Tips for Succeeding Junior Year
by Erin Miley
Junior year is definitely intimidating. It is your first time in the hospital and it is time for everything that you have learned to come together and critically think about what you are doing for your patient. And do not forget- 2 HESI’s each semester. But fear not, you can succeed! Here are my tips (in no specific order) to succeeding my junior year.
- Tips to Live By
- Nursing of Adults I
- Dimension of Mental Health
- Research
- Legal-Ethical
- Maternity-OB
- Nursing of Adults II
Tip 1 Tip 2 Tip 3 Tip 4 Tip 5 Tip 6 Tip 7 Tip 8 Tip 9 Tip 10 Tip 11
Tip #1- Practice NCLEX questions every day and especially before every test. I like to do about 5 questions a day. The Success books are excellent. NCLEX 4000 is also another excellent resource.
Tip #2- Try to get a job in healthcare, whether as a nursing unit secretary (NUS), extern, or patient care associate (PCA). This will help you learn to deal with patients, families, doctors, and other nurses. It will also give you the skills necessary to complete and excel in clinical. Plus you will be exposed to things that you only read about.
Tip #3- Practice your skills with friends, parents. Hone your assessment skills. Take manual BP whenever possible, especially in clinical. Do not lose your skills.
Tip #4- Get involved in the community. SNA is a great way to get involved. Volunteer at bake sales, blood drives. Be a delegate at the nursing convention. Run for a position in SNA or at the state level.
Tip #5- Pay attention when your professor is lecturing. Record if possible. Focus on what subjects your professor is lecturing on. Bring powerpoints if available and take noted. Back this up with the textbook reading. Chances are whatever your professor is saying will be on the test. Try to look for cues from your professor. Usually they are trying to tell you what is important and what is not.
Tip #6- Balance your life. You cannot possibly study all the time otherwise you will hate nursing. Go to the movies, shopping, out to dinner with friends. Give yourself a break especially after a test.
Tip #7- Ask questions. If you do not understand something, ask. However, do not be the person that asks questions just to hear yourself speak. This also relates to #8.
Tip #8- Utilize your professor’s office hours. Get to know your professors. The nursing community is very small. These lasting relationships can take you places and afford you numerous opportunities. It will also help when it comes time for letters of recommendation. It will be a more personal/ stronger letter if the professor knows you.
Tip #9- Form study groups with friends. Make sure that you really study though! I am not one for studying in big groups but right before a test I like to review material with one person. If you can explain what and why you are doing for the patient, you will pass the test. You need to understand (not just memorize) the nursing interventions in priority to succeed at this level.
Tip #10- Read, Read, and Read. I cannot emphasize enough reading before class. This way when the professor is lecturing you know what she is talking about and will come with questions prepared.
Tip #11- Space out studying. Do not attempt to cram all of your studying in the last second. This can be devastating and stress you out unnecessarily.
Tip #12- Possibly the most important tip for succeeding on tests- Remember your ABC’s and safety. Read the questions and think about what the question is asking you. Then read the all the answers completely.
Nursing of Adults 1
- Topics covered
- Surgery (per-,peri-,post-)
- Ortho
- GI
- Endocrine
- Cancer
- Skin
- To me, this was the easiest class of the semester. It builds a lot on what we learned in foundations. I had an awesome professor who took the time to make sure that you understood the material. Most of the test questions came from lecture notes, but about 5-10 questions per test where from the reading and things that we did not cover. Review a&p before taking this class.
- Clinical- This was a tough clinical. It is truly the first time that you are doing care plans every week. Finding the priority nursing diagnosis was tough at first. But the clinical professors understand this and work to help you. This is what post-conference is all about for the most part. I cannot stress the importance of getting a care plan book. I know it costs about $50 but you will use it for every care plan and the papers that you write for the rest of your nursing student career.
Dimension of Mental Health
- All mental diseases and medication are covered in this class. - Clinical- depending on where your placement is depends on the type of experience you have. I was in an acute care facility with 5 different mental health units. It was a great experience. - Side note- if you have a chance to go to Gould Farm- GO!! It was an amazing experience. Besides interacting with the guests and staff, it is a great mental break for you. The fresh air did wonders for us in the last weeks of October. I would go again in a heartbeat.Research
- This class is rough. It is material that you have never really seen before. We had to choose a quantitative research study and write a 2-part paper. Also, in groups of 3-6 people, study and research a topic of interest. - The best piece of advice I can give you- choose your articles wisely! Make sure that you read the whole article and understand what the researcher is trying to prove. Try to stay away from involved statistics- you will need to explain the significance in your paper. Also look at the outline of your paper. Make sure it is a good article. You will be stuck with it for the rest of the semester. - Group projects are always scary. I had a good group. Choose wisely. - This class is the best time to utilize the office hours of your professors. Ask questions especially if you do not understand the assignment or your article.Nursing of Adults 2
- Topics covered
- Cardiovascular/ Vascular
- Respiratory
- Renal/Urinary
- Neuro