Nursing school is nothing like any other college course work you have done. To be successful in a nursing program, you will need to develop critical thinking and time management skills. For many students, this can be pretty challenging and, at times, discouraging. The good news is, once you have these concepts mastered, you will use them in your new career. Critical thinking can take some time to learn, but time management is actually pretty easy to conquer.
Write it all down
Whether you use an app, a Google Doc, or good ole fashioned paper calendar, writing everything down will allow you to see the big picture. Write down all your due dates for the entire semester. Now plug in any important events: holidays, your anniversary, your hamster’s birthday, etc. At this point, you may want to ugly cry, and that’s okay. Let it all out, wipe your snot, and get back to it.
How do you eat an elephant?
Honestly, I don’t know why you would want to, but if you did I would suggest doing so one bite at a time. The same method applies to nursing school. Papers, quizzes, and care plans can be overwhelming and seem impossible, but once you break it down to bite-sized pieces, it is way more manageable.
Take a look at any bigger assignments that are typically due toward the end of the semester. Ensure that you understand what is involved and estimate how much time it will take to complete it. When possible, try to get started on this project as soon as possible, even if it’s just writing an outline or reading up on the topic. Give yourself unofficial due dates throughout the semester to keep yourself on track.
Always plan to finish assignments a few days early. For example, if you have a project due on a Friday, put a pre-due date on Tuesday. This will give you a buffer in case life throws you a curveball, which life inevitably will do.
Weekly planning
Now that you have the big picture, you will want to look at your schedule by week. What assignments are due this week? Any tests? When are lectures and clinical? When do you work? Are there any important events? Put everything on a weekly calendar. Now look back at your master calendar to see if there’s anything that you should be working on that’s not due quite yet. Staying ahead is the best way to be successful.
Daily planning
Now that you know what’s due this week, it’s time to make a daily to-do list. List everything you need to get done, from homework to taking out the trash. Put it in chronological order if possible, followed by order of importance. You may want to use a different color for things that have to be done that day. Don’t make it an overwhelming and impossible to-do list. Plan for things to go sideways and give yourself grace when they do.
One way that I like to approach daily planning is by using sticky notes. This way if something new needs to be added, you can move the notes around in order of importance. If you don’t want to destroy the rainforest with all of that paper, there are sticky notes apps that can be installed on your computer or tablet.
Final thoughts
Make frequent office hour appointments with your professors. Most colleges require their faculty to be available for weekly office hours. This is because it is proven that students will be more successful when they are supported. Whether you love, hate, or love to hate your professor, they are there to guide you on your journey to nursing. I recommend that you come to your appointment prepared with specific questions to ensure you have a productive meeting.