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5 Things to Know Before the First Day of Nursing School

The first semester of nursing school is said to be the busiest and the most difficult to keep up with. The first semester consists of many core classes nursing student will utilize in the future semesters. Tips to help starting out nursing students is explained perfectly in this article. One tip that stood out to me was, you will feel overwhelmed by the workload. Since the first semester consists of many classes there is a test or quiz every week and not always just one test or quiz, but multiple tests and quizzes. On top of the exams there are readings to be completed. The article explains in order to not be as overwhelmed students should prioritize. Prioritizing has helped me figure out which tasks I should be completing first. As a nursing student this article is spot on. 

- Kristen Doyle 

Picture & Citation Reference: “5 Things to Know Before the First Day of Nursing School.” Ameritech College of Healthcare , 15 Jan. 2016, https://www.ameritech.edu/blog/advice-starting-first-day-nursing-school/.

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5 Things to Know Before the First Day of Nursing School

This article has summed up nursing school so far perfectly! I definitely have found myself overwhelmed with work. Since I was out of school for an entire year it was difficult for me to get back into the swing of things. I had to make sure I was prioritizing my school work and staying on top of things so I did not/do not fall behind. I went from working a full-time job and going home every night leaving work at work and not having responsibility for the rest of the day. Now when I go home from school it is expected that I stay up to date with my assignments and what ever homework is due. I do think passing is extremely important, however like the article says comprehension is more important that perfect grades. We need to make sure we are understanding the material rather than just memorizing it to get a perfect score on an exam. We will be taking care of people’s lives and it is important that we know how to do so! 

Reference

“5 Things to Know Before the First Day of Nursing School.”

Ameritech College of Healthcare

, 15 Jan. 2016, https://www.ameritech.edu/blog/advice-starting-first-day-nursing-school/.

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Nursing school can be full of random surprises that can easily turn your first semester upside down. No one will really know how hard and overwhelming it really is until they experience it themselves firsthand. Even when my friends tell me what to expect, I myself would have never envisioned these kinds of new hardships. I realized nursing school isn’t all about getting the best grade possible but rather getting to understand the use of application based scenarios. “Rather than obsess over each grade, focus on comprehension, learning the material, and developing your critical thinking skills” (Ameritech, 2016). Nursing school isn’t strictly just based of memorization and terminology. It’s more so understanding how the body intertwined and what is necessary to do to maintain the body in homeostasis. I am beginning to slowly grasp this concept although the first semester is ending. But better late than never. -Stephanie Ng Picture & Citation Reference: “5 Things to Know Before the First Day of Nursing School.” Ameritech College of Healthcare , 15 Jan. 2016, https://www.ameritech.edu/blog/advice-starting-first-day-nursing-school/.

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Top Tips for starting Nursing!

1) Breathe. Your first week studying nursing will seem like a whirlwind. There’s so much information given about your course, about your timetable, assignments, and requirements on your first week, but trust me it all gets a little easier. 

2) Don’t go out and buy every book on nursing that there ever was. I made this mistake in my first year and i totally regret it now. Most books you’ll maybe open once or twice, but you’re better off just checking out books from the library for when you need them! (Unless it’s mandatory you get them)

3) Use the library! Your college or university is very likely to have a library, so make sure you use it! There could be a great range of books related to your topic, be it an assignment or simply something you want to read up on. Libraries are a life saver during exam/essay time. 

4) Do not leave your assignments to the last minute. Some people can pull this off and get 90% + after only starting it the day before, but trust me, start a few weeks in advance. This way its much less stressful and leaves you time to get good references and to proof read.

5) Don’t feel left out from other students. Enjoy freshers week, go out and have fun with other students. There will be times, such as during clinical placements, when you’re not able to do the same things as regular students, so enjoy your theory blocks! 

6) Always ask for help. I know, this can be so daunting, but if you’re unsure about a topic, or are struggling with the course or assignment, get help! Lecturers and your tutors are always there to help and are usually nurses or ex-nurses themselves so they often offer the best advice. 

7) Take care of yourself. When out on placement, you can feel drained, but always remember that you have the right to go to the bathroom, and get something to eat and drink. Always try to be hydrated and well fed for those long shifts, it’ll help.

8) Always always always have at least 3 pens on you during a shift. Because i can almost guarantee that you will lose at least one and get one stolen from another nurse or doctor who has ‘forgotten’ to return it to you. 

