More Tips for Nursing Students on How to Make Your Year Work

ACCORDING TO A RECENT, NATIONAL STUDY OF STUDENTS GOING BACK TO SCHOOL FOR NURSING, reports Nursing Times, the weeks at the start of the school year and each semester are a time of extreme self-doubt and higher dropout rates. Unfortunately, poor study habits, lack of understanding of nursing school expectations and other irrational thought processes and decisions contribute to increasing dropout rates among nursing students. However, nursing students can take a few steps to improve their chances of success in nursing school. While these tips require minimal, if any, financial investment, they do require dedication and patience.

Rather than leaving your success up to chance, apply these tips to help make your back-to-school nursing dreams and aspirations successful. In addition, students considering applying to nursing school within the next year, should consider following these tips to help ensure a smooth transition from prerequisite coursework to nursing school. Without further ado, let’s start with preparing for nursing school.

1. Prepare Before School Starts

Get everything necessary for school admission accomplished first. This includes reviewing your health information, such as ensuring you have completed the right number and type of vaccinations, met with course instructors, obtained your books, received your supplies, purchased scrubs and hit every other mark set forth by your admissions department. In Part I, the steps to making preparation for nursing school easier were listed in extensive detail, and they should be completed prior to using these tips. Students should also obtain recommendations from other past instructors or employers to help with clinical placement or final admission, if requested by nursing instructors.

Another step in preparation is ensuring you have a reliable source of transportation and internet access. While books are great, you can find almost anything online, but you need to make sure the sources used are credible. If you do use online research tools, use the following keyword strings to help rule out irrefutable resources:

• Site:.gov “insert your keyword here”
• Site:.edu “insert your keyword here”
• Site:.org “insert your keyword here”

These search strings followed by your keywords will only list websites with a .edu, a .gov or .org ending. In other words, you will be accessing educational institution websites, government-run websites, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), or organizations’ websites, like the Mayo Clinic’s topic on overcoming mental stress, a result from this search string, “site:.org overcoming the stigma of student mental health.”

2. Get Organized

Keep all nursing school documents and necessary health documentation within an easy-to-access place or cloud-based drive. Since these documents may hold sensitive information, storage on the cloud is an option, but it may not be recommended or accepted by your school institution.

While in class, consider using a note-taking app, but do not forget the value of physical books. Of course, students may also consider using tablets or other devices to help make note taking easier.

3. Take Care of Yourself

By a second pair of comfortable shoes. It goes without saying that students spend an extraordinary amount of time on their feet, and while the legwork involved in nursing can be challenging, it is much easier when nurses have additional pairs of shoes to wear that are comfortable. Consider investing in at least one to two extra pairs of shoes for use in nursing school, especially clinicals. This will help prevent sore feet, and students experiencing pain should consider orthotic inserts, which provide additional support without sacrificing stability.

Keep a Journal

A journal is another excellent way of caring for yourself while in nursing school. Write one or two sentences each day about how you feel or questions you may have relating to your current progress in nursing school before bed. This will also help improve your mental health.

Exercise Regularly

Exercise provides a means of relieving stress and tension, built up from the countless hours spent studying and preparing to become a nurse. In addition, exercise triggers the release of endogenous morphine, endorphins, which help improve mental sharpness, clarity, mood and overall health.

Eat a Well-Balanced Diet

Having the right nutrients is key to ensuring your mind is open and capable of learning to the fullest extent possible. If eating a healthy diet is not your strong suit, consider creating a menu to help plan out what you will eat every week. This can also help you save on grocery and eating-out expenses.

4. Connect with Your Peers and Instructors

Your peers, past students, family members in the nursing profession and instructors can help you learn more about nursing than any book. While connecting with peers through social media may be appropriate, it is important to avoid conversations, threads, or other topics that could be construed as a poor choice of character.

For example, avoid discussions involving politics or other charged topics that could result in dismissal from the program. In addition, it is inappropriate to connect with your instructors on social media unless required by your school.

Find or Create a Study Group

Study groups help you connect with peers and ensure you have a grasp of nursing concepts. If study groups do not suit your fancy, or if you are fearful of joining existing groups, consider starting one with your classmates. Creating a study group from your cohort may be the better option as you will all have a general understanding of what topics to cover at a given time.

5. Know Nursing School Policies and Resources

Nursing is a profession where assertiveness and self-management are key to success. While instructors may review nursing school policies and resources at the beginning of the term, it is up to each student to memorize policy details and resource availability. In addition, students should consider when and how policies may be applied as follows:

Prepare for the Worst-Case Scenario

The worst-case scenarios are those involving multiple withdrawals or other negative consequences relating to nursing school. However, knowing the worst-case outcome and process is key to completing a semester as smoothly as possible when hiccups arise.

