Volunteering as Student Nurses

Volunteering is often not a task that student nurses need to be told to do. We just do it. Whether it’s helping out a family member, neighbor, friend or classmate, we tend to jump right in and do what needs to be done. Going into the nursing profession we generally already have the innate urge to do good and even seek out those opportunities willingly. So why am I even talking about this?

There is another level of volunteering that needs our help. It is the area of private non-profit organizations and groups that often go understaffed and overworked. These are the homeless shelters, Boys and Girls Clubs, Volunteers of America and so on. There are even many great opportunities to go overseas as a student nurse during the summer and assist in other needy areas of the world. The Red Cross is another great organization to become a part of. You can learn great skills in disaster preparedness for your community and maybe even teach some classes in your area. This is valuable experience that you can apply to your nursing career.

Volunteering not only allows you the great opportunity to give back to your fellow humans, but it also allows you to build upon your basic nursing skills and reminds us that volunteering is truly the core of being a nurse. It can connect you to your community to build lasting relationships as you continue to grow into a respected nurse and neighbor.

I would love to hear of some more organizations to support as a student nurse. Any thoughts or personal stories would be appreciated!

What You May Not Have Known About NCLEX Testing

After graduating I had this image in my head of studying for a few weeks, then taking the NCLEX, then working shortly thereafter. I had no idea that there would be a several month long waiting period before scheduling to take the NCLEX and then taking it. Let alone applying for jobs, interviewing and having a job.

I’m writing this because I wish that I had more information prior to graduating. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing Web site has everything you need to know about the NCLEX, but not necessarily the time frame in which it will all be done. NurseZone.com also offers NCLEX exam prep details that you should check out as well.

Your nursing school will most likely provide information on how to apply for a license within your state, but also has the information you need. You will need to fill out an application as well as a background check and submit it all in with a fee prior to the deadline. After graduation you will register to take the NCLEX and submit another large fee. Here lies the waiting part. After you are approved through your state boards to take the NCLEX you will receive an Authorization to Test (ATT). Nurses have told me it has taken anywhere from 4-12 weeks to receive their ATT. After you receive this you may finally schedule a time and place to take the NCLEX.

So what do you do in the meantime instead of panicking? Study. This is the perfect opportunity to take practice tests and review that list of medications you’ve been putting off.

I hope this provides a little bit more clarification into the secret world of NCLEX testing. Be prepared to wait quite awhile after graduation and be sure to have some money set aside for all of the hidden fees associated with taking the NCLEX.

I would love to hear of the timeframe other nurses have had to wait from graduating to taking the NCLEX. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Graduation from Nursing School, What Now?

The big day that I have been waiting for finally arrived—graduation!

I had been waiting for this day for nearly four and a half years. When it finally arrived it felt surreal. Friends and family kept asking, “Aren’t you excited?” I was but a part of me just felt like it couldn’t possibly be happening. Something would happen to ruin it, like me not passing my classes and failing in the last semester. I kept having that strange irrational fear that something would ruin this special occasion. But, that time never came.

So graduation came and went and I feel it still hasn’t really settled in that I am FINALLY done with nursing school. I still have the nagging feeling we all experience when we’re on Christmas or summer break that there is a test I should be studying for, or an assignment I forgot about, or something that I should be doing with my time other than just relaxing. But, there is nothing. All I have on my plate to do is to find a job and study for boards. The time has arrived! Then, why am I not more excited?

Everyone told me that I would go through a period of shock after graduation and I didn’t believe it. How could I feel that way? ANYTHING is better than being in nursing school. It will be such a relief! Now I think I understand what they meant. There is predictability with nursing school. You know what your schedule is and where you’ll be and what you should be doing. Yes it is hard but it is something that I have done for four and a half years that I am now completely used to and comfortable with. The next phase of my life is so unpredictable.

Where will I be living? Where will I be working? Will I like it? There are so many questions running through my head that graduation is not as exciting and relieving as I was hoping it would be.

Thank goodness for friends and new nurse colleagues. They have been a saving grace and a great resource to turn to. With their help I can make this transition to the next phase of my career—from a very busy nursing student—to a well-prepared graduate nurse. Thank you to everyone for the support and encouragement during this long journey and new step into a great profession!

How are you coping? I would love to hear about your post-graduation experiences.

Nursing School Stress

If there is one thing I have learned over my entire nursing school career it is stress. Stress and I have become intimately involved during nursing school. I was never a person who stressed out before in my life. In fact, I was the calm and collected person who found absurdity in other people speaking of “stress.” But here I am.

It was interesting to me the things I found the most stressful about nursing school. A messy house was at the top of my list. Somehow I couldn’t find the time or willpower to study when my house was in shambles. So, my dear husband said he would take on the task of doing the household chores while I was in nursing school. That was stressful. It took me a good month to really “let” my husband do the chores and let him do them the way he chose to do them and not “my” way. What a big difference that really made! Now he’s turning into a neat freak and I’m turning into a slob.

Another thing that I found stressful was working full time in nursing school. So stressful, in fact, I don’t think I can really talk about it without having a mini panic attack.

Finding time to eat right and exercise are definitely great ways to alleviate stress. But how and when do you find time to do them? It’s very easy to stress out about not doing these things than it is to simply try your best. And, when you don’t work out four times a week like you plan to – just let it go.

There are many great tips on how to diminish stress. I’m sure everybody starting nursing school or thinking about going to nursing school has all read different ways to cut back on the amount of stress in their lives. I think the most important thing to learn is what works for you. Find people that you can depend on when the stress gets too much and learn healthy ways of coping with the increasing demands of nursing school.

Remember to take your life day by day. I had to finally just look at my schedule and see what I had to do “right now” rathern than planning for the whole week. That was too much to think about! One of the best pieces of advice that I can give to other students is to just do it! Don’t think about it, because you’ll lose your sanity.

If you can handle the stress and workload of nursing school you will be able to handle anything that comes your way in life.