r/StudentNurse

I know UWorld is good for preparing for NCLEX. But how helpful is it during nursing school?

I am feeling incompetent & old bc I am so old school with note taking & studying but it’s still not enough to barely make the 75% mark. I feel like I cannot really “train” my AI to help me to study, I’ve seen success stories of people using AI, having it do their slides and break it down for them, create exams, concept maps etc. I spend hrs studying off it, creating questions hell I even have them do a podcasts & using their prompts & I still don’t have “it”. Then when you do the exam it’s not even similar to the actual exam .-., there’s too much inconsistencies within my program too- No ai on assignments- but also use Ai to make ur own exam- but don’t rely on it too much bc the info can be not what we are using for the exam. Most of our material is off the PowerPoint, & nursing school is not about memorizing - but how my brain works is I have to memorize the concepts in order to understand to apply any situation/concept. I don’t know…I just feel useless :/. Any advice?

Hi everyone, my long-term goal is to move to NYC, ideally in 2028. I currently live in Florida and I’m trying to decide between two nursing paths.
Option 1: Start an ABSN program next summer, graduate in 2028, and apply directly to new grad residency programs in NYC or another major city.
Option 2: Start a diploma RN program this fall, graduate in July 2027, work for one year in my hometown while completing an online RN-to-BSN program, then apply to jobs in NYC as an experienced RN.
Which path would give me the best chance of landing a job in NYC? Is it generally easier to get hired through a new grad residency, or as an RN with a year of experience?
If NYC doesn’t work out right away, I’d also be happy with another walkable city like Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, or DC. But NYC is my dream, so I’d like to make the decision that gives me the strongest chance of ending up there.

I'm doing some summer studying before fall and came across burn classifications. Until yesterday I had only heard about 1st-3rd degree burns... How do y'all classify them? I've been told the nclex still tests on the degrees scale, but it says nothing about that in ATI...

Hi, I'm an IT student (from the PHILIPPINES) but was supposed to study Nursing to maximise my opportunities after graduation. I didn't push through it because I know that I fear so much being in a hospital setting; you're there because you're not feeling good. I fear blood, pain from syringes and other medical procedures, seeing guts/live organs in the OR/ER, witnessing a patient's suffering, death and dead bodies in the morgue, their lives DEPEND on you, many more.

I could do comfortably with schooling and learning, but I'm fully aware what I'm about to enter after graduating and I'm not comfortable learning about diseases cause it's traumatic for me.

Idk like, no regrets and even happy with tech even tho it's very stressful lately but at the same time, I might not be able to achieve my childhood dream which is to migrate abroad...

When I verbally mentioned my childhood migration dreams like living in the US, Canada, UK, NZ, etc., my mom was like, "You should've taken Nursing so you can leave this country for good, you always let your anxiety and fear stop you; good thing IT is still in-demand but idk if IT is enough to leave our country" in a very Asian/Filipino tone.

Actually thinking of taking Nursing as my 2nd degree after graduating from my current program

Hi everyone! 😊
I’m starting nursing school next year and I’m trying to get a head start. I recently got the Level Up RN Ultimate Nursing School Survival Kit to prepare.
I also have my CNA, Phlebotomy, and BLS certifications, so I’m familiar with skills like taking vital signs, CPR, drawing blood, wound care, patient transfers, IV insertion, and other basic CNA skills.
I’d love to know exactly what is covered during the first semester of nursing school.
If anyone is willing to share a syllabus, course outline, reading list, or weekly schedule (with any personal information removed), I’d really appreciate it.
I’m especially interested in:
Fundamentals of Nursing
Anatomy & Physiology
Pharmacology
Health Assessment
Skills Lab
Dosage Calculations
I’d love to see how your instructors organized the semester and what chapters or topics you covered each week.
Thank you so much!

I just started a new semester of nursing school for an accelerated bridge program. I’m a FT first responder and a mom to 2 babies. I feel extremely overwhelmed. In the first week alone we had 18 +2 hour modules to plus practicals. I already feel like I’m drowning. Plus add on wife and household responsibilities plus being a fire medic. I feel so defeated. I’m
Considering deferring school again but all that would do is push me back … again.. any advices

hi! for context im enrolled in a 4-yr direct admit BSN program. I currently have 2 years left, but am really considering switching my major. I didn't love my clinical experience, and felt like the work I was doing wasn't what I expected when deciding to become a nurse. It could be because this was my first clinical so a lot if it was acclimation to that environment. It's a lot more maintenance(?) almost and requests like ordering food or turning off the IV alarm than I expected, or ambulating and turning (very important yes but not of interest to me). It could be because we have limited autonomy as student nurses.

