So, when a student doesn’t see ‘eye-to-eye’ with a professor’s teaching style the complaint is typically:  “my teacher isn’t teaching me anything”. And if the professor doesn’t provide any type of outline or traditional lecture/notes…yikes! the panic begins. It’s understandable but do not waste precious time trying to change it.  Instead try these tips:

• Thoroughly answer EVERYcourse/unit objective.
• Answer the objective using the Nursing Process. Put yourself at the bedside every time you answer the question.  You must remember the concept not just the facts.
• Read everything the professor assigns.
• Even if you can only skim some of the information, at least, put your eyes on the material.
  REMEMBER:  Nursing isn’t about memorizing everything…most information needs to be learned as ‘concepts’
  – not facts.
• Take notes in class.
• Even if you can only write down the topics discussed. For example, GI distress (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea). Then later follow that disease/symptom, etc through the nursing process.
• Think like a nurse.
• Ask yourself, “How would a nurse take care of this type of problem/condition/situation?”
• Answer as many NCLEX style questions about the objectives as you can.
• Don’t just learn the answers to the question…learn why the answers are right or wrong.  NCLEX study books are excellent at doing this.  Find one that works for you.  Also, your textbooks will usually offer example test questions – answer all these.
• Form a study group.
• Chances are – you are not the only student in class with this issue.  Form a group to study with BUT remember
  it is best to go to the group after a fair amount of studying has already been done.  Then you can quiz each
  other, review, etc.

Okay, nothing new here and everything I just listed is actually something you should do for every exam.  BUT if you don’t feel you’re getting enough from your lecture you may have to do this more thoroughly on your own.

There is one more thing…if you discover your professor isn’t providing you with objectives or isn’t spending time in class on the objectives found in the syllabus…you can always take the issue up the chain of command.  Starting first with your professor!  If you do this, do it in a professional manner.  Don’t whine or complain.  Bring legitimate concerns with actual examples to the professor.  Ask for direction and let him/her know what you have tried.  Read your student handbook, college catalog
and any other information provided to make sure you are following the correct channels.

Nursing school is a challenge.  Hang in there and one day you’ll look back and be amazed at the amount of knowledge you gained, even from the professor who, ‘didn’t teach you anything!’

Have a great semester!

Reference:  Prior experience/Author’s opinion

“I am poe and you bare just one of many BS’s taking advantage desperate students with your bso calle free advice. It is true you bget what you pay for, the advice you charge nothing for, amounted to nothing as far as helping me. i will nnot forget where I came from and pray that i will do a better job of helping those who are following me in this wonderful profession with some not so wonderful people.”

Yikes! I read the comment, my feeling were hurt (it’s not easy being told you’re part of the ‘not so wonderful people’ in the world) but, then I moved on. I believe in freedom of speech and the right to our own feelings but I must admit – that comment really took me by surprise. Granted, the article contains no miraculous recipe for changing a nursing student’s life (sorry, I have none) but didn’t think I was letting down the entire profession of nursing as I posted it.

Anyway, the entire incident sparked an idea for this blog. We will all be disappointed at some point in our careers and life for that matter. The best we can do is take the experience, learn from it and move on.

In my attempt to move on I reminded myself; typically, people entering the career of nursing do so because they want to help people. At least those are the kind of nurses I want helping me.

As the person commenting on my attempt at helping noted – “i will do a better job…”. I truly hope he or she does. Having the aspiration to do better is the very reason the field of nursing has grown from simply being a handmaiden for the doctor to an autonomous, respected professional career.

Because we work with living, feeling, self-ruling people with opinions and individual life experiences we sometimes find ourselves in a situation where we think we are doing a good deed then we get told otherwise. A day will come, unfortunately, when you have worked hard, stood on your feet for hours, not taken a bathroom break in who knows how long, tugged, pulled, been on your knees, cleaned and cleaned again, documented, given shots, crushed pills and kept a smile on your face the entire time AND then it is rewarded with an inconsiderate or rude comment. It happens; it hurts but should not cloud our purpose.

I once had a professor that used this saying: “You can please all the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time but never all the people all of the time.” The quote remains true.

The best we can offer the people we serve is simply ‘our best’. It will be welcomed with open arms on some occasions but at times will go seemingly unnoticed and unappreciated. That’s okay. Remember, we are not in this profession for the glory or praise. We are in this because we care and caring is what we do best. People go through hardships and pain that we do not always see or understand – remember that as you care for others. And do not let a broken spirit break your desire to be the best you can be.

“In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us.” Flora Edwards

“Were there none who were discontented with what they have, the world would never reach anything better.” Florence Nightingale

Have a Great Day and remember to always keep your chin up!

