Can you believe summer is almost over already? I don’t know where this summer went, I had all these great plans for the summer but only ended up doing two or three things on my list which I’m a bit disappointed with ( blaming it on school and work). However, my summer wasn’t all bad, I was able to spend some time with my family who came to visit me ( nothing makes my heart full more than this), I visited the Georgia aquarium, World of Coca-Cola just to name a few.
By now, many of you are about to start your first semester of nursing school and let me tell you freedom as you know it won’t be the same. This is an exciting yet nerve wracking time. I remember my first day of nursing school, from the orientation to the very first day of class. I appeared calm on the outside but boy oh boy I was a nervous wreck! Getting into any nursing program or any program for that matter is an accomplishment in itself but what you do to be successful in your program is the ultimate achievement.
Like I said I was going crazy almost had a nervous breakdown all because I didn’t know what to expect. I had to get it together real quick as this wasn’t going to help with me reaching the goal I had set out for myself.
Summer is out and school is in, and the goal is to stay focused on how to be successful in nursing school. Although, this can be applied to any area of study, as the end goal is to be successful in your field of study. My first semester I thought I had it all figured out but in reality, I didn’t. As much as I thought I had nursing school all figured out, there were some things I wished I knew or did better from the beginning AND I am still learning to do.
Staying organized while in nursing school is very important, in the words of DJ Khalid it’s a “major key”. I’ll share some of what I do to stay organized so that I can be successful. My list isn’t long as it doesn’t take too much, it’s pretty simple but requires discipline.
I feel like I haven’t updated my blog in forever when in reality it’s only been about a week. I am now realizing how much I love blogging and sharing my different life experiences. This past week has been hectic for me, I’ve had the privilege of helping my little sister move to her new school and getting her all settled in. I also attended seminars dedicated to informing family members about the dynamics of College and what they expect from family and friends. The first day we arrived on campus you could immediately feel a strong, positive energy and that made me feel like my sister made the right decision.
Although this post is about me celebrating my sister’s achievement, I hope it will serve as motivation for you. Let’s rewind to the beginning of the year. My sister was living with family in NY going to community college. Her goal is to become a doctor and this has been her lifelong goal along with being an actress lol. Being the big sister that I am, I always try my best to encourage my sisters to shoot for the stars. Let me stop blabbing and get to the point. Earlier in the year when my family and I decided that my sister was going to make the move from New York to Georgia by me, we began the process of looking for schools for her to apply to. My sister had a list of schools in Georgia she wanted to apply to, Spelman College being one of them. With the encouragement from one of my closest friend, Spelman became the number one college to apply to. Now when you hear about Spelman you immediately think about it being the number 1 Historical Black college in the US. My sister applied and the waiting game to find out if she got in seemed like it took forever.
I’m sure by now those of you who have made the decision to study nursing have an idea of your ideal nursing school (well I hope you do). Application for the upcoming Fall semester may have ended for most schools unless you’ve chosen a school with rolling admissions, you just might have a little time left (HURRY!). Speaking from experience, it is very easy to get excited about starting a new chapter in life. But as we know, in life some chapters are longer than others. In this post, I’m going to share a few key things you may want to consider when choosing a nursing program. Honestly the things I know now I wish I knew then but as the saying goes “nothing happens before its time.”Read More »
Can you believe it’s been a month since I’ve started blogging??? (yasssssss) Like who would have thought cause I sure didn’t. Like I said in my first blog post I’ve had this idea for almost 2 years now and to finally be doing it is a dream come true. I am going to be honest, I still get nervous whenever I’m about to upload a post.
I have learned a lot and I have plenty more to learn which I’m very excited about. Since I’ve started blogging I feel like I’ve found a sense of purpose( I am still working on this). Having a blog is not all about acquiring a big following, something I had to learn quickly. This is a form of therapy for me and an outlet for me to express myself freely. As I said in my earlier post The Beginning… my goal is to create an environment where like minded individuals can come together and discuss various topics.
I’ll be honest I got in my feelings about a week ago because the people I thought or expected to support my blog were not, but I had to give myself a pep talk and reassured myself that I am doing this for me and not others. If I can get one person to read my blog that in itself is an accomplishment for me.
