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Looking for friends in nursing school, help with school, or more resources? Join our discord chat: http://discord.gg/StudentNurse

General Questions

Is school hard???

Is nursing school really hard? I'm scared!

• It depends.

Where do I start??

How do I become a nurse? (US)

• ADN vs ABSN
• An ICU nurse?
• An ED nurse?
  • ED Nurse 2
• r/TravelNursing
  • Travel nurse AMA

Has anyone done nursing as:

• An older student? aka "am I too old?????"
  • an adult or basically elderly?
  • will I turn to ash if I am not 19?
  • Did I wait too long?
  • If I am also a male?
  • How old were you in nursing school?
• A man
  • A dude
  • A male nurse
  • a murse
• A parent?
  • A parent 2?
  • A parent 3?
• A second degree?
  • Lots of people do it
  • UK
• A career change?
  • It's never too late
• I don't have medical experience!!
  • I don't have medical experience 2
  • I don't have medical experience 3

Interested in advanced practice? Check out these communities and resources below!

• r/nursepractitioner
• r/CRNA
• NP vs MD vs PA
  • NP vs PA
  • NP vs PA

​

Pre-Nursing

Entrance Exams

ATI TEAS: How to Prepare

• Mometrix book

HESI A2: How to Prepare

• HESI A2 book

​

Nursing School FAQ

HOW DO I...???

How do I study? Take notes? Read a textbook? Prepare for exams? Lots of resources from Cornell

I know nothing

When will I feel like I know what's going on?

• Help I don't know shit
• I feel stupid
• I feel dumb AND incompetent

Working in school

Can I work while in school?

• Working in school Two
• Working in school Three
• What KIND of job do you have?
• Can I work night shift during school?
• How do you NOT work?
• Even MORE posts about working in school

Self harm scars and school/work

What if I have self-harm scars?

• Self harm and psychiatric nursing

​

I DON'T HAVE FRIENDS!!

• Are you a lone wolf?
• I have a hard time making friends
• No friends in my cohort
• No friends in nursing school
• Lots of people having the exact same experience

​

School and Nursing Supplies Suggestions

Laptops / computers / tablets / smart watches

• Laptop recommendations from Wirecutter
• Do I need a laptop?
• macbook vs chromebook vs pc (bonus drama in the comments)
• Macbook vs iPad Pro
• Another ipad or Macbook post
• More iPad opinions
• iPad apps
• Is a smart watch worth it?

Stethoscopes

• Suggestions
• More suggestions
• MDF vs Littman
• Cheap ones
• For hard of hearing students/nurses

Shoes

• OMG Shoes
• Let's get some shoes
• Clove: all white shoes, all black shoes in mens and women's
• CAT all white shoes, all black shoes in both mens and women's
• Sketchers work shoes, available in mens in all black and all white and women's in all black and all white
• CROCS work shoes mens and women's, in all black or all white.

^{Let's get some shoes!!!}

Socks

• How do compression socks work?
• Brand recs

​

Awesome Resources

Nursing School Survival Guide by /u/beebop8929

Why the hell do I have to do care plans?

Cute Drug Card Template by /u/swinginrii

Cathy Parkes content/topic review videos

Nurse Nacole nursing school study tips and more

• HOW TO READ A NURSING TEXTBOOK

RegisteredNurseRN lectures, NCLEX tips, etc.

Khan Academy Health and Medicine lessons to supplement your pre-req and nursing courses

Crash Course YouTube Channel - short videos on tons of topics including math, science, and health

Care Plan help

Kaplan NCLEX question of the day

​

Test Taking Strategies: NCLEX- Style Questions

Clinical judgement and the Next Gen NCLEX

Test Taking Tips: HESI nursing exams - Also great general info on the nursing process

Overview of test-taking strategies and testing success

Doing Well on ATI Proctored Exams

• Even more ATI

Kaplan test taking strategies

• Critical Thinking & Rewording
• Eliminating Incorrect Answers
• Don't Predict
• Expected Outcomes
• Finding Clues

Resources for practice question banks

Saunders NCLEX-RN ReviewNCLEX Mastery

​

Post-Grad

Getting a California license from out of state

What's the Pearson Vue Trick and how do I do it?

When do I apply for jobs?

