How do I succeed in nursing school

Answer 1

Hello Tracy!

Build your resilience! Why? It helps you manage experiences that may be overwhelming for you. Be sure to utilize all your learning tools. Does your school have an academic success center? Tutoring services? Maintain a balanced schedule.......

-Tukessa G.

Answer 2

Hi Tracey,

I am not sure if you have already embarked on this journey or if you are just getting started, but Nursing School is a challenging process that has immense rewards in the end! I believe that being a nursing student takes diligence and perseverance. But your question is "How can you succeed in nursing school"? So here goes...

1. Have a strong foundation of Anatomy and Physiology. My motto is "you must understand normal physiology before you can gain deep understanding of disease". When you are learning about diseases, use that opportunity to review the normal functions first. Every time I review these concepts with students, I get an "Aha" moment when they make that connection.
2. Don't memorize material. Understand material. For example, understand why a drop in blood pressure might cause physical assessment changes like confusion, decreased urine output, etc. It will help you develop those coveted critical thinking skills you hear about from your professors!
3. Take one day at a time. One test at a time. One clinical day at time. One care plan at a time. Take the time to reflect on each experience and make connections between them. You will start to recognize patterns - some that are good and some you make need to change to get more from each experience.
4. Don't cram for tests. Nursing school tests DO NOT work that way. I repeat - nursing school tests are designed to test your application of the material. Cramming will not work. Instead study using case studies, practice NCLEX style questions, and study with friends who you trust.
5. Learn from your mistakes. Debrief your situation and devise a plan so you do not continue to make the same mistakes. We all make them and we should all be learning from them.
6. Listen to your patients. They have a lot of insight and can help you determine how you want to connect with people.
7. Lastly, be kind to yourself! Make sure to eat well, exercise, and get enough sleep! Nursing school is a marathon and requires you to stay healthy so you don't have set backs.

I hope this answer helps a little. The keys to success for any discipline is hard work and nursing school is no different. There are no short cuts to providing excellent nursing care! I wish you the best of luck!

Shri