Congratulations.  On to a great nursing career.  Welcome to the fold.   Tom 

What kind of advice are you looking for?  Specifics or support along the way?  Either way, everyone here will support you.

Congratulations on being accepted into nursing school. The day I got my acceptance letter my mom and I jumped up and down on the "for guests only" sofa while we screamed and hugged each other.

Nursing school is very demanding and time consuming--there is so much to learn in such a short time. In addition, the academic standards and the pressure to achieve are high. 

I recommend employing stress management/ work life balance techniques to include: 

• Ask for help from your family and friends--explain your needs during nursing school


• Build a support network with your classmates--find a buddy (mine was Pat)


• Prioritize your personal time and energy--you can not do everything you did before nursing school. A common mistake is adding activities without eliminating or decreasing others. It truly is a balancing act.


• STAY HEALTHY--nourish your mind, body, and spirit


• Focus on your goal--why you want to be a nurse


• Celebrate every small success


• Enjoy the ride

Thank you Teresa and HealingtheHelper, I will keep you all posted, I'm sure I'll need much encouragement along the way!!!!!!

As a nurse and an instructor, I agree with dedicated _to_nursing... My one ond only reason teaching is to create a new nurse out of you, not to see you fail..However, if you have trouble , please understan you need to report it to the instructor.. Remember we don't read minds, and we are watching other students too. It gives us great relief if commmunications are open from the beginning.. Certainly my students may tape my lectures. That can be a very helpful tool fo students who have a difficult time grasping..It's also a great tool for review.. Group or partner studying is also a wonderful idea... Best of luck to you.. Keep me posted..Teresa

Thank you all for your posts and words of encouragement.....i definately have no problem with asking for help when needed......also the community college I attended previously did not allow it but i will invest in a recorder (because I am an auditory/visual learner) if allowed.

I have registered for my classes and have Orientation June 30th!!!!!   I have a friend that has already started at the same college and she says the instructors are very encouraging and willing to help in anyway!!!!!!!

Congratulations on being accepted!  As someone who just finished nursing school (graduated Magna Cum Laude at TWU one of the best nursing schools in the state of Texas), I have lots of advice and opinions.  Honestly, nursing school has been one of the hardest things I have ever done.  What is funny is that school itself wasn't hard for me (Maybe having a previous degree in biology helped, but still school wasn't hard).  For me and my classmates, the politics and the demands they put on you are very challenging.  

Specific Advice:

*Learn Pharm and Patho like it is the back of your hand.  This basic knowledge is great building blocks for everything you will need to know.

*Study ahead of time.  I always studied weeks before my exam.  You will figure out which classes need more of your time than others (Pharm and Patho for starters).  So for the harder classes, once you get the material review it every day.   Don't wait until the weekend before to start studying.  That is stressful.

*Get sleep!  Seriously, I slept every night at least 8 hours.  I would go to bed at 9 and wake up at 5.  Doesn't sound too pleasant when you think about it, but making sure you get at least 8 hours sleep will do wonders for you!  My fellow classmates would stay up until 3 go to bed, and then come to class at 9.  You must rest your brain. 

*Along with sleep, exercise and eat well.  Your whole body has to be healthy for you to survive.

*Don't read the book unless your instructor specifically tells you to read the book.  Now, for all the instructors out there, I am sorry to tell you this, but I rarely read the book.  Usually in lectures the instructors will go over what they want you to learn.  If they reference specific page numbers or charts, make sure you read those. 

*Something that worked really well for me was rewriting my notes.  It helped reinforce the material. 

Seriously, if you have any more questions let me know.  I am so glad to be finished with school.  Oh, and one last piece of advice, if you can get a job as a tech or extern after your first semester, you will find a MUCH MUCH easier time of getting the job when you complete school. 

Hello everyone, this is my first post. I've had this link for a couple of years but have dropped out of nursing school, so that's why I haven't used it. I just got accepted back into nursing school, and will start in a couple of days. I'm trying my hand at the Practical Nursing first. Congrats to everyone else who also got accepted, good luck and God bless.

Thank you AtlasRNfor your advice ........I learned my lesson on getting some rest, it helped me get through this last semester of my prereq's (AP2 and Micro along with others), - and congratulations on your recent graduation!!!!

Congratulations msmarie75!!!!!