This is for all of those students who say, "I can't" or "I don't have what it takes" or "maybe I'm not that smart". I was one of those students at one time - truth be told, we all were! I have never met a nursing student or an instructor who didn't doubt themselves. So, I will share what I have learned along the way.
Several years ago, there was a nursing student we will refer to as "Taylor" (not her real name of course). She was not passing her tests and it was midterm. I thought I would do her a favor and spare her the angst of suffering the rest of the semester. I took it upon myself to have a one on one talk with her to tell her that maybe nursing might not be the right career path for her.
What happened next I will never forget, She sat quietly, and solemn for a few minutes. Then, with a burst of energy said, "NO, I am going to do this, I am not giving up!" she got her act together and graduated on time. It is those Taylors in our life we live for. I couldn't be happier for her and others like her.
Another example would be a student we shall call “Morgan”. Morgan was very nice but she had severe relationship problems. However, due to her perseverance Morgan finished and not only did she finish but she passed the boards on her first try! Again, how does it happen?
Fortitude - these students don't give up, they fight harder and persevere. It is not a question of if they can do it, they will do it. They have made up their minds.
Setting their own pace - some realize they may fall behind or it may take longer. Either way, they are still determined to finish.
Acceptance - they quit fighting the system and go with it. They accept that. I tell my students not to waste their precious energy dwelling on things they seem as trivial, unfair, or a waste of time. They have no business focusing on gossip related to instructors or drama surrounding school.
Maturity - they realize as one of my coworkers lamented "were not making donuts here". They realize it is about life and death. It's serious business. If everyone could do it we wouldn't be needing nurses.
To achieve all these points there are many things nursing students can do such as:
Make use of study groups, meet friends, vent.
Make use of your resources! There are so many resources are available and many do not use them. How many times have I begged students to come see me. Ask me questions! Many professors would love students to come and ask for help.
Nursing students should study, read, and ask questions. They don't make excuses for why they don't know the material and they go after what they want. These students don't need immediate gratification.
Nursing students need to let go of their perfectionism. People who stay in the program realize that they don't need an A+ to be a nurse. They take what they can get and go on. They are realistic and realized that no one will ask for their GPA at the hospital or care enough that they needed to take a medication test twice.
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