Top 10 Things to Do After You Get Into Nursing School

So you got into nursing school?? Congrats!! That is a HUGE accomplishment all on its own. Now that you have gotten your acceptance to nursing school, and you have celebrated a little, you’re thinking NOW WHAT. You have been working towards this goal for years and it has finally happened. But now you are realizing you have spent all this time preparing to get into school, and you have no idea what to do AFTER the excitement wears off.

I get it…I was there too…here is a list of everything you need to do to prepare for that first day of nursing school.

Contents

1. Learn How to Manage Stress

Managing stress is SUPER important for nursing school. If you haven’t figured out how you best manage your stress you need to do that NOW. Nursing school is stressful. There’s no way around that. BUT you can make the whole process of becoming a nurse better by knowing how you manage stress.

Some top ways to manage stress include exercise, art (drawing, coloring, or music), reading, having a plan for studying, socializing with friends, and doing a brain dump to clear your mind.

Personally, I loved going for a walk when I was stressed. I also loved taking a break to socialize with friends, but always had to make sure not to overbook myself! It was just as important for my stress to plan out enough time to study for each test as it was to plan time to relax with friends.

2. Read Through All the Information From Your School of Nursing

This is simple but SO important. You don’t want to miss something just because you didn’t read through your nursing school packet fully. There are so many things to get into place before the first day of nursing school, and a lot of that will be in your nursing school packet.

3. Figure out what kind of organization system you like

Do you like to have everything written down on paper? Are you more of an electronic person? How do you like to keep your notes organized? Organization is key to staying on top of everything that is thrown at you in nursing school.

I am all about paper to-do lists and planners. I loved the Erin Condren line of planners for nursing school. They have so many options now, you can really customize it to exactly what you want.

For notes on my computer I had folders for every semester, and then a folder for every class that I kept all powerpoints and word documents in. However, I liked to study from paper notes, so once I had them typed up exactly how I wanted (with tiny margins and very small line space) I printed them and put them in a binder.

4. Get all the supplies you need

5. Know its totally okay and NORMAL to feel overwhelmed

Nursing school is HARD. Adjusting to a new workflow and system of classes and clinicals is HARD. Just remember that it is okay to feel overwhelmed, and talk to friends in your cohort and remember your best ways to manage stress.

6. Know that A+ nursing students don’t necessarily make A+ nurses

Really! Should you try your hardest in nursing school? Yes! Should you attempt to learn everything presented in order for you to be able to take the best care for your patients in the future? Absolutely!

Should you stress about that B you just made when you are usually an A+ student? ABSOLUTELY NOT. There are nurses that barely passed nursing school that are outstanding nurses, and nurses that graduated with a 4.0 that you wouldn’t want taking care of your stuffed bear.

7. Know that your specialty might not be your specialty next semester…and that is okay

Be open-minded about what you want to do after nursing school. Clinicals provides you the opportunity to see so many different aspects of nursing! Use that time to really think about what kind of nurse you want to be. I went into nursing school wanting nothing to do with pediatrics, but after my pediatric clinicals I decided that I wanted to do peds and I can’t imagine doing anything else! It is OKAY to change your mind a couple of times about what you want to do. Even once you get your first job as a nurse, if you hate it you can switch! That’s one of the GREAT things about nursing.

8. Get the right shoes

When I first started nursing school I thought “eww white shoes? Let me get some cheap shoes to get me through the next 5 semesters.” Don’t make my mistake. You will be standing A LOT in clinicals. Probably more than as an actual nurse. Invest in good shoes now. Personally I love Danskos, they take a little bit to break in, and definitely aren’t the cheapest options, but they are the only shoes that keep my back from hurting. Some people swear by On brand of shoes, and others love the Hoka line of shoes. The most important thing is to try them on and find what is best for your feet!

9. Go ahead and get a good stethoscope, if it is in your budget

Some nursing schools make you buy kits that have everything for your uniform including your stethoscope. If that is you, then you can just skip this section. If a stethoscope isn’t included in your bundle, I suggest going ahead and investing in a Littman. Some schools will offer stethoscopes with your uniforms, but they aren’t always the best brand. Instead of purchasing a mediocre stethoscope just to buy a better one in two years, get one that will last for years to come.

I suggest the classic III. This is the most popular of their stethoscopes, and the bell can be converted to a pediatric size if you choose to become a pediatric nurse.

10. Get a clinical bag

You will need a good bag to get your stuff to and from clinical. Make sure you have something that is big enough for your clipboard to fit in, as well as a couple pockets for small items such as pens and scissors. If I was about to start nursing school I would probably get a bag that checked off these things from my list:

FIt has enough pockets, but plenty of space to throw in a clipboard and other larger items! I also love that it has slick fabric that can be wiped down with a Clorox wipe. You never know where your bag will end up during clinical since there isn’t a designated place for students on the units.

It has enough pockets to hold my pens, scissors, and keys but with plenty of space to throw in a clipboard and other larger items.
Slick fabric that can be wiped down with a sanitizing wipe.
Make sure that it has comfortable straps.
Something that I can use after nursing school either as a work bag or a day to day bag.

Whether it is a bag you already have or a bag you end up buying, just make sure to have a bag dedicated to clinical rotations. There is nothing worse than forgetting something you need for clinical, and having it all safely stored in a bag will help prevent that from happening!