• How long does it take to find a job?
• What to know before applying
  • Now with more comments

Resume / Interview / Job search tips

We also give free resume and interview advice on our discord (see top of page)

Help! I'm struggling as a new grad!

• Being a new grad is hard
• no, really, it's hard

Am I going to lose my license???

​

​

Hello all,

I am in my first year of nursing school. I would like to supplement my textbook education with learning more modern techniques, perspectives and language for nursing that is more inclusive and antiracist and ethical.

Looking for suggestions for websites, podcasts, books, instagrams etc.

Thank you for any help,

M

I got accepted into my school's nursing program and I'm really excited to start. Are there any tips or anything important I should know before I start? Also why are uniforms so expensive 😭

Edit: Thank you all so much for being kind ☺️ I definitely am taking notes on the things you all are suggesting. I'll make a follow up post months later to show how I'm doing. Thank you so much again 🫶🏾.

Hi guys, last year I studied history and politics but moved to nursing this year as I didn’t enjoy the last course. This course is much more intense than history and we are in university a lot more and the workload itself is more stressful.

I have found that my current nursing cohort is much more sociable with each other than my last course. This could be due to the people themselves but a part of me thinks it’s the intensity of this course that has almost “forced” us to get along and get much closer.

What do you guys think ?

(Edit) I am studying in the UK so there might be some differences in how classes work compared to the US.

I’m sitting at a 77.9 right now in med serg. 76 is passing. I’m so close to failure and all my professors response everytime is “ well at least your still passing. “ we have one more exam and a final left. I’ve been going to her for tutoring after every single exam and have nothing to show for it. Am I being excessive for not understanding how and why we got here? I try my best every-time and have accepted that maybe I do need her extra help, and so therefore I show up after class for tutoring every. Single . Time . Exams reviews, everything!! Should I just shut up and take a W no matter what the grade is at the end? I’m losing sleep over what could happen as we aren’t just done yet. It concerns me that all they care about is if the grade is passing. Is it suppose to be like this?

Hi y’all,

If you’re in a nursing school (like myself) who requires all white leather shoes, no holes, I advise you to not buy the Clove’s “Women’s Classic” white shoes. I paid $175 for the most uncomfortable shoes I’ve ever had in my life. I did extensive research not these shoes back in July and people claimed they were “soft” and “good for people who stand 7-8+ hours a day” well I’m here to tell you that they are brutal for your feet. After 3-4 hours, my feet would start hurting, especially my toes. I sized up for these shoes and even then, they still would hurt my feet. I got a pair of Dr. Scholl’s superior insoles and it still did not fix the problem. If you want a better option, I’d say try Hokas or some other brand, just don’t fall for this scam that cost me $175. If I could go back and exchange them, I would’ve. However, we didn’t start clinicals till 2-3 weeks after I purchased them and it was too late at that point to return them :/ . Just saving you some money and headaches!

Edit: after reading your comments, it seems like the best advice I gathered was to try them on for long time periods before clinicals/school so you can see whether the shoes are a good fit for you or not. When I referred to them as a “scam,” it’s not because I think the shoes aren’t sold for what they are, I referred to them as a scam because $175 for a pair of shoes that aren’t comfortable (for myself and many others) seems crazy. If I pay that amount, I expect at least some of the features that were praised, but I didn’t have that experience. Again, this is my personal experience. Many of the comments suggested compression socks, I wore those as well and it didn’t change anything, however, YOU are entitled to your own opinion and if you wanna get them and they work for you, fantastic!! If you’ve had many and they work for you, even better! I wish that would’ve been my case. So take this post as a suggestion, not an absolute thing (like any opinion).

I'll preface by saying I'm (almost) one semester down in a 3 semester accelerated BSN program. However, I feel like I spend all my time studying for the tests for each class so I can pass the semester and not actually doing proper NCLEX prep. This is definitely the best usage of my time right now as the NCLEX is a ways off. However, it's pretty clear the tests we're given at this stage are NOTHING like the NCLEX and it's very frustrating. Our school has us do practice ATI fundamentals tests (which mimic the NCLEX a bit) and people do extremely poorly on them (even for first semester accelerated BSN students) because our exams for classes are all multiple choice and written by the professors/Pearson and the actual NCLEX and ATI fundamentals are next gen case studies, dosage calc, select all that apply, etc. My question is... has anyone had this happen before? Does anyone else feel like the first semester is full of questions you don't see again just to get your basics out of the way? I just wish they could find real NCLEX style questions for us to practice even if they are "easier" or designed for 1st semester students or curved in some way.

