Make sure you stay fresh and up to date with you Anatomy and Physiology.....By time you get into Nursing school there are some things that you are just expected to know......That includes A&P and Psychology.....Make sure you go over your math....my school uses ratio and proportions for drug calculations....It also might be helpful to try and learn some of the abbreviations before you start....hope this is helpful....Message me if u have more questions

Thanks so much for the info, I did get a book on how to survive nursing school. And even books on your first year of nursing. I was a home health aide so I did get some CNA training, but that was a while ago. That is good to know about ratio and proportions. I have already done one class of Algebra and getting ready to start another one, but haven't done ratio and proportions in awhile so I will work on that. Thanks again!

I'm a nursing instructor. I can tell you what works for successful students in our program.

1) Don't try and work while in school, if you can possibly help it. If you do have to work, avoid working more than 20 hours a week, and don't work a night shift before class or clinic. If you have a job as a CNA, your manager will likely work with you on hours in the hopes you'll stay after you graduate.

2) Get your family and friends on board. Make sure they understand the tremendous lifestyle changes you will have to make as a nursing student. Successful students study 2-3 hours for every hour in class. Get your family to help you with chores, cleaning, errands. Yes, you are asking them to pick up your slack. But the improvement in your income will be well worth it.

3) Make time for you. Schedule in time to watch your favorite TV show, or have an evening with your boyfriend. All work and no play burns out a student nurse quick.

4) Buy a couple of NCLEX-RN review books, and practice taking tests the entire time you are in school. It will help you learn, and prepare you for the all important Boards.


5)If your school offers a course in study skills (especially if it's based on On Course), take it. If your school offers a course in Critical Thinking, take that. Nursing is less about memorizing facts about diseases and more about knowing what to do and when to do it.

6) Get involved in a study group, and meet regularly to study together. Try to bond with the strongest students academically in the class. If you study with students who are failing, chances are you will fail too.

7) Bring It Forward! Everything you learn, from your pre-reqs, to your nursing class themselves, builds upon the things you previously learn. I see a lot of students in our program fail because they do a "data dump" at the end of every semester. Everything you learn you will need to bring into use the following course.

8) If you are having trouble with your program, see your instructor early rather than late. If you wait until the week before finals to ask for help, there will be little she can do for you.

9) Start thinking as if you were an RN on day 1 of your program. Yes, you will have a limited scope of practice (most of what you will do will be supervised by your instructors). But if you get yourself into the habit of thinking like a nurse, you will start acting like one.

10) Participate actively in the classroom. Ask questions. Contribute to discussions. You will be more engaged in your learning.

11) Look for learning opportunities in clinic. Ask the staff nurses to throw skills practice your way. Ask your instructor to find interesting cases for you, and earn it by giving the best care to EVERY patient, even if they seem "boring".

12) If you school has an open lab for skills practice, use it often. If there is an instructor in the lab, pick her brain about the best way to put skills techniques in the books into real world practice.

13) Be careful about advice on how to do things given to you by staff. Some nurses and CNAs slack off on the correct ways to do things in an effort "to save time." Always ask yourself, "is this method safe for my patient?" Stick with the way your instructors teach you until you are in practice for awhile and more confident in your skills and knowledge.

14)Support your classmates emotionally, and they will support you. Nursing school is the most challenging, frustrating, agonizing course of study you will ever undertake. But it's worth it. I've been a nurse 22 years and still love it!

Good luck!

Theala, thank you for your input as an instructor. I cannot afford to work just 20 hours a week (I currently work 40 hrs). How do nursing students who once worked a FT job with a mortgage, car payments, and student loans pull it off? I would not qualify for grants or financial aid because I would have to report a combined household income (mine & hubby's) which is hardly enough yet too much to be qualified for financial aid.

