As a student in an online or in-person nursing program, you already know the amount of work and time involved in earning a nursing degree or certificate. A challenging program that will mean a more secure future and the ability to make a difference. Nursing programs, such as an RN to BSN program, are known for helping students to reach their goals in many ways.
If you’re a nursing student in an online or in-person program, here are five ways you can get the most out of your online schooling and course offerings.
1. Take Advantage Of Electives.
Nursing school will go by faster than you might think. One day you’ll be enrolling at a place like Wilkes Community College and going through each Wilkes course offering to plan your schedule. Time will pass quickly, and you’ll find yourself in the registrar’s office applying for graduation. In order to get the most out of your nursing school program while you’re still a student, it’s a good idea to look at your school’s electives.
While most nursing programs are very structured with little room for picking up electives, most schools will allow you to take extra classes here and there for no additional cost. This is an opportunity to expand your education, learn more about a new interest, or break up your schedule for the sake of adding interest.
2. Learn To Network.
Your peers today will be your colleagues tomorrow. For this reason, it’s important to build connections during your time in school. People in your cohort could be who help you with job leads and studying for the nursing exam.
Not only that, but the people you go to school with could also turn into life-long friends. During your time in your nursing school program, be sure to do what you can to network and connect authentically, both in and out of the classroom setting.
3. Use Professors As Resources.
The people who will give you recommendations and help you grow as a future nurse are your professors. While in nursing school, don’t be afraid to reach out for extra help, communicate clearly, and be transparent about your overall goals.
Most professors choose their careers as student mentors because they enjoy helping people grow. Take advantage of office hours and any resources professors are willing to provide while you’re still a student.
4. Save All Your Notes And Textbooks.
Classroom study is different from what you’ll learn in the clinical field. For this reason, it’s a good idea to keep notes on things like nursing ethics, best practices, and direct patient care. Not only will this help you to study for your nursing exams, but they could be great tools as you get your feet wet out in the field.
5. Keep Old Assignments And Clinical Training.
The same way you hang on to classroom notes, you’ll want to save clinical training workbooks and records. Supervisor reviews and peer worksheets will go a long way in helping you to remember your strengths and weaknesses as you first get in the field. For students in advanced nursing programs, you’ll need logs of your face-to-face clinical hours for licensing. Make sure to save all records of your work in the field for this reason alone.
Final Words
In the end, no matter how challenging things become or how long that biochemistry class seems to drag out, the nursing school will pass faster than you think. Taking advantage of your time as a student where you can experiment with who you’ll become in the field of nursing is a great way to give yourself a better chance of success in the future. Make the most of the people and resources around you now to succeed down the road.
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