Dear Brave Soul,
You made it. Goodbye, pre-reqs. Here you are, about to start your first semester as an official nursing student. Is it real yet? The jitters are setting in as you receive your schedule, buy your scrubs, first stethoscope, ugly, white, leather shoes and scour Pinterest for “nursing school tips.” If you’re anything like me, you are both terrified yet very excited. And, it is completely normal. Trust me.
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I’ve been there too. And honestly, those feelings never go away. Nursing school leaves you in a constant state of nervousness and excitement. You’re nervous for your next exam or assessment, thoughts like, “am I gonna pass?” and “am I gaining weight?” will constantly run through your head. While one minute you’re freaking out, the next you’re thinking, “OMG I get to play with needles!?!” (safely, of course) and “WOW, I’m doing real, nursing things!”
However, being surrounded by all the excitement, anxiety, papers, exams, presentations, labs, etc. you will get exhausted. You’ll reach a point where you don’t think you can go any further. It may come after the first exam or it may come down to the wire at the end of the semester where that one percent can make or break your test average.
So here’s a hint, no one scoots through nursing school without feeling like a failure at some point. You will feel like you’ve hit rock bottom. You will feel so exhausted that all you want to do is sleep. Not even watch Netflix, just sleep. You will feel like you’re brain can’t possibly hold THAT many drugs in it.
But let me tell ya something: Your brain can hold that many drugs. Maybe not if you just study them the night before an exam, but they find their way. You are allowed to sleep when you’re a nursing student! In fact, it is preferred that you get a night’s rest rather than stay up all night trying to learn all of the beta-blockers and ACE-inhibitors right before your exam. And the best thing about hitting rock bottom, is that the only direction you can go, is up.
Yeah. I got that from "Bridesmaids." So what?
The point is that despite how hard you fall, you can, and will, get back up and finish what you started. If it takes you one or two extra semesters, so what? Don’t be ashamed by mistakes that have taught you important lessons. You are getting this degree for you. For your career. No one else is going to walk across that stage with you in two years to shake the dean’s hand and grab your degree. You are. Only you. No one else can make you work your hardest. Sure people can tell you to work hard, but at the end of the day, it comes down to you deciding if you really do want to do your best. You are your biggest encourager.
Nursing school is tough. And therefore you must be twice as tough. Take the hits, but fight back twice as hard. Push your limits, go outside your comfort zone, be willing to try new methods. Don’t be scared. One of my favorite professors once said that nursing school is a marathon, not a sprint. Take your time and pace yourself, but never stop pushing.
You can do this. You were born to do this. No one is stopping you.
Sincerely,
The Nursing Student That Sat In Your Seat Last Semester
