Student Blogs

The transition from high school to university can be extremely intimidating and scary for many nursing students. There are many things I wish I had known before entering my first year of nursing school. Now that I am a nursing student entering my fourth and final year of nursing school, I have accumulated some tips, tricks and advice over the years. To help those just entering nursing school or those who are currently in nursing school, these are my top 5 things I wish I knew when I was in your shoes: 

1) Don’t be afraid to ask questions 

Whether it be in clinical or in class, always ask questions when you are unsure about something. Your first clinical placement can be extremely intimidating, however, to provide the best care for your patients, ask your nurse/preceptor questions when you are unsure. When you ask questions, you are more likely to retain the information, thus, making it easier to recall the information in the future. Your professors, nurses and preceptors are there to aid in your learning and will always be there to answer any questions that you have, therefore, do not be afraid to ask questions when needed. 

2) Be proactive in your own learning 

As a nursing student, you are responsible for your own learning at clinical. When opportunities arise to perform a skill, take on the opportunity and do not be shy! You may not have the opportunity to practice this skill in the future as a nursing student, thus, don’t let the opportunity pass by. In clinical, instead of letting your nurse/preceptor do all the tasks, ask if you could practice the skill yourself. Demonstrating that you are interested in performing tasks shows that you are open to new learning opportunities and eager to learn. If you are interested in performing a specific task at clinical, voice your interest to your nurse or preceptor and ask if they could let you know if the opportunity arises for you to perform this skill. Remember, if you are not proactive in your own learning, you will be unable to maximize the knowledge learned.   

3) Have a supportive group of friends 

Being a nursing student can be stressful and overwhelming. It is important as a nursing student to step outside your comfort zone and have a supportive friend group. Having a study group and a supportive friend group will help you both academically and emotionally. Not everyone will understand the stressors of being a nursing student and being in clinical, thus having a group of friends that understands your situation is extremely helpful. 

4) Don’t be too hard on yourself 

In my opinion, nursing school is nothing like high school. Do not expect to achieve 95+ on every assignment and exam like you did in high school. Your study habits that worked in high school may not work in college/university and your study habits may change throughout university... this is OKAY! If you did not achieve your desired grade on an exam/assignment, explore where you went wrong and use it as a learning experience to motivate yourself to do better on the next exam. Remember, your grades are not a reflection of your ability to be a great nurse. The most important part of nursing is being able to care for your patients competently and provide the best, holistic, patient-centered care. 

5) Self-Care is Important  

Take time for yourself and don’t forget to reward yourself. Nursing school burnout is real! Studying for exams, completing assignments, attending 12-hour clinical shifts, working part time and managing a social life is not easy. We often get so caught up with our schoolwork that we forget to take care of ourselves and put our needs first. As nurses and nursing students our job is to take care of our patients, however, we tend to forget to take care of ourselves. It is so important that we incorporate self-care activities into our routine such as hanging out with friends, taking a relaxing bath, or exercising to ensure that we do not get burnt-out. Rewarding yourself after a hard week is also important. Whether this be reflecting on your accomplishments and acknowledging how far you have come or treating yourself to an expensive meal, remember that these small acts can totally enlighten our mood. When we are able to properly care for ourselves, we can properly care for our patients.