9) Start studying common medications. This can be a bit easier if, like me, you’re specialising in a certain area and have less drugs to learn, but knowing what common drugs do what and the side effects/dosages will help you in the long run. 

10) Comfy shoes will change your life. A good investment in comfortable shoes early on in your course will save your feet during those long gruelling shifts. 

11) Take notes. There’s never enough time to write down an entire lecture’s powerpoints, but write down what you think is important. These notes will be helpful come assignment time.

12) Bring snacks to lectures and shifts. A little sugar rush can do a world of good for your energy levels. Be prepared to share, though.

13) Try and make friends. Hard for some, easy for others. But having fellow nursing friends can be so helpful, someone to talk to about assignments and placements, and someone to battle through your 3 years with.

14) If you’re being treated unfairly, report it! 

15) Enjoy!!! Your three years will fly in. It may not seem like it when you’re sat in your very first lecture, but believe me, next thing you know, you’ll be starting your final placement before qualification. There will be times that you want to quit, times that you’ll laugh, times that you’ll cry, but at the end of it you’re going to have a whole new career waiting for you. 

Welcome to the next 3 years of your journey, freshers!

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LITTLE REMINDER #005

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Ameritech’s article gives you advice to help you get prepared and gives you tips on what your first semester is going to be like.  After experiencing the initial joy of getting into a nursing school the anxiety and pressure to do well set in. As a nursing student the standards we are held to can cause a lot of stress but creating realistic expectations of ourselves can help alleviate some of that extra stress. Preparing yourself and managing yoru time and workload is a big part of succeeding in nursing school.  The article stresses focusing on the learning comprehension instead of getting caught up in the grades.  When you feel overwhelmed with work learning when to say no and prioritizing will help you succeed and stay on track with your workload. Learning how to read, retain and keep up with the chapters will help with understanding material long term. These are good tips to keep in mind before starting school so you don’t  fall behind and get down on yourself.  As the article says we aren’t perfect as new students we just have to try our best. Overall nursing school calls for a lot of changes and being mature enough to make sacrifices and stay dedicated is what is going to help you in the long run.

-Carly

“5 Things to Know Before the First Day of Nursing School.”

Ameritech College of Healthcare

, 15 Jan. 2016,

https://www.ameritech.edu/blog/advice-starting-first-day-nursing-school/.

I got accepted into my first choice nursing school for 2018!

I completed my EEN this year and have just been accepted to study for my Bachelors of Nursing for March 2018! I am beyond excited.

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Regardless of a subject, there are always difficulties or struggles that one should overcome. Some might think that nursing school is not as overwhelming as to compare with other professional schools. There are several sacrifices that must be made in order to become a nurse during the school. One of the biggest sacrifices might be time. In other words, investing the right amounts of time on something that we want in the future is crucial as it can enhance our understanding of a subject. If insufficient amount time invested on a subject or subjects, the consequence can be very serious. This is being the case; reading should be taken seriously. Nursing student should be able to do quality readings. She or he should not read the materials just for the grades only but also read for the sake of the patients. Every piece of information that is learned during the school year might eventually save a life.  Social life is prominent when it comes to mental health. Socializing with friends or family members might take significant amounts of time of the nursing student which might result in failing the nursing school. Therefore, nursing student should be able to manage his or her time in a wisely manner, otherwise inability of managing the time might cause the nursing student to fail his or her studies. Not even failing but most importantly the “missed” or unlearned knowledge might cause serious consequence in the future when treating a patient (Ameritech, 2016).

~~Azizbek Sayfullaev~~

Reference 

“5 Things to Know Before the First Day of Nursing School.”

Ameritech College of Healthcare

, 15 Jan. 2016, https://www.ameritech.edu/blog/advice-starting-first-day-nursing-school/.

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Importance of Scrubs

Medical scrub give off a sense of professionalism in the work place. In my experience, I work in a dermatologist office that used to not be uniform. The office switched over to a scrub uniform, which emphasizes professionalism within the workplace. Besides professionalism and style, scrubs are worn as sanitary clothing. Scrubs are also designed to differentiate providers. For example, nurses wear blue, doctors wear black and radiology wears purple. Color coordination between different providers and specialties are important in a hospital setting so you are able to differentiate between one another. This also allows patients to have a sense of who is who in the hospital.  

- Kristen Doyle

izaan_uniforms. (2017, November 9). Importance of Wearing Professional Medical Uniforms. Retrieved from http://www.izaanuniforms.com/blog/importance-of-wearing-professional-medical-uniforms/.

