I want to provide you with a list of four things that will help you tremendously in nursing school and in your life as you go on beyond nursing school.

Although I will be discussing these things with respect to nursing school think of how you can apply them at large to your life.

Find the Filet Mignon

So this is what happens in nursing school. They tell you have to know everything. By doing this, they are creating students who are exhausted, who are burnt out physically and emotionally, who are forcing themselves to cram this information in their brain when they're not even gonna use it.

I have students who can tell me what the normal thyroxine level is, but they have no idea why patients with hypothyroidism are always cold. Cuz they can't explain it. They can't explain it. They're missing this important critical thinking fact. And the the fault is not yours.

The education system is the problem.

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I'm gonna be really honest with you guys. They're missing it. They're forgetting to teach you how to think. They're forgetting to teach you how to understand what's actually happening to your patient. Because if you understand what's actually happening to your patient, you can figure everything else out.

You don't need to memorize lists.

You have to focus on the most important, most valuable information. And here at NURSING.com we call that the filet mignon. What we mean by that is we don't want you focused on the buffet of information because if you focus on the buffet, you're gonna miss the good stuff, right? Because when you go to a buffet, what's the first thing you go for? You go for steak. You go for like the fried bread, which has absolutely zero nutritional value. But it tastes good. And you miss the good stuff - the best stuff - the filet mignon.

At NURSING.com we only teach you the filet mignon - after that - everything else falls into place.

Find a Cheerleader

Find a cheerleader. Find that person who's gonna keep you going. Find that person who's gonna tell you all the time how great you are.

Be each other's cheerleader. Maybe a former professor. Maybe your best friend, your best friend doesn't have to be a nursing major to understand that you are stressed out, right?

A family member, a parent or sibling, let them be your cheerleader. Let them encourage you.

And if you don’t have anyone you can turn to as a cheerleader - know that you have all of us, the NURSING Family. We are here for you, we’ve got your back, and we want you to succeed.

Find that cheerleader, find that person who's gonna uplift you and encourage you. Do not, do not spend time around people who drag you down, even if they're your peers, even if they're your friends, even if they're your family members.

Find What Works

How do you learn best? What works best for you?

Figure out what your learning style is - or how you consume information best.

To do this, use the online and free tool called VARK which stands for Visual Auditory Reading/Writing Kinesthetic.

Consider how you like to study. Some people learn best in groups while others learn best alone in a quiet settings. Um, there's actually seven learning styles. If you learn better in a group, find other people who also learn better in a group.

Find out what study habits work for you. There are some people who are best if they take two hours and go nuts for two hours. Then there is the Pomodoro Technique where you study hard for 20 minutes then take a 10 minute break.

Think about the time of day your study, for me, mornings are best. Are there certain foods or smells that help you study.

As you study pay attention to all these things - when you feel that you have had a particularly successful session - try to replicate that environment the next time you study.

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Above all else, make sure you are sleeping. It can be tempting with the rigorous expectations of nursing school to try to study endlessly - but reserve the appropriate time for sleep so you are well rested.

Find Your Confidence

I know it's really hard to be confident when you're always feeling defeated, especially when other people are making you feel defeated, like your instructors. Find your confidence. And sometimes this comes with time. I promise that finding your confidence will make a world of difference to your success, not just in nursing school, but in life as a whole. So trust yourself.

I talk about this a lot when we talk about test-taking. Trust your gut. Trust yourself, trust your gut. Trust what you know. Trust that you know this. You've got this, okay? Trust your first instinct even on tests.

One thing you can do to help with this is to develop what is called a “Growth Mindset”.

Rather than assuming that all your knowledge, skills, and abilities are fixed and cannot grow and change over time - assume you are growing and can grow and improve.

To help with this try two things when you are tempted to engage in negative self-talk.

Instead of saying “I’m not good at . . .”, say “I’m not good at . . . yet” giving yourself room to change and improve or rephrase it in a positive question by saying “Why am I good at . . .”

These four things will guide and direct your life while in nursing school and far beyond - I can assure you that focusing, being kinder to yourself, and filling your life with good people will have only positive outcomes on your life.

You CAN Do THIS!  NURSING.com is here to help . . . visit NURSING.com today