Well... I mean I think we all get to the end of the program and wonder "what the hell just happened?" and you feel excited and exhausted all at the same time! But you SURVIVED! But you... you are wondering what so many nursing students ahead of you have done to stay sane and survive one of the most rigorous programs around. You're in the right spot! I have some basic tips gathered from personal experience, current seniors, new grads, and seasoned nurses about some of the top tips to give students embarking on their journey through nursing school.
1. Stay organized and if you aren't an organized person, get organized!
It works! Many nursing students ahead of you have proven this wrong!! Do NOT be me and think you can break that cycle and not get a planner or have a system for notes your first year in. I can tell you how that ends -- DISASTER! Are you someone that likes to hand write notes or typing? Do you know if you are going to use a notebook/folder/binder or online app like Evernote for keeping track of everything? Figure this out FIRST! How do YOU work best? I was a combo of powerpoints and loose leaf paper for notes and a definite fan of colored pens and highlighters (just don't over use them!)
Next find a good planner (I swear by this) and take some time to organize it RIGHT! I will go into more detail on this at a later time -- I dont want to veer too far off topic for this particular post (look for a video and blog post within the next few days about the tips and tricks for organizing your planner and life in nursing school).
2. Plan Study Times
This goes along with being organized and is one of the things I find MOST important within your time management. Once you get your syllabi from your professors write down all the important due dates (exams/projects) and then start planning your study times! They generally say 2-3 hours per credit hour of study time. Do NOT cram the entire amount into one day just before the exam -- while you may remember information for that day if you do, you will NOT retain the information or understand it how you should for the NCLEX and ultimately your practice.
I would ALWAYS study briefly (1-2 hours) after my classes for the day while my brain was most focused on that information. I would take any questions I had from class and look them up, do practice questions in the book, and read anything in the chapters that wasn't totally covered in class. If a professor said "this will be on the exam" then I looked it up more to ensure I understood. Then I would plan out the rest of my study week based on when an exam was for a particular class, how difficult the concepts were, and how in depth my studying needed to go.
I can't stress how important it is to plan times so you know where your time is going and when you have free time!
3. SLEEP!
It is a common joke among nursing students that "we don't sleep" we are either studying or trying to have a life. Let me tell you from experience, if I got between 6-8 hours of sleep I focused better in class, did better on exams, and in clinicals. Plus, let's be honest it's important for the safety of your patients! Sleep improves memory (hello best studying ever!) and it ensures that you are fresh and ready for the next day.
4. Go Out!!
There is a joke here too that you can only make plans with a nursing student after they graduate. Don't take that literally! I know it is SO easy to make excuses because it is tiring studying, going to class, and going to clinical but trust me when I say being social and having some fun IS important to your mental health and ability to stay focused and ready to take on new challenges.
It is also important to spend time with some of your friends that are not in nursing school to really get your out of the the environment and not wide up talking about school (adding stress). Now I'm not saying do this all the time, because the friends you make in school are going to be some of the best friends you have for life!! Just sometimes it is nice to have a total refresh and rest of the world.
PS I'm not condoning going on a drinking binge every weekend either. I mean just do something that is outside of the house, campus, library, or hospital. Go to the beach, the mall, a movie, brunch, explore the city you live in (for many of you this is a new place, embrace it!)
5. Get a job or volunteer
The professors WILL try to scare you out of this, it never fails. They make you believe that if you work you will fail. Well, not all of us have that option and if you do have that option I completely recommend this still.
Despite what my teachers said, I worked as an emergency department scribe until I completed enough of my clinicals to get a job as an ICU Nurse Intern. These positions were per diem and only required a minimum of 3 shifts per month but I could work as many shifts as I wanted (without going into overtime) it was the best schedule possible for a student!
Having jobs while in school is part of why I am making a separate planner video/post because it takes A LOT of planner and organization but once that is done and you stay on task, having a job in school is do able!
If you get a job in the field like an ED tech, scribe, or intern on a floor it makes the transition from student -- grad -- nurse so much easier! It also gives you connections within the system for references, experience, and questions while getting your first position as an RN. It can be hard to get a job right out of school without any healthcare experience except clinical (not impossible but more difficult). So why not set yourself up for your future as a grad while in school!?
6. Exercise
No but really after hours of studying and sitting in class you need to get up in move, get your muscles stretching, the blood flowing, and relieve some of that blah feeling. Exercise helps loosen everything up, gets blood flow to the brain, and helps you relax during stressful times!
It doesn't have to be an hour a day for 7 days a week, it doesn't even have to be 7 days a week at all. I'm simply saying 30 minutes of moving for at least 3-4 days a week (more if you want it). Go to the gym, do yoga, run, or do workouts from home like I do (because then I don't have an excuse!) just find something you ENJOY and have a sweat sesh and recuperate before hitting the books again.
7. Eat Right
Along with exercise comes eating right! This is one everyone struggles with, especially college students. We are conditioned to hearing "eating healthy is expensive" except that's totally false. Total up what you eat out, or buy on campus, or spend at the bars each week now pretend you are going to do that for every meal. I bet that cost is WAY bigger than if you buy groceries each week. You don't have to buy a ton (like I wouldn't go get a Sam's Club Membership), especially those of you in a dorm and on a meal plan, you just have to buy healthy snack food and be sure to pick the LEAST processed thing on the menu in the school caf.
However, when I changed my diet and stopped eating out all the time, consuming tons of sugar, salt, and every processed. I started to just FEEL better, my skin looked better, I had more energy, and saw a change in my study habits and focus in class! Yes... eating better required a little planning so I knew when I could prep some food ahead of time if need be or what I wanted to buy for cooking that week. But if it meant improving my grades, my clinical experience, and mood then it was an easy choice for me to keep making!
Fuel your body with right foods (fruits, veggies, healthy fats, and water) Then studying, focusing, clinical, and sleeping will all be that much easier!
8. Decompress
Find what relaxes you and take some time. Nursing school is hard and it's stressful. We all have breakdowns after a really difficult exam, a bad day at clinical, struggling to understand a topic, or maybe even barely missing the cut off to pass a class. Whatever you do DON'T QUIT! Take some time with your favorite stress reliving activity and do it! Some people like going on walks or yoga. For others its reading, TV, or doing art. No matter what it is -- be sure to get away from the books, unplug from your phone, and focus on breathing.
9. Do NOT Compare
Whatever you do in school, do NOT compare yourself to what your cohort is doing. This will actually cause you more stress and you will never be happy. So just DON'T! Everyone is their own person. You all made your own plans for organization and studying. You all have your own strengths and weaknesses. Not everyone is good at everything and some people need to focus more on one subjects while others excel and those that excel might struggle at subject you are good at. NEWS FLASH! That's OKAY!!
I can't say this enough because my cohort was AWFUL at this --- don't talk about the exam after, don't compare answers, and don't bring others down if you got a different answer. What's done is done and no one truly knows who got the right answer until it is graded. After an exam, step away, breathe, you studied right? Then you probably did fine and there is no use stressing about it POST exam!
10. Take it all in
You did it! You're IN nursing school, you are following your dreams! Congratulations! Take all the experiences and knowledge in! Because YOU got this! YOU are going to be a nurse one day! Living your life saving others <3
Have a favorite tip? Heard a different one before? Or have questions about how to say completely sane during school? Hit up the comments below!