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Medical scrubs are the way patients, nurses and the community identify nurses.  While it started out as a hygienic uniform for surgeons most healthcare providers and staff wear scrubs to work everyday. I know if it were me and a random person walked in the room with regular clothes and told me she was my nurse i’d probably be really hesitant to talk to her. Like many other professions uniforms create an identity and an image for their staff. Professions such as cops, firefighters, chefs, pilots and many others allow us to familiarize and become comfortable with people we need to trust to do their specific job. Scrubs give a professional look that suits the needs and requirements of healthcare workers.   As a nursing student I get so excited in the scrubs store looking at all the different kinds and colors that I’ll be able to wear eventually.  They are built to be comfortable, resourceful and easy to clean.  As nurses it’s so important to be comfortable as we will work 12+ hour shifts.  Also being around diseases, blood and other various germs make scrubs a necessity in health care and especially a hospital.

-Carly

izaan_uniforms. (2017, November 9). Importance of Wearing Professional Medical Uniforms. Retrieved from http://www.izaanuniforms.com/blog/importance-of-wearing-professional-medical-uniforms/.

My heart skipped all kinds of beats buying my first pair of scrubs. My dad said he could hear me giggling inside the dressing room (little does he know I was also bouncing around to Shut Up And Dance). Be still my heart, I’m going to nursing school y'all! 😍

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Importance of Wearing Professional Medical Uniforms

I think it is extremely important for nurses to be in matching uniform. This conveys a sense of professionalism to the patient. Besides the sanitary aspect of scrubs, they are important for other reasons as well. They are “easy to clean” but they now serve as a form of identification. When you see someone in the hospital in scrubs it cook be likely that they are a nurse, or other health care professional. Here at LIU, for laboratory class it is required that the students are in full uniform each day which consist of matching scrubs, and appropriate shoes. I think this is very important because it forces us to get into good habits now. I think students should take this more seriously since it is only to benefit us in the long run. It also helps us feel like a team and remind us that we are all in this program together!

-Victoria Curcio

izaan_uniforms. (2017, November 9). Importance of Wearing Professional Medical Uniforms. Retrieved from http://www.izaanuniforms.com/blog/importance-of-wearing-professional-medical-uniforms/.

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Medical scrubs embody the definition of the medical healthcare field. Scrubs are what makes medical workers different from all kinds of fields because we stick out like a sore thumb. It’s hard to deny what we do when we walk around in uniform. There are many career fields such as accountants, lawyers, bankers, all go to work wearing similar business professional wear. Medical workers have the advantage of not having to stress over mismatched outfits as we head into work with our solid toned scrubs. The color of scrubs identify what department each worker belongs in. Durability and comfortability is important when it comes long 12 hour shifts so scrubs are probably the best outfit for us.

-Stephanie Ng

Picture & Citation Reference: Izaan_uniforms. (2017, November 9). Importance of Wearing Professional Medical Uniforms. Retrieved from http://www.izaanuniforms.com/blog/importance-of-wearing-professional-medical-uniforms/.

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Uniforms are important aspect of, not only, in the field of nursing but in any professions. Uniforms are unique way to capitalize the employee and without uniforms it might be difficult to identify the employee in any type of job. In the field of nursing or medicine, uniforms are one of the main requirements for providing maximized health care. To elaborate, uniforms, in this case, allow the patients to identify the medical professional. Wearing nursing or medical uniforms can minimize the stress of a patient. Another advantage of wearing a medical uniform is comfort as it allows medical professionals to discard the uniforms easily after completing any types of medical procedures. With that being the case, medical uniforms add additional protection to the medical professional as well as to the patient. In other words, by exchanging or discarding the used uniforms which might carry some pathogens due to the medical procedure that was performed can be easily avoided and eventually protected from the harm (izaan_uniforms, 2017).   

---Azizbek Sayfullaev----

refenrence

izaan_uniforms. (2017, November 9). Importance of Wearing Professional Medical Uniforms. Retrieved from http://www.izaanuniforms.com/blog/importance-of-wearing-professional-medical-uniforms/.

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Tips to pass the NCLEX

This article is useful for all nursing students. On top of courses taken throughout the program, there is also the NCLEX to worry about. This article give tips and advice on how to pass the NCLEX the first time you take it as long as study management. Practice questions are a must when studying for the exam. The article states that practice exams are the best and most important way to prepare but is only half the process. I find that downloading apps is an easy way to get daily practice in. Along with practice questions, a study plan can be implemented. The article states to find out your study style. For example, watching YouTube videos, listening to podcasts, or finding readings and visuals online. My personal study style is visual and listening learning styles. I find that videos and podcasts can be more stimulating and I have more of a grasp on the topic.

