I have a family member who is going to be starting Nursing School soon and I am so excited for her. I remember well that feeling of anticipation and dry-mouthed fear, looking at my brand-new textbooks and class outline, wondering how the heck I would learn all the material contained within… What would I tell myself if I had to do it again?

• Don’t sweat the unimportant details. Read for your learning objectives. If you find something interesting, go back later and look it up (and by later I mean after the test).
• This goes along with above: Learn what you have to learn for the test. Don’t fill your brain up with extra information. You are in survival mode. You can read about interesting things later, when you don’t have the stress of a test over your head.
• Subscribe to at least one nursing magazine. Even if most of it makes no sense to you now, you will have those journals to go back to if you need research or articles. Or, even more fun, you can go back to them next year and realize that you DO understand them now!
• Buy a good medical terminology dictionary.
• Remember that your classmates feel the same as you, even if they try to hide it. EVERYONE is scared to death the first day of clinicals. And if someone tells you they’re not scared, then they are lying.
• If you have to wear white pants, buy underwear the same color as your skin tone.
• If you take notes in class, be clear and concise. Index cards in a flip-book are a great way to organize yourself, and you can review your notes anywhere (in line at the store, waiting for a doctor appointment, etc)
• Schedule yourself wisely. I kept a daily, hourly calendar. I wrote in my work hours, class hours, and study time. And I made darn sure I wrote in my free time too. You have to remember that you are a person first, a student second.
• Consider a study group, but only if it’s your cup of tea. Some of the study groups I attended were good, thought-provoking discussion groups. Others were groups where the objectives would be divided up, each person would answer some, and hand out copies of the answers to the rest. (Definitely not the best learning experience.)  I ultimately discovered I work better on my own. Do what works for you.
• Finally, remember that it’s not as bad, big, or scary as it seems. You have probably heard more horror stories about nursing school than happy stories. The truth is that school is tough and demanding, but its also going to be one of the most rewarding experiences you will have. You will make friends for life, and you will be making professional connections as well. Nursing school is an adventure; enjoy it!