I think what I want to do is use the symptoms and clinical findings from the patient to figure out what's wrong with them and how to best help them, and make sure they have a thorough understanding of what's going on with them. I do enjoy caring for patients as well, but the most hands-on I've been able to get is giving injections and a little bit of wound care. I feel like the only way I could see myself still being a nurse would be ER or peds, but even then I'm not sure.

Another reason I am considering switching is because our program is so strict in terms of the classes we have to take, I can't really take classes in other things I'd like. I took a chemistry class this summer and loved it, and have also been thinking about poli sci or public policy courses, maybe even calc. When I think about the classes in nursing I like, I enjoyed biochem, a&p, pharm, psych, micro, and patho. I wouldn't be able to study abroad, except for a few nursing-oriented programs which don't really interest me. I wouldn't have time to take labs or develop lab skills, such as inoculation or PCR. It feels like the things I learn are very limited /specialized to the profession, which isn't a bad thing but part of me feels very burnt out from the program.

I think what I'm craving is more hard science and social science courses, and understanding the WHY rather than helping people after they have a diagnosis or wait for one. I love reading the pt history and looking at what labs have been ordered, what's been done, what else could be done, possible complications, etc.

I can't tell if nursing just isn't the right path for me, if I need to stick it out longer, or if I'm constantly comparing my college experience to others and having fomo. thank you for reading all of this and for advice!

How long did it take you to get into a ADN program? If you were waitlisted can you tell me how you went about it and your stats when applying? For those who went private how is it going? & for new grads how are you hanging with the current job market?

Hi everyone! I am going to take A&P2 as a 5-weeks summer course starting next week, but I feel really anxious. I don't know if I will be able to do it.

I'm taking it with a hard professor at a local community college before going to university in the fall. I've taken him before in the spring, and I got a 100 in his class so I did pretty good. But I feel really anxious after looking at the syllabus. There's like quizzes and exams back to back for lecture and lab. I don't know if I will be able to handle lecture and lab when I struggled with that with A&P1 during a regular semester...

i’ve been a CNA for 6 years. now working as a hospice aide and i love it.
me and my ex broke up for the first time in May and the next morning I got my acceptance to LPN school. we ended up getting back together but he kept up with terrible behavior and i ended stuff. but the heartbreak has been so bad still and i crashed out some.

i feel things really deeply but this is a season i’ve wanted for myself for many years. i was denied last year and prior to that had a lot of things taking my focus away.

this is probably the hardest summer i’ve ever had and i desperately need to shift my focus fully to school. i’m moving from my home town 35 minutes to a different city.

y’all it’s so hard but i’ve made promises to myself that i have to keep. i believe i can do this but i know it will probably be the hardest thing i’ve ever done. i met some really sweet people at orientation and i’m hoping i can really build my life back and succeed.

just looking for support, advice as i enter this season and seeing if anyone relates, wants to talk.

im taking my PREREQUISITES for nursing and im done. i want to drop out. how does anyone have the motivation for this shit? IM DONEEEEEERER

I’m in a 12 month nursing program the 1st term I was working, studying constantly and passed. I’m in my 2nd term and am exhausted my instructor noticed how burnout I look. I stopped going to class and have been off track with my classes. Although I am passing the rest I am really close to failing my Developmental Course (L&D) I am averaging a 62% on my exams and need a 77% to pass. My other instructors give me a lot of tips for exams but this instructor does not seem to budge. * I take full accountability

I studied the same way I do for my other classes and scored a 56% on the last Exam. I calculated the scores and need a 95% on my next exam and a 90% on the final. I am an average B student but I am changing my study habits because clearly the way I am studying is the issue. I quit my job because I am emotionally drained and really want to focus on this class. My test isn’t until 2 weeks from now and the final is a month away. I decided I want to continue trying and give it my all.

What are some tips that really help/helped you study and get your grades up? Or just general advice? I need a miracle 🥲

I applied to the RN program and I was lucky to be accepted into the LPN program! I am excited to get my foot in the door and hopefully find a job that can help me pay for my bridge program later down the line :))

Only thing is that, majority of the class are folks in the first year of the ADN program- and the LPN students are separated by colored scrubs.

It makes sense to me, but it feels difficult to connect with classmates who aren’t in the LPN program…

Am I just overthinking this?

I am a relatively new RN and just got my first capstone student. She has been a paramedic in our hospital's (as in the hospital we both work at and she's doing her clinicals at) emergency department for 10 years. She is amazing at being a paramedic and already did half her capstone in the ED. She is more experienced than me in so many ways, she does ultrasound IVs (which I don't know how to do), gives meds and knows her pharm, knows way more about respiratory stuff, and has honestly taught ME so, so much. She's super humble and not at all like "I already know how to do that🙄", she's going to be an incredible nurse.