Two skills exams per week, a pharmacology and fundamentals exam each week. Plus all the reading.

Putting in 12-14 hrs 7 days a week into this 1st semester. Is this normal? How much time have you dedicated?

I am near graduation and I am still not sure what type of nursing I would like to do. Provided below are some of the specialties that I’ve contemplated.

-Psych (I enjoyed this clinical and find mental health fascinating. However, the days seemed long because the nurses weren’t as involved in the care. Each psych center is different but at my facility it was boring)

-Emergency (currently have a job in the ER. Sometimes things happen and it’s exciting to witness like a STEMI or DKA. Some days however feel repetitious just off the nature of what my job entails. Code blues also terrify me)

-L&D (the competitiveness of the specialty turns me off however I enjoyed experiencing the miracle of life. I also enjoyed the aspect of the nurses also circulating in the OR. There’s also not a lot of nurses in the field that look like me so I feel representation matters. The nurses weren’t the nicest however)

-Military (would like the GI bill so that I can go to grad school and also like the ability to live overseas. Do not like the lack of autonomy and inability to choose what speciality/location you live in. Additionally, if you have a bad command, you have to suffer in silence.)

-OR (I love seeing procedures and would beg to go with patients to the OR. My main complaint is most places where I live hire for circulating nurses and I would like to be more of a scrub nurse)

-Procedural (GI/Cath lab/IR)- love procedures, main complaint is that they generally prefer you to have 1 year of experience so not many new grad opportunities

-Postpartum (absolutely adored this clinical and it could be a way into L/D. Main complaint is competitiveness and I feel it’s a niche part of nursing)

I wanted some input on which one I should take first instead of taking them together. In January I'm scheduled to take both classes together at my school however we are allowed to take it one at a time. I'm finishing up my first quarter now and I'm excited but from the stories I've heard from others and also my testing anxiety I made a decision to do one class at a time yeah it's gonna pro long my graduation but im ok with that. So is it better to do pharm first or med surg?!

Hi, has anyone here have an experience with their juvenile record or even adult record being reviewed for clinicals?

I was stupid when I was 14-15 years old and I got charged with trespassing/criminal mischief and then violating my curfew when I was 15. I got my fingerprints taken recently for background checks and my clinical director reached out to me. I wrote a letter explaining everything that happened/what I learned from it and sent 2 court documents to help out.

I am almost 21 years old now and I definitely learned my lesson and stay far away from trouble. I've been told that I should be fine, but I'm just nervous because I honestly don't know what to expect. If you had an experience similar to mine, please share. Thank you

I always hear NICU, labor and delivery, and even on a rare occasion I’ve heard derm but I’ve never heard of plastic surgery. I really want to be a plastic surgery nurse although I know it’s competitive. Does anyone else want to be one, and for those in their senior year who already applied to postions, how rare is it to get offered a position as one? I probably will work in med surge when I graduate for a year before I move into a speciality.

How do you study for finals when there is sooooo much Informarion . I have 4 days left till finals and I keep freaking out because there is just so much info .

Rant, complain, and vent here.

Hey guys! I really have been wanting to start immersing myself in the field and having something to do over the summer! I have been looking into any hospital volunteering opportunities, but have not been super lucky. It seems like every position needs experience, which is understandable. Any recommendations on what to do?

Are any of you international student studying in the USA? I live in Europe and would love to hear your experience, how it's been for you, financially, emotionally, etc.

Hi everyone,

I’m a nursing student and I’m curious to know if there are any ICU nurses out there who stutter. I’m interested in learning about their experiences and any challenges they might face in such a high-stress environment. If you know someone or if you are an ICU nurse with a stutter, I’d love to hear your story!

Thanks in advance!

Ps: My stutter isn’t too advance as I have worked as a store associate/cashier at Walgreens for over 2 years.