There will be circumstances when withdrawal from a particular course may be necessary, but it is not the end of the world. Students can complete the course during the next semester, but continued withdrawals or failures within classes may result in dismissal from the program.

Therefore, most programs ask students to focus on passing, not just grades and rank. Ultimately, a passing grade is all that is essential to graduating and being authorized to sit for your nursing licensure exam.

Consider Work-Study Programs

Work-study programs are another option for students considering employment while attending nursing school. These programs may allow you the freedom to study while working, such as in the school’s library. However, certain work-study programs may have strict time requirements, so avoid taking one during the most intense months of nursing school.

Work in the Health Profession

Working in the health field is another wonderful way to gain experience and ensure stability while attending nursing school. Certain employers may offer financial assistance, like tuition reimbursement or expense assistance. However, review any contractual obligations required as part of such programs carefully. Some programs require students to work for a given facility for a set period after graduation.

Students just beginning to consider nursing school should also become a Certified Nurse’s Aide (CNA). This entry-level certificate may be required for admission, and it is an excellent way to gain experience while reducing the chance of being waitlisted.

6. Manage Your Time Proactively

Creating a study schedule is key to helping students stay on track, and given that nursing school can involve multiple tests and course objectives per week, it is important to know when to move on to the next subject. Instead of devoting a week’s worth of study to a single course, a varied schedule ensures coverage of all topics and subjects. This proactive approach to studying and time management can be enhanced with these tips:

Use Active Learning Techniques During Studying

Active-learning techniques engage your mind while studying. Instead of simply reading a textbook, engage with the material through methods like flashcards, diagram drawing, note annotation, or reviewing educational videos. The U.S. National Library of Medicine reports similar benefits.

Get a Watch

While smartwatches are trendy, they can be distracting in clinical settings. Notifications or calls on your wrist can be disruptive, so consider purchasing a low-cost, replaceable watch for nursing school clinicals.

Use a Planner

Planners help you keep track of your activities, homework assignments, and responsibilities. They also help ensure you arrive on time for clinicals and off-campus classes.

Arrive to Class 15-Minutes Early

Regardless of when your classes start, it is important to arrive at least 15 minutes early and allow an extra 30 minutes to navigate campus. Excessive tardiness may be grounds for dismissal.

7. Set Goals

One of the most important aspects of nursing school is setting goals. Beyond merely completing your education, set small, achievable goals throughout the year—like studying a certain number of hours per week or learning a new aspect of health care. For those working to overcome unhealthy habits, setting goals to become smoke-free or alcohol-free can also be beneficial.

8. Reward Yourself

It is easy to become overwhelmed by the demands of nursing school, so remember to take breaks and reward yourself when you accomplish your tasks.

Spend an evening on a hobby or set aside regular time for relaxation. Choose a Friday or Saturday evening to be free from academic and work responsibilities.

By dedicating time to yourself, you can stave off procrastination and stress. Consider relaxation techniques such as controlled breathing, yoga, or meditation as suggested by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH).

9. Practice Good Hygiene and Grooming

The importance of good hygiene and grooming cannot be overstated. Your instructors will evaluate every aspect of your appearance, so ensure you maintain a neat and professional look. Avoid baggy, stretched, faded, or wrinkled clothing.

Some schools require scrubs in class while others allow casual dress; however, clinical rotations demand appropriate attire—not street clothes. Additionally, avoid dangling or large jewelry, and refrain from using strong perfumes or colognes. Only subtle antiperspirant or deodorant scents are acceptable. Remove visible piercings and cover tattoos.

10. Add Tips That Work for You

The last tip is simple: use what works best for you. Develop your own strategies, whether that means taking sticky notes, saving inspirational quotes, or any other method that helps you succeed. Your personal tips and tricks can be tailored to your unique learning style. You have the power—use it.

Revisit These Tips when you Feel Overwhelmed from Back-to-School Nursing Stress

While these tips are aimed at students starting or returning to nursing school, they can also guide prospective students through the application process. Place these tips somewhere visible and review them when you feel overwhelmed. Remember, nursing school is a stepping stone to a rewarding career. If you have not yet met certification requirements, you can complete your training online—which may also be necessary for roles such as CNA, LVN/LPN, caregiver, or other patient-care positions.

HEALTH CARE EMPLOYERS OR ORGANIZATIONS, PLEASE NOTE: We recommend distributing this document, minus this italicized text, to new and existing volunteers and employees in your facility considering or actively advancing their careers in nursing or other health care fields.