Let’s tie it all together!
So what’s to come?
You successfully survived 9 weeks of nursing school and are on the home stretch of finishing this first semester, woo! (yes, remember to celebrate every little win like this one) You feel like these first few months took a part of your soul, yet you’re probably sitting there thinking “did I learn anything that’s getting me closer to becoming a freaking nurse?” Yes, I wondered the same thing and couldn’t possibly understand how I would learn everything in the next 10 months to be prepared to sit for the NCLEX, let alone actually be a real live nurse, but do you. Let’s paint a pretty picture of what those 11 or 12 months are going to look like.
Semester 1
So here you are in your first semester of nursing school. You’re learning all the basics. Foundations seems like it all should have been common sense, yet somehow it was quite challenging and put you on edge almost weekly. You’re probably writing some papers and learning “in theory” how to be a great nurse. You struggle through lab and feel a sense of patient care, but still feel lost and confused when certain diagnoses or medications come up. And the last few months just feel like a blur. Sound familiar? That’s what this semester was all about – laying a solid foundation for all the basics that will continually come up the remainder of the year and forever & ever in your nursing career.
You discovered how to learn new information at a rapid pace and can successfully break apart the dreaded “select all that apply” questions. You developed good study habits, found your core support group, learned how to balance nursing school and life without continuous mental breakdowns, and you built some inner confidence and maybe even believe yourself when you say “I can do this.” Do not underestimate any single one of these accomplishments because they will be what carry your through the end!
Moving right along..
Semester 2
Woo! You made it to your second semester and look back at how hard the first one was and are likely still wondering what you learned. Do not fear, for this semester is the start of you feeling like a true young nurse.
During my experience in nursing school, from semesters 2-4, we had one of our “adult” classes. Maybe your program calls it “med/surg”, but typically this is where you learn the bulk of your body systems, diagnoses, testing, labs, and treatment plans for the general, adult population. Additionally, you’ll probably have an “adult” clinical on a med/surg floor where you start putting together a whole picture – looking over labs, giving medications, seeing tests and procedures, working with more complicated patients, and basically understanding how the hospital operates.
Alongside of our Adult 1 class, I had my Pharmacology 1 class where we obviously started learning our medications, indications, side effects, and interactions. For those that are good at memorizing, this will be a happy place for you. On top of those two classes, we had an online research class (yay for those), and finally, our mental health class which also had a clinical attached. This clinical was much less overwhelming and my instructor mainly focused on us just sitting and talking with patients and trying to understand their stories. *TIP: Do not underestimate this clinical just because you “don’t want to be a psych nurse.” Trust me, psych is everywhere you go, and the sooner you learn how to successfully interact with patients experiencing mental health issues the more confident and successful you will feel as a nurse.
Semester 3
Half-way, LFG! “Am I really half-way to becoming a nurse though?!” Yes yes, you are my friend. If your semester is broken up into anything like mine was, this is where you are going to sky-rocket with the amount of knowledge that goes into your brain. This was by far the most content-heavy semester for me. We not only had 4 very difficult classes, but we also had 3 different clinical sites, which was certainly a handful to keep track of. We had our second “Adult” class, Pediatrics AND Maternity – all of which had a clinical attached. On top of those courses, we also had our second Pharmacology class, where we built on everything we learned in Pharm 1.
While clinicals were a lot to handle, you really start to feel yourself becoming a nurse. You work with more patients on med/surg floors, you get to play with little kids and babies on the peds floors, and if you’re lucky you’ll get to witness a birth or C-section at your maternity clinical! In no other time in my life will I get to work with such a diverse group of patients all in one week, like I did in semester 3! Even if you don’t see yourself as a Peds or L&D nurse, take full advantage of this time and jump into every situation possible!
To be honest, I thought this was the most interesting semester, and since there was truly no time to waste, I was most thankful I had solid routines down. Almost every single day, Monday through Friday, I went to class or clinical during the day, went to the library until 7:30/8:00pm, went to the gym for an hour where I listened to more lectures, walked home, showered, and went to bed by 11pm. I did this for just about two months straight, and this was the time I was probably in the best shape through the whole program, most disciplined with managing my time, and most successful by getting all As. It is possible to succeed and to even enjoy it along the way!
Semester 4
Woah woah woah, is this really it? This is where it all comes full circle. Every single topic and subject covered in the last 9 months finally starts to fall into place!
This is where we got our “Adult 3” course which focused on critical care. You’ll learn about EKGs, chest tubes, trauma, codes, and all that exciting stuff so you can get to an ICU or ED someday! Alongside of that, we had Population Health (which is like a community health class but focused on global health), Gerontology (where we learned about aging adults), a Leadership course, and our Senior Capstone. The Capstone course was where we had to do a 30-minute SPE (standardized patient experience), pass our skills again, and work through ATI which was our NCLEX prep course.
This semester is definitely stressful in its own ways because you have a lot of busy work, you’re worried about passing your exit exam, you’re stressed about the 30-minute interaction with the fake actor patient, you start stressing about passing the NCLEX and finding a job, and you feel stressed that you have to go back and remember every little detail from the last 10 months. Let me tell you – it all works out! You have school figured out and there is no way you’re going to not get through this last and final stretch!
Every semester has its challenges, moments where you feel like you’re just not going to make it, and times you just want to give up and call it quits. Know that it’s going to happen, but you’re going to persevere anyway. Know that all this is temporary, and the outcome will be worth every late night, panicked phone call to your parents or your friends, and moment of doubt thinking it was the end of the world.
Nursing school is like painting a picture.
In the beginning, you have this whole open, blank canvas. You envision this big vast picture and maybe even feel overwhelmed at how empty it looks right now. Slowly but surely you start to dive in. At first you lay the canvas down, adjust your lighting in the room, find that comfy position to sit down and work.
You start grabbing some of your favorite colors and start mixing and experimenting with what looks good and what works for you. Maybe you turn to other experts and find inspiration through other avenues and start incorporating that into your own style. You start finding your rhythm and a groove, and the beauty of the picture starts to flow all while focusing on that final vision you have in your mind.
The background is laid, and you start building up the foreground, and touch on all the different subjects. You have moments of wanting to trash it all together, but you push through. You mix and blend, add some texture, and totally make this painting your own. Finally, 12 months later you take a step back, shed some light on your canvas and discover you have this beautiful picture of yourself holding your BSN about to become one heck of a nurse.
Work hard, keep the faith, and don’t you dare give up on your dreams! You are meant to make a difference in this world, and the nursing community needs you now more than ever!
Xoxo,
Nurse Duda