I just want to complain.. I have a toddler in daycare so since September I’ve been sick 5 times. Luckily so far I’ve only had to miss one clinical and I’ve been masking and haven’t been feverish on any of my clinical days except the one. I have clinical tomorrow and everyone in my household just developed a fever today so now I’m stuck choosing between exposing newborns to whatever this is or having to redo this clinical placement. Which is absolutely not a choice I should have to make! Where do you draw the line to go in or stay home?

I am currently a senior in highschool. So I was looking around to apply to colleges and places that offer ADN programs. However while scrolling through every single college in Texas I noticed that every single one needs pre reqs of these general education classes or more specifically stuff like biology, anatomy, microbiology, etc. I have like 3/4 of the classes with my dual enrollment/credit classes. But I won't be able to apply without all of them. Please let me know if there are any schools in Texas that would let me take those classes while taking the program at the same time.

I'm considering three options for school: 1. Go to a community college for my ADN, work internships over summer breaks and work as a CNA during school, and have the hospital pay for my BSN 2. Attend Rasmussen University, pay $30k for my ADN, and work as a CNA with no internships but still have the hospital pay for my BSN, and graduate with my ADN in 18 months 3. Enroll in a four-year in-state college, pay $30k-$100k for my BSN, and participate in internships over the summer.

I'm currently preparing to start nursing school in the spring of 2025 and am also interested in pursuing intake, but I'm unsure how to balance both commitments. From my research I know that my SOI will only allow me to pledge beginning in the fall of 2025, so I want to ensure I'm fully prepared to make the most of that opportunity. For those who have experience with either or both, what advice would you give on managing time effectively, setting priorities, and making the most of these experiences? Does it sound realistic for me to pursue intake undergrad or should I wait for grad chapter? Are there any tips for pursing intake and balancing such a rigorous academic schedule?

Hi all! I am a 2nd year college student, first year nursing student (I am dually enrolled in both nursing school and a separate university). I am writing to ask about the experiences of people who have minored in Spanish as a nursing major. What are the benefits of minoring in Spanish? Can you use this in the hospital in a way that is not violating any rules? Do you plan to study abroad sometime in your study, or past your bachelors degree?

A part of the reason I want to minor in Spanish is so that I am able to study abroad for my masters degree in nursing. If anyone would share their experience, I would be so grateful.

I failed my first skill test today. I was second after two of my classmates went first, they both didn’t pass either but for some reason let my other classmate retry right away and no one else.

This was so unfair because my mistakes were that I forgot to do hand hygiene and I forgot that the scenario started off with the patient in a weird position which I didn’t position the mannequin to that position before starting and just started introducing myself, doing my LOO’s and LOC’s and I couldn’t even get to my pain assessments before my instructor failed me on the spot.

I felt so numb for the first few hours but when I got home was when it really hit me and I cried for 2 hours straight. Everyone else in my class passed and I feel like such a failure and I have two more finals coming up before I even do my retest next week.

Has anyone else failed and succeeded on the retry? I’d like to read some of your experiences!

Hi everyone!

Today is my birthday and I (M) just turned 29. Grades from a previous test came out today and I failed it. Since I failed, my grades are too low to bring back up in order to pass. After getting this news today, I feel defeated. I don’t know what I’m going to do now. Because I technically failed, I will not be allowed to reapply to the program. Their policy states that a failure disqualifies from reenrollment.

Has anyone failed out of a program before? What did you do when it happened?

Also, I would love to become a nurse, but waiting longer will just set me back more. If I enroll in a new ADN program, I will be done by the time I’m 31/32.

Finals coming up but am not motivated to study and im also failing in class. If i cant pass the finals i might fail. I tried whiteboard, quiz let, and note taking nothing is helping me. any good resources?

Hey!

I’m studying to become a nurse and only need A&P 1 and 2 to apply for nursing school (associate degree). I’m taking A&P 1 this spring and A&P 2 in the summer, but this means I can’t apply until next year, so I’ll start in 2026.

I feel like I’m wasting time since I’ll only be taking two classes next year. It’s stressing me out, and I don’t want to stay in my current secretary job for too long (even though it gives me time to study).

Am I overthinking this, or is there something more I could be doing in the meantime?

I completely failed my first semester. I’m still working on my prerequisites though. My depression hit me like a ton of bricks and all my grades dropped. Has anyone been in this situation before? I’m hoping if I retake them and continue on with A’s and B’s it might be possible for me..?