Surviving Nursing School

Whether you are one of those lucky people that can just show up and make A’s or your like me and have to really focus to give it your all, Nursing School is HARD! Face it, you are learning information in a way that you have never experienced before! On top of this, your instructors are less than helpful! Let’s be honest, the weed out mentality is in FULL FORCE in Nursing education. On top of this, you are dealing with LIFE and every little curveball that it throws at you. So..WTF do you do to prevent yourself from going crazy and to PASS? Don’t worry, we’ve compiled some Tips & Tricks to address this

1. Study Smarter, Not Harder

    What does this mean you ask? It means that there is no extra points for putting in 1000+ Hrs for tests if you’re studying wrong. Yes, there is a right way to study. You need to focus on your exemplars, concepts, and major topics that your instructors are stuffing down your throat. These are things like perfusion (ie. CHF, CAD) for example. Next, you need to focus on the important aspects of these MAJOR topics. Don’t worry about all of the other crap that they fill books with. You need to focus on the stuff that RNs care about like teaching points, priority assessments and priority interventions. These are the things that Nursing School will demand that you know for tests and the boards! In other words, it’s not about Quantity but Quality indeed! 

2. Priority is Everything

    Our discussion from the previous point leads us into this next point. Priority is not something that is MAGIC and as Mysterious as your Nursing instructors make it. It comes down to ABCs and Safety! Remember, whether it is a priority patient, intervention or assessment, you are being asked to rank which of these is the most CRITICAL to Life or Safety at this time. There will always be a clear winner when you think of things in this context. Below is a useful chart to help. 

3. Sleep is a MUST

    I Know that this may sound ridiculous, I mean what is sleep in Nursing School right? Just like in the real world, you cannot safely navigate through your studies and operate as a safe practitioner in clinic if you are so exhausted that you cannot think straight. Don’t do it here. For your sake, for your grade’s sake and your sanity you must prioritize YOURSELF always. Self Care is key, Remember this point! 

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