This is Sassy Nurse Chrissy's guide to Rocking Nursing School!
Nursing School is like joining the Military. It's every bit as hard as they said it was going to be and only the strong survive. However, the rewards are a life long career in one of the most exciting and lucrative fields available!
Lets get right to it.
Number one. Attitude.
Your attitude. Get it into your mind right away, your mental focus is not on passing the next test. It's not about trying to memorize facts, (that was high-school). Its about actually understanding what you are reading, I mean really understanding it. You will stand out head and shoulders above the crowd if you take extra time to ask questions to truly understand what you are studying. Do you know why? It's because after you finish school you have to pass the Nursing Board Examination to put that RN in your title! You also want to become an awesome nurse and an awesome nurse knows their stuff! Knowing your stuff could very well mean the difference between saving a patients life or loosing a life.
Number two. Study Groups.
Now that you know your Attitude, go find a good study group. This is tricky. A large group will fight, so stay away from real large groups. I found around five people or so to be the magic number. Make sure that everyone in your group studies the material and contributes. Beware of groups where one person dominates and ideas are shut down. Also beware of groups with a lot of slackers who haven't done the reading. Don't try to be popular, don't worry about offending people. Get into a good group that fits you. A dysfunctional group that performs poorly on tests can drag you down with them. You are better off alone than with a group like that. You won't keep in touch with most of them anyway even though it seems like you'll be friends for ever. This is about your future.
Number three. Work in Nursing Now.
You can easily find a part-time job as a CNA even if its two times a week. You are going to out perform and out-shine the others if you are already getting some real life experience in the field. You're learning the ropes, you're seeing it done. As an aide you will truly find out the real deal about nursing and if it's right for you. If you work as an aide you will learn the tips and tricks that don't get taught in the classroom. In many cases the place you work for as an aide will be more than happy to hire you as soon as you become an RN, and guess what, you already know everyone and don't have to go to interview after interview. Think about it, you need to get a good year of experience under your belt before you really know what your doing. So it really doesn't have to be at the top facility in the state. Just find an spot somewhere, be an awesome nurse for that facility, get your year of experience and then you can go anywhere.
That's it! Now go out and be better than the rest!