I would like to thank everyone who have taken the time out to read, like, comment and share my posts thus far. You guys have really helped with boosting my confidence. I know they are many other blogs out there so I’m very appreciative of those who take the time to read and support. I have made some great connections and I’m thankful for my blogging friends who have been constantly encouraging and supporting. I do hope the support continues. I am excited to see what else is in store.
I have often been asked the question, “What made you want to become a nurse” and I often would stumble to think of the “right” answer to this question. As I grew, I came to the realization that there is no correct answer to this question; it is a personal question and my answer tends to vary based on the individual asking.
As a young girl growing up, I had dreams of becoming either a Lawyer, Doctor or Business Woman. After much contemplation, I was able narrow down the list when I first realized I wanted to be in the field of nursing. As you may know, or will come to know I am a TV lover. There isn’t a TV show that I haven’t seen or isn’t on my watch list. I first took interest in wanting to become a Nurse after watching the show ER where I fell in love with Julianna Margulies’ character, nurse Carol. Nurse Carol stood up for her nurses and was not afraid to tell it like it is. That character showed the importance of a nurse and how compassionate, strong and loving nurses are. Since seeing the show, I developed a strong liking for watching medical TV shows. Read More »
I know summer is officially about to be here and many of us who are in school are more focused on enjoying our break from school. It is always a joy knowing that you don’t have to worry about studying for an exam, reading material for the next class or even making notes for class etc. I woke up today and I was talking to my sister who recently got into Spelman (go sissy!). Like most of our conversation it became about her and her obsession and excitement to start school in the fall. We were on face-time and I said to her “all this talk about going to Spelman, are you even prepared to take on this task?” I made a joke and told her we are Girl Guides we need to always be prepared. Shortly after, I was talking to a friend of mine and we are always talking about many random things throughout the day, she is also a pursuing a degree in nursing we just happened to start talking about our experiences in nursing school. A light bulb went off in my head and it prompted me to write this post.
Keep in mind these things I am about to list are based from my experience.
Stethoscope
Having a Stethoscope is essential. Having a Stethoscope is an integral part of nursing school. Now while having a good Stethoscope is essential it is VERY important to know that you DO NOT need to break the bank buying one. You are a student on a budget, they are plenty of stethoscopes out there that are under $200. The key is to make sure you can pick up the sounds loud and clear. You can also request one as a gift from your family and friends, they will be excited about your new journey and probably won’t hesitate to get you one. You can also ask other nursing students or an experience nurse and find out what is a good stethoscope to get without spending too much. I swear by amazon and they usually have cheaper and efficient ones.
2. Manual Blood Pressure Cuff
Having a manual BP cuff is another essential. As a nurse, it is important that you know how to take blood pressures manually and not to always rely on the electrical ones that are usually in the hospitals or doctor’s office. The key to being a good nurse is not to rely solely on a machine, now while it makes the work easier it is also good to know how to do the basics. You just never know what may happen. You can practice on your friends and family. As funny as it may sound, learning to take blood pressure manually actually improved my listening skills.
3.Comfortable Scrubs
Being comfortable will always be key. I recommend getting scrubs that fit comfortably, you need scrubs that gives you enough wiggle room but not overly big. When I first went to get my scrubs, I ordered small cause I figured I am a pretty slim person and small is usually my size when it comes to everything so I got me a size small. Little did I know that a size small in scrubs is basically a large for me, I ended up having to get a size XXS in tops and XS in bottoms. Before you go ordering online I suggest going to a uniform store to try your scrubs on before purchasing. small notepad, penlight and all the other little accessories that you will need while working on the floor. While you are scrub shopping make sure it complies with your school requirements. Fitscrubs are known for their Athleisure medical apparel you can check out some of their apparels here www.fitscrubs.com
Great Shoes
Shoes need to be as comfortable as possible. Those hours at clinical are no joke and from experience it is very rare that you sit during your shift especially as a student nurse. You want to get shoes that can support your back and won’t affect you during those long periods of being on your feet. Memory foam shoes are also a good option. While you are shoe shopping make sure it complies with your school requirements, because most school require either a black or white shoe.
