It is that time of year again when we all buy our pencils and paper, grab our backpacks off the shelf, tie our shoes and run out the door early before the sunrise. However, this year it is a tad different for myself. Two years ago I moved to Truett McConnell College (University now) as a freshman student. Next Friday I move in as a first year Nursing Student. WOAH. I literally feel like I have blinked and arrived at this amazing moment in time. I am dumbfounded as to how quickly I have gotten to this next chapter in my life.

As I am in preparation (and have been since this past spring) for this upcoming semester, I have learned so many different do's and don'ts of nursing school prep. Here are a few tips for those of you who are about to start as well, are going to in a little while, or just want to see what it is like. If you are the latter, but do not really care — too bad, I am going to tell you anyways!

Throughout this entire process of prepping and getting ready to start classes, I feel as though I have jumped over many hurdles, run into many walls and swam through a couple S.L.O.U.G.H.'s (My high school buddies will get this one). Here are the do's of prepping for Nursing School.

THE DO'S

As you start this process, you should be given a a folder with a checklist in it that tells you everything you need to do before classes start. READ THIS ASAP. You do not want to miss any important deadlines, dates, meetings, etc. This folder is important. It contains all the information on books, scrubs, photo ID's, online classes, CPR certification and everything else that is needed before classes begin. READ EVERY PAGE. I am not being over-dramatic. Hopefully, you were like me, and read every page out of excitement. But, if you do not read this folder and its contents, you may find yourself in some muddy water later on. This folder is your life for the summer. It is your buddy. You take it everywhere you go. It stays on your person at all times. Okay, maybe that was a little dramatic... am I the only one that carried it everywhere?

Books — Get on this ASAP. Even if you do not plan on purchasing your books just yet, you need to at least get them all together in a shopping cart online, or write them all down on paper so that you know details and prices. My school got a discount for using one publisher for all the books — be sure to ask your Nursing Department if the publishers offered them a discount. Be sure that you look up books by the ISBN and not the title, that way you do not miss out on any included CD's, codes, and extra helpful pamphlets. EVERYTHING is important.

Scrubs - Many people texted me when it came to ordering scrubs. Where do you buy them? What kind do you get? What size should you buy? I am here to ease all of your nerves. Every school is specific as to what scrubs they require for labs and clinicals. This information should be on a piece of paper in that folder I mentioned earlier. This will tell you where to buy them, how to buy them and which ones to buy. As far as sizing, if you are worried about this, DO NOT BE. I was worried that I would order the wrong size and in turn not have my scrubs in time for classes. What I did was order my scrubs ASAP, and I purchased two different sizes. Usually, exchanges are free, that way you can take the ones that don't fit and turn them in for ones that do fit. ALWAYS take a peek at the sizing chart, and go by that. I ended up with a medium pant and a small shirt. Tops and bottoms are totally different. Do not freak out — if you order them early enough, you will have plenty of time to get everything just right!

Physicals, Immunizations, and drug tests, OH MY! You definitely want to schedule your physical as soon as you can. Sometimes you will need to do blood work (titers) to see if you need specific immunizations. My school required two TB skin tests — this entire process takes about 2-3 weeks. I would STRONGLY suggest that you start this early — maybe in June, if you begin school in the fall. As far as the background checks and drug tests, this information will be in that folder! My school required that we do both through a specific online program. Be sure that you read this information before going and doing either of these. You may find that you do it the wrong way and end up paying way more than necessary.

I know what some of you may be thinking, this Nursing School thing sounds crazy and expensive... well, yes, you are correct, but who else than determined people to embark on this journey?

Determined, smart, funny, patient, happy, strong, steady, thoughtful, loving, caring, supportive... these are just a few things that these wonderful people called nurses exemplify.

If you are about to start nursing school, then you may find that you have already completed all these things and may have learned these exact same lessons. However, if you are going to start Nursing School within the next year, then this is for you! This is a warning to help guide you and give you an insider's look into the process, the stress, and the craziness of preparing for and starting Nursing School. However crazy this may seem, it is truly a time to step back and reflect on the joy of starting a new chapter of your life!!