Advice I Wish I Knew Before Nursing School!
Nursing school feels like FOREVER for me! I graduated from my accelerated BSN-RN nursing program in August 2020 and am still studying to take my NCLEX-RN exam. During this self-reflection and nights of studying, I have gathered a list of things that I wish I knew before starting nursing school.
- Determine what kind of learner you are. The different types of learning would be audio, visual, kinesthetic. Within the first 3 terms of nursing school, I learned better visually with pictures and video lectures. It is quite hard for me to keep my head in a book when studying, so I learn by watching hours and hours of Youtube resources such as SimpleNursing.com, Registered Nurse RN, Level Up RN, and Nursing.com. I would have to say that those Youtube videos truly helped me pass nursing school successfully.
- Nursing school comes with sacrifice. Nursing school is no joke, and many people are putting in a lot of time and money to reach that goal of being an LPN or RN. It is important to know that you will struggle to balance time for yourself, your family, friends, a social life, fitness, etc., but it is important to prioritize your time wisely because all of those are possible.
- You will cry A LOT. But that is completely OKAY! I can recall all those late-night breakdowns I had before a test or just over built-up stress/overwhelmed. I am here to tell you that it is completely normal to let those frustrations out through tears because it’s a healthy coping way. What matters is after that cry, you pick yourself back up and be/do better than before.
- It is NOT a competition. I mean that many of the people in my cohort tended to fight and be the greatest in our class and make that their mission. It should not be like that. No one is ever going to be “the best nurse.” What makes you the best nurse is learning from your failures, picking yourself back up, and continuing to keep your heart in the right place, contributing to the future of healthcare and care for those who need us.
- Nursing school will change you for the better. I never thought I was good enough to do something as bold as to be a nurse. But as the program went on, I started to realize that I am capable of everything and anything that I set my mind to. You will be pushed out of your comfort zone during clinicals when you are asked to put in an IV for the first time or do a procedure you only practiced in a skills lab but on a real human being. Change can be scary, but it can be one of the most memorable things that could happen in your life.
No matter if you are thinking of applying to nursing school, pre-nursing, or a current nursing student right now, know that whatever advice you get before, during, and after nursing school can be advised that you can pass down to help future nurses when you become an RN.
Written by: Kayla Del Mundo
Instagram: Kayla_delmundo