This profession is built around people.  And people have attitude – we all do.  And the majority of the people we interact with are ill.  They don’t feel good, have just found out they are suddenly dealing with a disease or their family member is dealing with a disease. They are scared, mad, and confused so – guess what? – you are usually the easiest target to release those feelings on to.  So, is it any wonder we get cranky, irritated or ‘burnt out’?  No.  But it’s what we do and we do it because we love to help people.  Nurses tend to take on the problems of everyone we meet.  Stop it.  We cannot (and yes I’m guilty too). We cannot solve all the problems in the world, cannot make all the pain go away.  Sometimes we just have to do the best we can and be satisfied with that.

So you may ask.  How do I find that happy medium?  Where I can be proud of my work and feel I have done my patients a service, an excellent service.  Honestly, it is different for everyone.  I have seen many nurses leave the field because they could no longer deal with the duty of serving others.  And what a shame.  But, I have seen so many other nurses excel at what they do, continue to love their job for years and rarely see it as stressful.  And believe it or not the words of wisdom they share are simple. 

Leave your work at work.  Isn’t that what all of us should do?  Be it bankers, teachers, nurses or firemen.  We need to give our all while we are in the front lines but…when we are done and the stethoscope is in our locker – we need to put it behind us.  If you lie in bed at night thinking of every procedure, medication or patient you dealt with, you are on duty 24 hours a day.  You have to find a way to let it go.  Do something you enjoy – it has to mold to your personality and life style but here are a few suggestions. 

• Exercise
• Read
• Cook
• Watch a movie
• Take a nap
• Be with family and friends

Do things that make you happy.  Make it simple, your life is already complicated enough.

Love what you do and continue to do it!  Find your niche but whatever you do – be aware of your internal feelings.  Don’t let burnout sneak up on you.  Start now and find a way to de-stress.  We need you and we need you whole!

Thanks for stopping by and….go unwind!

References: Prior experience/opinion of author

First and foremost, DO NOT believe you can be everything to everyone.  Now is the time to allow the people in your life to gain some independence from you.  It is a common trait among nurses to want to help everyone – forgetting to help him or herself.  I am not saying ignore or neglect your loved ones and friends but, remind yourself and those around you that school is important to you.  You must allow for self-time – explain that to them.  You have already invested a lot of time and effort to get this far; you need to be able to stay focused on your studies.  This should be explained to the people in your life.  Communication, communication, communication is so important – let your feelings be known and ASK for help if and when you need it.  It is not uncommon for non-nursing friends/family to misunderstand the difficulties of nursing school.  It is something that they must be reminded of often.  Self-time should include, study time, as well as, de-stressing time. 

Nursing school can knock your life ‘off balance’.  You have family, friends, work, school, yourself and much more to try to balance.  You may have to give some of the ‘chores’ to others in your life. If possible allow someone else in the family to balance the checkbook, do the grocery shopping and help with the house cleaning and laundry.  Make an agreements to eat frozen dinners 2 or 3 times a week – more if needed.  Share baby-sitting and car-pooling with a fellow student.  You will become very close to the people in your nursing class.  Utilize everyone you can to help decrease the amount of stress you will be experiencing.  And offer your assistance when you are able but don’t say yes to everyone and everything.

It may seem time-consuming right now but if you sit down and make a list of the tasks you are willing to give up or share – it will save you time in the ‘heat’ of the semester when things get though. 

So what are you balancing?  It becomes apparent rather quickly that school consumes most of you life and the other things go to the back burner.  Is it possible to give attention to all areas?  Maybe, maybe not, but it’s essential you find a way to balance your time appropriately.  Here are some ideas for helping you balance your life.  These ideas, of course, are strictly my opinion but may be worth a try.

Get a daily a planner.  The amount of time needed by each person, for each activity will vary according to the type of student/person.  I suggest that you set aside 2 to 3 hours daily to study.  I also recommend that you stay at the school or go to a library so that the telephone (turn off the cell phone), meal preparation, housework, etc. do not distract you.  Setting aside daily study time not only prevents panic and a cramming session prior to test day but it will allow you to establish a routine.  By staying with your schedule, you are less likely to become ‘unbalanced’ thereby not inconveniencing yourself or others in your life.  One or two days a weeks allow for a few minutes for chores such as: picking up the house, washing and ironing uniform, cooking a homemade meal, assisting with paying the bills and grocery shopping, playing with children/pet, quality time with significant other.  (Mark this time on your planner)  You will have to determine the amount of time to be allotted for these activities.

I hope these suggestions really help make your adventure less stressful.

References:  Prior experience/opinions of author.

