of in maybe 3, max (and that is only because some vaccines require 3 doses and most hospitals require 2 separate TB skin tests).

2. PLAN on having at least an extra $1,000-2,000 saved for additional supplies costs at the beginning of the very first semester of school - EVEN IF they quote you pricing, go higher than the quote when you're planning to save or get private loans.

- My program quoted miscellaneous costs (i.e. ATI materials, scrub uniform, shoes, PDA software, etc.) that would be required, at the orientation prior to the start of our first semester (which didn't yet require these materials). By the time we actually had to purchase them, they'd all increased in price - one even doubled. It obviously just makes it easier and less stressful if you know to prepare for this one the front end.

- Maybe a good way to do this is to take every figure they give you and multiply it by 1.25%. :) - only because the dollar amount listed above may vary from school to school

3. If you've been a straight "A" student in the past, wrap your head around the fact that nursing school is a totally different bear from any other schooling you've had before (yes, even if you already have a Bachelor's degree or higher). A "C" is acceptable (in all the programs I had researched before entering school, at least), and "B" is still STELLAR! The translation of these grades means something different than it did in primary school or other degrees.

- Don't be discouraged if you now can't pull off a B, let alone an A++. 

- Also, be prepared to completely overhaul your study techniques. Flash cards are helpful, but won't cut it when you're trying to memorize a vast database of pharmacological names, especially when you go to apply them in writing your care plans. You can no longer memorize and dump - you have to memorize and STICK! REPEAT-REPEAT-REPEAT - make it a daily ritual.

4. DON'T plan on working. 

- Just trust me on this. Unless you have a photographic memory and propensity for doing things 100% correctly the first time, it's best if you only have to focus on what you're learning in school and leave the rest of your time for studying (REPEAT-REPEAT-REPEAT) and decompressing. You are learning a brand new, completely foreign, highly technical and largely academic discipline - make it as easy on yourself as possible!

5. DO focus on things that keep you healthy and sane.

- Keep getting together with friends, family, girlfriend/boyfriend - once a week or even once a month, whatever you can manage. Watch an occasional TV show or if your eyes have the capacity for it after finishing your school reading for the week, do some recreational reading. But MOST IMPORTANTLY: focus on (A) getting enough sleep, (B) getting daily exercise, even if it's only 20 minutes of cardio, and (C) eating right. These activities relieve both physical and emotional stress and if you block them into your daily routine, it will better help you navigate the pressures of your intense schooling program.

- Remember the "3 P's" of alleviating long-term stress (little trick I just acquired in my nutrition class) - Planning (plan ahead to decrease stress factors), Perception (choose not to view things as a big deal - don't make mountains out of mole hills!), and Physical Activity (Can we say "endorphins"?).

6. Pray, meditate, read Scripture - spend time with Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and Abba Father. 

- This one's kind of a subcategory of #5, but I feel it's essential enough to get its own sub-header. For those of you who have a personal relationship with God, you know how essential it is to submit to Him on a daily basis, and how much it helps to realign your perspective in other areas of your life. Make Him the number one priority, and everything else will fall into place.

7. DO confirm requirements for materials EARLY (shoes, stethoscopes), and once you get definitive answer - bargain shop!  

- Places like allheart.com, shoesforcrews.com, and others offer quality supplies at lower costs than if you buy directly through the school - but you HAVE TO BE SURE they fit the regulations in your school's program, as well as the regulations for the hospitals you'll be working with for clinicals (your program directors and clinical instructors can help you with that part of it as well), lest you end up ordering things you cannot use.

8. DON'T feel guilty about not being able to go out, take people out, buy gifts, spend money frivolously, etc.

- School is expensive. Any true friends will understand you can't party like a rock star while you're living on government assistance to broaden your horizons and embark on a new career. It's not for forever, just for the immediate foreseeable future - and...

- It's WORTH IT. Remind yourself of that EVERY DAY.

9. DON'T feel guilty about social time constraints.

- Tell your friends, family, boyfriend/girlfriend, etc. well in advance (and repeat it often) that you love them, but that you will likely be a ghost for the next [however-long-your-program-is]. It is NOT true that because they can "make time" for you, you should always be able to "make time" for them. Most will respect this and offer encouragement (at least I've been lucky enough to find that in my own experience), but I just think it makes the transition easier if you tell them early, sweetly and honestly, and remind them often that you would love to be there, and will, when you are out of school. For now, it's ok to say "no" because you have to study.

10. DO accept the fact that you won't be able to do all the things you could do before you entered school.

- This one involves not beating YOURSELF up, and also making the best use of your time that you would otherwise spend cavorting and frolicking. Frolick when you're an RN.

- (Yes, this does include severely limiting your time on Blogger, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Cable Television, etc. Just because you're not out at a bowling alley with a posse doesn't mean you couldn't be using your time more productively - I'm NOT looking forward to this one.)

Have I left any out? I know I have several friends who have already BEEN through this whole process. Anything you guys care to add?

XOXO,

Cat