Good luck to you. Here's how I survived.
Get a big calander and write when things are due. Then break up the assignements and work on them a little each day. For example if today I am finishing a project and start to get nervous about an upcoming test, I refer to my calander and see I plan on studying for the test tomorrow and the day after. That way I keep my anxiety in check and it allowed me to focus on task at hand.
Buy a good nyclex review book. After you have studied a disease or problem, try and answer the questions related to that and see how you do.
Do what the instructors tell you. If they say no dangle earrings or visible piercings do not show up with them and then get upset if they "target" you.
Be friendly and helpful to the nursing staff.
Most of all recognize there will be times when you feel like quitting and that you made a mistake...but do not do it.
Even if you fail, do not give up. Some of the best nurses failed one semester or didn't pass boards the first time around...but they never quit and they are nurses today.

If you can work as an aide I recommend it.

Hi Liz - I just finished my prereqs and I apply to my program this month. The only thing I've been doing (other than my classes) is reading..a lot. I re-read my anatomy and physiology books as well as other medical microbiology and reference books I've picked up along the way. Right now the application process is taking up my time though.

Theala, thanks for all the great tips. Its good to get info straight from a nursing instructor.
Does anyone recommend a certain NCLEX book? I want to get a good one and since there are so many out there I would like some of your input! Thanks!

lizbaby75tn said:

Theala, thanks for all the great tips. Its good to get info straight from a nursing instructor.
Does anyone recommend a certain NCLEX book? I want to get a good one and since there are so many out there I would like some of your input! Thanks!

I can't imagine having to go through school and balance a more adult life but that certianly doesn't mean it ia impossible. It is amazing what a person can challenge themselves to do in order to accomplish their goals.

My tips for school is to become close to your professors. They will hook you up with great hospital connections, give invaluble advice, etc.

In addition, if a teacher knows you are working hard and you are on the line of a B+/A- , sometimes they cut you some slack.

I am glad I became a member also. I've been a CNA for over 8 years. I am use to not getting respect. I think I can handle that part. I am pretty much finished with my Preriqusistes. I have a couple more classes to complete for my degree, but I can apply to nursing school anytime. I was wandering do anyone have any suggestion on nursing entry exams. What was your strategy, has anyone heard of the California Achievement Exam for nursing school entrances. I live in California, and I still can't find the book.

hello, I am the mother of three 18,4,and 3. My life has been a whirl wind since 99, my brother has mal. cancer, and has had many amputations, I have been the one who has always nursed him. My question to you all if I may,,,,I am 37 years old thinking of taking a program for LNA, and eventially becoming an RN....is it POSSIBLE? Thank you!!

Kimber said:

I will be graduating from my ADN program in May and the best advice I can offer is to take everything very seriously. It will be the hardest thing you will every do - but so very rewarding. I told one of my instructors during my first semester in Pharm when I had failed my first two exams (I had a 4.0 going in) that I had never worked so hard in my life to be failing. She seemed to understand and encouraged me to change my study methods and keep working until I find what works. After those first two exams, I managed to make some changes in how I studied and pulled my grade up to an 83%. It can be done so don't be stuck in your study habits because what works in one class may not be the best in another. Our class has lost about 60% of what we started with so strive to be in the top third and be prepared to work your butt off. The hardest part for me was the lack of respect that we were given in the beginning. It is equivalent to boot camp - but what is great is that as you prove that you are serious, they give you the respect that you deserve. You just have to be patient, humble, and hard working and it will pay off. I'm not trying to scare you, I just think that it is important to know what you are getting ready to embark upon. Make sure your family is on board with you and willing to have less of you for a couple of years. It will be an investment that will pay off in the end. Try to maintain some semblance of balance as best as you can--it will keep you sane. I hope this is helpful. I know I went in expecting it to be hard but truly had no idea so I hope this can help more of you make it through. Pray often and get plenty of sleep before exams. Good luck!

I am new to this site and found it very informative and wanted to thank you for your advice. I have never come this close before to getting my R.N. degree and it is very helpful to hear the expectations. Thanks!