5. A Good Watch
I happen to own 2 watches both of which I hardly ever wear, how ironic of me to tell you to get a watch lol. Pretty much EVERY nursing school require that we have one for clinical, it must be a watch with a second hand. Can you guess why it is a requirement to wear a watch to clinical? Well as nurses we may have to measure the time when it comes to administering certain meds, or if we have to check the vital signs of our patient. Now you don’t want to be out here rocking your Michael Kors or Fossil watches, while it looks all fancy and what not, fancy is not going to work in the hospital setting and especially as a student. So many mishaps could happen so save yourself the stress and get you a cheap second hand watch.
NCLEX review book
In life, we never stop learning and that’s a fact. Getting the NCLEX review will be an asset throughout your school life. The book will have helpful tips for studying as well as prepare you to take the board exams. Someone recently recommended getting the Saunders’s RN examination book there is also a PDF version. This book breaks pretty much break things down into bullet points for almost every topic you will cover in school, it also has NCLEX style questions. In nursing school, you will learn that for every multiple-choice question there is no wrong question, it is just a matter of choosing the right answer. Now this may seem somewhat overwhelming but do not let it be that way. I encourage you to use it as a tool to help with you throughout your school journey.
Support system
Now in everything that we do having a good support system is extremely important. Align yourself with at least five of your classmates, that way you guys can have study sessions and whatever you may fall short on a particular topic your classmate/study buddy will be able to help you. Having a good support system also means that your friends and family will understand that you will not be able to hang out with them as often as you used to in the past. Your school work is your number one priority. And also, it is ok to lean on your family for financial support because having a job especially in your first year will be extremely challenging.
Quick makeup look
These 6 o’clock am clinical are no joke. By the time, you are done your nightly reading for your other classes it will be time to take a quick nap before your clinical in the morning. I am not one who is big on makeup, I have only been trying to get into the makeup game recently. You don’t want to be rolling up to clinical looking like you just got out of bed or coming from the club. A little foundation or BB cream, mascara and a minimal lip gloss goes a long way. Nude lippies are also a good option but please I am begging you, do NOT show up with any drastic wing eyeliners or extremely long lashes (YOU WILL BE SENT HOME). Less is more when it comes to makeup and clinical, we are nursing students and need to look and act the part, when we become RN’s we might have a little wiggle room to do more makeup wise. Here is a quick makeup tutorial from one of my favorite YouTuber https://youtu.be/HUMolJdAjSs
Comfy underwear
Yes, you saw right. You need to be wearing the right underwear under your scrubs. You don’t want to wearing white scrubs with red underwear under them, that is a big no, please use your discretion. Also, please wear undies that are comfortable, I can vividly remember the times when I would wear underwear that were not the most comfortable and let me tell you those six hours or twelve hour clinical shifts were not my best. I vowed from then on, I would make sure I wear comfortable ones.
Planner
When you get to nursing school, your life will not be the same. I can’t tell you the many times I cried because I wanted my old life back. I am one to write Everything down, it is my way of remembering things. The key to being a successful student is to be organized, once you have everything written in your planner the chances of you forgetting things will be slim to none.
I hope at least one of these tips will be able to help you. How do you prepare yourself for school or any task? Even if you are not a nursing student some of these can apply to you. I would like to hear how you get yourself organized, let me know in the comments section below.
Hello and welcome to my blog ‘ALL ABOUT THE SCRUB LIFE.’ I am extremely excited to share my experiences with you all.
You may be wondering why did I decide to start blogging. To be honest, I have been sitting on this idea for way too long. When wanting to try something new, one often let fear cripple them. My friends this is exactly what happened to me. I lost hope along the way but with the support of my family and friends, I decided to put things in motion. Wellll after about two years of procrastinating (something I tend to do very well), I am now overjoyed and extremely excited as I sit writing what will be my first official blog post.
I decided to start a blog not only to express my thoughts and opinions but also to share my experiences, and to be a source of help and inspiration to others. My goal is to create an environment where like minded individuals can come together and discuss various topics.Read More »