The most important resource any student has is the instructor. The instructor is there to prepare the student for testing, as well as, the practice of nursing. Do not be afraid to approach him or her. If questions arise, be sure to clarify your concerns as soon as possible. This can be in the form of questions during class or clinical or it may be that you need to make an appointment after class. In most cases instructor’s have an area of expertise; seek out an instructor that knows the material. When possible ask the person teaching the content. You can also question other instructors within your school if you need an answer and can not find it yourself. You should still feel free to ask an instructor a question that isn’t within their scope of practice.  If the instructor does not know the answer, he or she can at least give you proper direction for finding the answer you need.

 The next resource of importance is your ‘costly’ textbooks. You paid for them –use them. They are full of information that will most likely be seen on your exams. There isn’t much to say about the book itself, other than try to read as much of your assigned readings out of them as possible. The thing that is neglected when it comes to the textbook is the resources that come along with it, for example, workbooks, CD’s and companion websites. If you are a hands on type of learner or need help outlining a chapter – a workbook might be for you. It will cost more, of course, unless it came with your textbook. If it came with your textbook, give it a try; see what happens. Many students say they do not have the ‘time’. Time is short when it comes to reading assignments so if you can use the workbook to help you read (get through) your chapters – good. FYI, these workbooks will sometimes give you sample test questions too. If a CD came with the book – look at it. You might be amazed at what you find there. Every publisher is different so it will depend on what book your school is using, but I have seen CD’s with video clips, sample test questions, case studies, care plans, and much more. And finally, if the book has a companion website, log on, it should be free with your book purchase. The websites can offer interactive activities that go along with your reading assignments, as well as, video and audio clips, quizzes, case studies and more.

Another over looked resource is your campus or public library. If you did not get a tour of your library upon arrival to school or your nursing program, set up a time for one of the librarians to show you around. Most colleges have a librarian just for the health occupations, but anyone will do. You need to know where the supplemental videos and DVD’s are and what types are available. Ask for a list of topics. Remember, most colleges are given money to purchase new media every year – see what you have and use it. You may not be able to check out this type of media – so get a group of students together to watch and discuss the current material while on campus. If you are unable get high speed, DSL internet at your home the college and local library typically has computers with this type of connection. Check your library to see if they have study rooms that you can reserve. If you are in a study group, the library is a great place to hold these sessions if possible. If you study on campus or in a neutral location, distractions are minimal, resources (TV/VCR, videos, DVD’s, books, etc.) are close and sometimes food can even be brought into the rooms. If you prefer to study alone, it is still possible to reserve private rooms with all the same perks. Again, don’t forget to utilize the people you have on campus. Librarians are trained in research and, of course, the ins’ and out’s of the library. Ask questions when needed and don’t waste time trying to find items yourself when you have experts at hand.

Don’t forget your other school resources. Check with the Student Center (which usually offers computer’s with high speed internet access too). If you do not have a Student Center then speak with your instructor, counselor or student advisor to find out if and where the following services are located. Most schools have free tutors for math, reading and nursing. If you are having trouble in any of these areas get a tutor as soon as you realize there is a problem. It is advisable that you seek these people out the first week of school, before your first exam. You may not need them, but you would know where to find them. See what type of seminars (free) will be offered each semester and mark ones of interest down on your calendar. Many schools offer mini (1-2 hours) courses on testing, studying, organizing, computers, etc. If the time conflicts with your schedule and the topic is of interest to many of your classmates, you can ask if an additional presentation could be possible. Finally, don’t forget about the counselors you have available on campus. Most counselors hired today have a degree not only in career counseling but also some form of personal counseling. What does this mean? These people are available to you, usually by appointment, for you to discuss issues in your life. You can talk to them about finances, student loans, grants, etc. or even coping with the many demands of nursing school.  Some schools have counselors that are dedicated to just the health careers department and have had prior experience with nursing, which means they already know the rigorous schedule you have. 

This article couldn’t be complete without mentioning the internet. In today’s world, the internet offers the widest range of information available. Be careful when using the internet and know where your medical/nursing information is coming from. There are many articles posted out there that are just someone’s opinion (like this one), but when pertaining to your practice and testing, make sure it is referenced by a reliable and dependable source. On a good note, sometimes the internet can offer up-to-the-minute information on a topic you are studying. If you find a conflict of information please refer to your #1 resource – your instructor for clarification.

I hope this article is of assistance to you in your endeavor in nursing school. Don’t forget your resources!!

Have a great day!

References: Prior experience/opinions of author

Welcome to tipsbyterri.wordpress.com!  This blog, ‘tips by terri’ has been prepared to help student nurses through the challenging years of nursing school.  I hope you find this information helpful. Please visit as often as you can, leave comments and let me know what’s happening in your school of nursing.

Thanks,