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I don’t know about you, but when I first heard about COVID-19, I truly didn’t give it much thought. I had no clue that in the middle of my second semester of my accelerated nursing program that things would dramatically change. Clinical rotations would be switched to being completed virtually (let me tell you that virtual clinicals for classes like Maternity are a real conversation starter). Job shadowing in areas that you wanted more exposure to would not be happening.  Meeting up with your classmates in coffee shops or libraries to study would no longer be an option. The list could go on and on of all the changes that have taken place for nursing students since the pandemic hit us. 

However, just because this pandemic has given us a list of changes and new challenges, this doesn’t mean that it should keep you from still reaching your full potential while you finish out your nursing program. Looking back on this past year leading up to me landing my dream job as a mother baby nurse and graduating from my nursing program, I wanted to list off some tips that I think are helpful to ensure that the pandemic is not holding you back from reaching your highest potential in school and as you approach life after graduation. 

1. Don’t lose sight of your goals.  Write them down, look at them daily, and continue to work towards them every day.  Whether you want to work ahead to finish all your assignments well before they’re due, reach a milestone in the number of EAQs that you complete, doing a certain number of NCLEX practice questions each day, or ending your semester by making the Honor Roll.  Work on your goals each day so that you aren’t trying to cram in a large amount of work all at once. 
   
2. Keep reaching out to your people.  Even though this pandemic has taken away a lot of our in-person interactions (BIG SAD FACE), that doesn’t mean we have to lose contact with our people.  Schedule times to do a study session with your classmates, whether it’s through Zoom, a phone call, FaceTime, or whatever is going to get you guys together virtually.  Have your heart set on a particular unit after you graduate but are unable to job shadow in person?  Reach out to the unit manager directly and express your interest in their unit upon graduation. Reach out to your clinical instructors to see if they have any connections to the unit that you’re interested in.  is that unit hiring nursing students?  Apply, apply, apply!  Use any resources that you can in order to stay well connected to those who will bring you closer to your goals. 
   
3. Don’t forget your why.  During all the chaos and changes going on, it can be easy to get lost in it all and forget why you started this journey in the first place.  Taking the time to remember what motivated you in the very beginning to set out on this whirlwind of an experience is bound to bring back some good motivation to keep you pushing forward!  No one ever thought they’d be in nursing school in the middle of a pandemic, but I fully believe that if we can make it through this then we can do anything!