From Me to You.
Dear Med Surg Student,
It’s great you got to this level. Here’s some advice to help you get through Med Surg. Create time for your books. Spare 3-4 hours each day for study, with at least a 15-minute break for each hour. You won’t regret the time you put in your studies. Read all exemplars given in class. You will find them quite helpful. They make it easier to understand the concepts.
Some amount of stress will be inevitable - it happens. How you handle it determines whether it makes or breaks you. Refuse to let it put you down. Find a way to handle the stress- travel, take a walk, do picnic with friends and family or anything that works for you. But above all, stay positive. A positive attitude goes a long way in this field.
It is normal to feel that the workload is too much, you will feel like there is too much to study. We felt that way too when we were there. Between the clinical and school work, it will feel like you can’t do it. You can do it. It is doable. I have done it, so can you.
For your revision, don't forget to do turns of questions 50-100 questions everyday. It makes exams much easier to go through. You become familiar with how questions are set from given topics and how to go about them. Use ATI or Lipincott.
Here are things that should always feature on your to-do list;
When it comes to reference books, there are three that never disappointed me; Watching Micheal Linares You Tube videos, 6-8hrs of sleep, good supportive friends and family, good breakfast to start the day.
ATI Med Surg, Sanders RN and Illustrated RN. They cover all the concepts of nursing and are quite resourceful in preparing for an NCLEX-RN exam. I would recommend them to any Med Surg student.
Try to do a getaway once every month.
Good luck.
Books
I agree about the stress. I see so many students trying to avoid it, specially when we are seeing people suffer. It is a hard job to be a nurse and no one ever promised us it would be easy. One of the first doctors I met actually told me that you have to have compassion but a strong will to keep a straight face in the kind of field because people are relying on you to be the strong one.
ReplyDeleteThats true...
DeleteReally good tip to study at least 50 questions per day. Sooo tempting to slack a do it all at once but you'll feel so much better if you start early and take it slow.
ReplyDeleteI agree
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