Nursing School – How to Succeed

Nursing Education has become very popular both for the purposes of looking after the sick and as a professional training to be successful in non-nursing careers. The popularity of Nursing is due to many reasons but three of the main ones are:

1. It is the most trusted profession. Population surveys show that the public trust nurses more than accountants, lawyers, doctors and engineers. This is the result good nursing education both by the universities and clinical areas. Further, professional organizations representing nurses have done an excellent job of promoting nursing as a profession.
2. Employers willingly hire nurses into non-nursing careers in marketing, education, management, law and research. This is because nursing education is broad and the principles applicable almost universally – honesty, integrity, advocating for the patient, data collection, history taking, analysis, intervention planning, assessing the effectiveness of interventions etc.
3. Due to chronic shortages of Registered Nurses the financial rewards for nurses are increasing at a rate which is higher than the cost of living and at a rate which is higher than other professions with equal amount of training. Further, in some countries nurses can do two sixteen hour shift and be paid the full time equivalent in financial and fringe benefits. This frees mothers and students of other careers to pursue other interests when they have finished with their nursing commitments.

Marketability of Nursing Degrees:

As a result of Nursing Degrees being more marketable than other degrees more and more nurses are leaving nursing to take up jobs in pastures which are greener than hospitals and better paying than computing programmers. This creates the nursing shortage which is currently being experienced universally.

Hence, if you are in a Nursing School as a Nursing Student and want to successfully complete your nursing education it is important to follow some basic rules. Adhering to these rules will make your “student” days enjoyable, pleasurable, and gainful both academically and professionally.

You may want to follow these rules even if you do not plan to practice as a nurse because the principles of Nursing have many applications. This assertion is not coming from me. It is coming from observed data which shows that many nurses leave the health care field to take up other jobs.

Image: Picture of a Registered Nurse insignia.

How to succeed in A Nursing School

Decision making must be conclusive. If you have read my articles on Passing any Examination and How to Pass NCLEX you will have noted that making up one’s mind is by far the most important thing.

First, make a list of the reasons for choosing nursing as a professional training. This list must list the most honest reasons according to your feelings and emotions. Remember, it is your feelings and emotions. Not what your friends or relatives are telling you or want you to do. If the emotions and feelings are lacking then you should look at other options. If you choose nursing as a career based on wrong reasons then there is the likelihood that some lecturer / Clinical Educator / Patient / Nurse manager is going to pick up on those feelings and ask you, “do you really want to be a Nurse?” If you feel that you have made the wrong choice, quit early, be honest, and cut your losses. You will be doing a service to yourself and society.

Participation and Strategic Plans: Now that you have made up your mind to succeed and to do well in your chosen field please take the time to do some strategy planning. Most Nursing schools require you to attend some lecturers (sometimes called by vicarious names like Clinical Teaching Blocks, practical education, clinical skills training). Make sure you get to the lectures in a timely manner. Do not be absent, late or leave early. Your disinterest in the subject must not be seen or perceived by any lecturer or clinical supervisor.

Showing up late for lectures, being absent and going home early will alert the lecturers. You may be flagged and observed. I am sure you are thinking that nursing is adult education and therefore you have the right to participate or not to participate in lecturers. The truth is that Nursing is still “traditional in many ways”; attendance in lecturers is seen as compulsory. In some institutions you will be required to sign in several times during the day. One of the reasons for the “high demand” for nursing degrees is the rigor with which they are taught. So, you have a vested interest in attending these classes.

Actions

Always buy and read the recommended texts. Lecturers know more about available texts than you will ever know. They usually have been in the field for about ten to fifteen years. If you have an honest difficulty purchasing the recommended text consider using the library or borrowing from a friend. Some lecturers will consider lending you their books if you have shown yourself to be reliable and honest. I have lent books but did not get them back so I have stopped the practice.

Participate in classroom discussions and try to answer lecturer’s questions. These will give a feeling of where you stand relative to the class. No one ever says that they know the answers to all questions, not even the lecturer. However, we all know the students who know more than us and we also know of all students who know less than us. Lastly, we all know where we stand relative to our class but we do not like to say it.

Strategy

One reading of a chapter is not usually sufficient because our memory is not good. Repeat reading, note taking, high lighting and tying newly learned material to what you already know is very useful. When making notes, make sure that the notes are not too long so that they become useless from an applied aspect. Notes should be in point form and re-read your notes many times. You will know that you understand the material if you can convey the jest of the chapter to a friend, a family member or talk it aloud. Be careful though, do not get drunk, sit on the roadside and start repeating the contents of a chapter. You may be mistaken for someone who is actively hallucinating or preaching etc.

Study Groups

It also a good idea to form study groups. When participating in study groups prepare your topic well. When you are presenting the other members should be listening actively and asking for clarification on issues which are not clear. Now-a-days many students study externally and therefore the formation of study groups is a difficult process. However, it is not impossible.

Most universities provide learn line sites which allow students to communicate between themselves and between lecturers. Be aware, about university policies and procedures. Once you have pasted a message you will have to live with the consequences or it. Many administrators / lecturers will not allow you to delete a message which has been posted. Others may be more flexible.

Study groups of students are usually able to share knowledge, know how and resources. Resources include good books, methods on how to memorize important lectures and to exchange notes.

Dos and Don’ts

There are many things which you should not do when you are in a nursing school. I will only talk about behaviors which are related to nursing schools. It is clearly expected that you will not break any of societie’s laws. All Nursing Students are expected to broken no criminal or civil laws. If you have a criminal record, please notify the Nursing School before you apply to become a Registered Nurse.

Other things which you should avoid doing as a nursing student include breaking normal behavioral rules. These include sleeping (or dozing) during lectures, talking during lectures, and making excessive use of your mobile phone. Most students are able to comply with this requirement without any difficulty. Yes, it is minor inconvenience. Yes, it is worth it for the purposes of getting useful education with skills which are very transferable. I am sure you will want to comply with these.

Remember to switch off pagers, mobile phones and other communication devices. These can interfere with your progress, the flow of the lecture and disrupt the focus of the entire class. Some institutions impose a fine and others have rules banning mobile phones and pagers. Follow these rules.