- Kristen Doyle 

Hamstra, Brittany. “Top 10 Tips: How To Pass The NCLEX The First Time.” Nurse.org, https://nurse.org/articles/how-to-pass-nclex-the-first-time/.

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Let’s NCLEX

The NCLEX is such a scary part of nursing school because one test determines whether you become a licensed RN or not.  This computerized test creates questions based on your answers and can last up to six hours which alone can cause anyone anxiety.  Students always talks about how on the NCLEX all the answers are right but you have to choose the question that is the most right. What a concept.  This article gives tips to help alleviate some of the stress that comes along with NCLEX and always shows you how to prepare so that you give yourself the best shot to pass.  Explaining the format, how to study, what to do and not to do before the exam and most of all having confidence in yourself and believing that you are gonna pass.  This article gives you helpful resources to use such as courses and review books and also tips on how to utilize test taking strategies and eliminate wrong answers.  

-Carly

Hamstra, Brittany. “Top 10 Tips: How To Pass The NCLEX The First Time.” Nurse.org, https://nurse.org/articles/how-to-pass-nclex-the-first-time/.

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Top 10 Tips: How To Pass The NCLEX The First Time

Just like anything I think practice makes perfect! I have had the pleasure of working with a few nurses who gave me advice on taking the NCLEX. One of the nurse practitioners suggested that I study as soon as I start nursing school. She suggested doing the topic in the NCLEX book that corresponds to what I am learning in school at the current moment. I think that was a good tip that way I won't feel as overwhelmed when I get closer to taking the test. The article also suggested that practice questions are extremely important when preparing for this exam. You should be able to separate what you know and what areas you need to work in. The questions that you are getting wrong you should focus on learning the material in those area, if writing notes down helps that can be an option or maybe talking things out helps you more. I think there are many ways to prepare for this exam but first you need to figure out your study style!

-Victoria Curcio 

Reference

Hamstra, Brittany. “Top 10 Tips: How To Pass The NCLEX The First Time.” Nurse.org, https://nurse.org/articles/how-to-pass-nclex-the-first-time/.

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The NCLEX exam is the final step to seal our degree as a BSN-RN. I think it’s important as we are going through nursing courses, we are also simultaneously correlating what we’re learning and hopefully applying it one day to the NCLEX. However, as the author of the article stated, “Earning straight A’s or 4.0 GPA in nursing school does not predict success on the NCLEX.” We should learn to understand the exam, that the exam algorithm produces each new question based on the performance from previous questions. The test bank is comprehensive and comprises of different question styles and topic content. (Hamstra, 2018). We should learn stress management, create study plans applying our own study styles and or level of test taking skills. Starting this habit early on, will ensure that we can maintain this rhythm until the day of the NCLEX does come we will be well prepared. -Stephanie Ng Picture & Article REF: Hamstra, Brittany. February 27, 2018. “Top 10 Tips: How To Pass The NCLEX The First Time.” Nurse.org, https://nurse.org/articles/how-to-pass-nclex-the-first-time/.

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Nursing school not only teaches us to be a potential nursing professional but also teaches us to master test taking skills in order to be ready for the nursing licensure exam. Test taking skill, somehow, is one of the difficult skills to master. I remember the massive amount time that I spent studying subjects and the exam results used to be lower than what I expected to be. I struggled with multiple choice questions over past two years. I figured out what I was doing wrong during the exam and gradually fixed or improved my test taking skills. Panic attack and overthinking the multiple-choice answers were certainly my weaknesses in the past. Of course, this does not mean that nursing students should only focus on mastering the test taking skill, but they should also learn the core curriculum of the subjects. They should be able to apply the knowledge that they learned during the nursing school into the test. However, as the article suggested that practicing significantly can improve the possibilities of passing the nursing licensure exam. This means practicing the question prior taking the exam can help to identify the weaknesses that each nursing student has (Hamstra, 2018).

 ~~Azizbek Sayfullaev

Reference

Hamstra, Brittany. “Top 10 Tips: How To Pass The NCLEX The First Time.” Nurse.org, https://nurse.org/articles/how-to-pass-nclex-the-first-time/.