How to Prepare for Nursing School
- AUSNA Officer
- May 10, 2020
- 2 min read
Let's face it: nursing school is kind of a mystery until you actually start it.
I remember googling "what should I study before nursing school," "how to prepare for nursing school," and "what should you know before starting nursing school" at least a million times before the semester began. A lot of people just said to chill and enjoy my time before everything began. That wasn't good enough for me.
I'll be the first admit it; I tend to go overboard. Even if you're not like me, you might be looking for a few hints on what you can do before starting nursing school to feel a little more prepared.
I've listed a few items here, from a more beginner/basic level to advanced, that you can do to prepare for nursing school. None of these things are required, though; your instructors should tell you everything you need to know. But if you're chomping at the bit and wanting a little edge, hopefully this fun list will help relieve a little bit of your stress or pre-term-one jitters!
Novice
Academics: Review vital signs from your CNA class (temperature, blood pressure, pulse oximeter, respirations, heart rate); make sure you know the normal ranges.
Personal: Look up the DMACC Nursing Student Policy Manual and try to familiarize yourself with the requirements of your program. Pro-tip: look at the clinical requirements and make sure you have some comfortable shoes. You'll have plenty of time to get those once class starts, though.
Beginner
Academics: Start learning about delegating. Look up the things a CNA/PCT/AP can do versus the things an RN can do (googling "ATI delegation" may be a good way to start).
Personal: If you haven't already, make sure you have a talk with any important people in your life about how important nursing school is to you. Give fair warning to your kids, significant others, parents, friends, whoever that there will be times you have to prioritize nursing school and that your schedule will change.
Intermediate
Academics: Look up nursing lab values online and make some flashcards. You won't need to know most of these during term one, but by term two, you will see most, if not all, of these lab values on every exam.
Personal: Deep clean your house and do some meal prep. Believe me, when you have two tests, a paper, clinicals and classes, that frozen soup you made or already-completed grocery list is a huge relief.
Advanced
Academics: Consider purchasing an NCLEX review book. Saunders is one of the more popular books, but there are tons more like Davis, Lippincott, Pearson, Kaplan, CliffNotes... the list goes on. A good review book will have test taking strategies and a section regarding fundamentals. Looking over those sections will give you a good idea of what your first semester will cover.
Personal: Find healthy habits or coping mechanisms to deal with stress. Practice using them during your everyday life. When you're stuck in traffic, when your kid spills grape juice, when your co-worker isn't pulling their weight: think of all of these stressors as great training for nursing school. There are times you will be overwhelmed and frustrated, but what if you have a plan in place to handle those tough moments? Now, that is an advanced level of prep.
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