- THE MOST IMPORTANT OF THEM ALL- Never lose your manners. It doesn't matter how busy you are, you always need to remember to have common courtesy towards your patients. Look them in the eye when talking, ask them non-medical small talk questions, and keep them in the loop if you have to quickly run off. Make your patients feel more comfortable and at least pretend to care about what's going on. Just be nice, people!
- You don't have to know everything as a student. You are learning and you are at the hospitals to learn. The licensed professionals are the people that need to know everything. For the mean time, the pressure is off but soak in every experience you can get. And this is not an excuse to not do your assignments-- you should know some stuff (obviously).
- It's okay to tell your patients you don't know something, but don't leave them hanging. You're more than likely not a medical genius so it's okay! Just make sure you either look it up or find someone who can answer their question.
- You're going to have to learn how to talk to patients. You will need to have a mix of professionalism, nursing, friend, and therapist. And realize not to talk about yourself (unless appropriate). I don't know how many times I've stopped myself from saying, "Oh, I had a similar thing happen to me and this is what happened _____". Try to take a class that helps you with communication skills.
- You're going to have to learn how to multitask. You will have a lot going on: clinical, homework, studying, ATI, relationships, a social life, etc. Also, within the hospital observe how different units work and how much multitasking is involved. For example- the ER involves a ton of multitasking VS. a postpartum unit. Know what you're good at and find what works best for you.
- Take care of yourself. Listen to your body. Studying until 3 AM isn't going to be as beneficial for your exam grade as getting an extra couple hours of sleep. Know when you need to relax and take a moment to your self. Know when you've got extra time to go the the gym and GO! Don't skip lunch or dinner at your 8 hour clinical. Eat foods that make you feel good and that are the best for you, but enjoy that slice of pizza too. Drink water as often as you can. Don't forget that you need to take care of YOU before you can take care of THEM.
- DO NOT COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHER STUDENTS (and people in general). Gosh darn, this is so hard for me. I've learned in nursing school that learning and soaking in experiences are more important than the grade you receive in a class. Try your best and that's all you can ask for. It doesn't matter what your friend got in ______ class. Ask yourself: Did you try your best? Did you do everything you could've done? Did you take care of yourself? If you can answer yes to those questions then you did great! Don't get competitive and just go through nursing school for YOU. And if you're failing, don't be afraid to ask for help.
- Everybody likes to complain and you will too. It's a very common trend amongst healthcare professionals. Nursing school IS hard. You're allowed to complain but don't get righteous. You chose to be here. Stay humble.
- Get to know your professors. There will be a couple that you really really like! Ask them questions about nursing as a career, and ask them for advice. You never know where a connection to lead you! You also will need to get some letters of recommendation for jobs and masters degree programs. And, it's always important to have the support of your teachers.
- Try to enjoy every class as much as possible and learn everything that you need to. Do not compare classes. I just finished my OB rotation and LOVED it. That's what I want to do, and now that I don't have another OB class I am not 100% into my other classes. You catch my drift? I still have to get through Peds, Med Surg, Psych, and Community Health. You must be able to put your preferences aside and learn about new things that don't necessarily 100% interest you. And trust me, they're all important!