However, I still want her clinical experience with me to be valuable. I work on a med/surg/tele unit. When I asked what she wants to learn or focus on, she told me she wasn't really sure because "she doesn't know what she doesn't know". I'm looking for suggestions on areas to hone in on. For those of you familiar with both the ED and med surg, what was difficult for you to adapt to with med surg? Our unit is pretty heavy usually, so it's definitely still fast paced and not boring imo, I'm sure adapting to the slower speed can be tough but I don't think that's a huge issue given our patient population and ratio (6:1). What things did you learn in med surg that you never learned in the ED? What things did you struggle with when moving from the role of an EMT/paramedic to nurse? What new things did you learn as a nurse that you never learned as an EMT/paramedic?

I know a lot of people in this sub are still in school or have never been an EMT/paramedic, but I'm just looking for some advice and direction. We still have seven 12 hour shifts together, so what are things I can focus on teaching her?

I’m am transitioning into a second career from years of bartending and working in the service industry. I have applied and got accepted into an associate nursing program, but would love to join a military branch at some point if possible. are there any opportunities in the military for older students who want to work in healthcare? what could i do now to help my chances in the future?

Hello,

I’m new to this discussion board but I was hoping to connect with anyone who can give me points and tips to pass high acuity. I’m currently DROWNING with a terrible professor, I’m in an accelerated program so it’s 8 weeks in total.

Any advice or help is greatly appreciated!

These are the courses I plan on possiblly taking for Fall and Spring. I want to take Patho in spring to see if I can get the extra consideration points for my nursing application at my university (since I have no other option for the points and they go based on a point ranking system rather than holistic review). Most of my classes were taken at cc, and I'm taking A&P 2 as a summer class next week.

Fall: Chemistry for Non-Science Majors, Nutrition, Medical Terminology, and Promoting Healthy Lifestyles (upper division elective)

Spring: Microbiology, Pathophysiology, Intro to Professional and Clinal Concepts in Nursing, Basic Concepts in Human Sexuality (for my Psych minor)

I interviewed yesterday for my dream unit, pediatric med surg, as an internal applicant, and I honestly walked out feeling better than I ever have after an interview.

For some background, I’m currently a PCT on a high acuity med surg and step down unit and have been there for about 7 months.

Several months ago, before I was eligible to transfer, I actually reached out to the pediatric manager because I knew this was the specialty I wanted. I emailed asking if there was any opportunity to shadow or learn more about the unit because I wanted to make sure it was the right fit. She was incredibly kind and encouraged me to apply, but explained that I hadn’t reached the required 6 months in my current position yet, so I wasn’t eligible.

I remember feeling disappointed, but I kept working on my current unit, gained more experience, and once I finally reached my 6 months, I applied again. The recruiter contacted me, and somehow I ended up interviewing with the same manager I had emailed months before.

When I walked into the interview, she immediately remembered me. She told me she was excited to meet me and said she remembered my confidence and how passionate I was about working in pediatrics. That honestly meant a lot because I didn’t expect her to remember me after all that time.
The interview itself went really well. She asked mostly behavioral questions, and I felt like I was able to answer them with genuine experiences from my current unit instead of trying to give textbook answers. We talked about the fact that I don’t have direct pediatric hospital experience, but I do have experience working with children outside of work through babysitting and volunteering. She told me that everyone has to start somewhere, which definitely made me feel better.

At the end of the interview, I asked if there was anything that would make her hesitant to hire me because I genuinely value constructive criticism after being rejected from another pediatric position. She smiled and said there was no reason she would be hesitant to hire me. Obviously I know that isn’t a job offer, but it was reassuring to hear.
Afterward I spent an hour shadowing the unit, and honestly it made me want the job even more. I loved the staff, the environment, and it confirmed that this is exactly where I want to be.

Now comes the hard part. Waiting.

It’s an internal transfer, so HR has to coordinate with my current manager if they’re moving forward, and my manager happens to be out of the office until Wednesday. I’m hoping that could explain why I may not hear anything immediately.

Has anyone gone through a similar internal transfer process? How long did it take to hear back after the interview and shadow? And if a manager gave you really positive feedback during the interview, did that end up translating into an offer, or did it still take quite a while?

I’m trying not to overanalyze everything because I genuinely felt this was the best interview I’ve ever had, but this is my dream unit, so the waiting has definitely been the hardest part.