Whether you are about to start nursing school or about to finish up for student journey by taking the NCLEX, one thing we all know {or, are about to find out} is that nursing school is hard.
Leading up to nursing school, I would always hear these rumors and myths about how hard it was going to be and horror stories of people failing out or being held back a year because it was just that hard. And to be honest, I think I walked into nursing school with too much confidence; however nursing school has its own unique way of turning your pride into humility {thank the Lord for that}.
Let me just say that you ever really truly know what kind of challenge nursing school is until you actually go to nursing school.
It is not a place for the faint of heart, for it will challenge your knowledge and test your patience; motivation to continue moving forward is key.
How do I survive nursing school, you may ask. . .
1. Find your purpose
Before you start after something, anything really, find your purpose, your reasoning for wanting to do whatever it is you are doing. What is your motivation to do such a thing? Why is it that you are going after this goal?
For me, my initial motivation for undergoing this beast called nursing school was because I enjoyed health care and I though disease processes were interesting. I soon realized that the responsibility of the nurse is less focused on the healing of the actual disease process itself and more so on the nurturing and treatment of the human response to such disease or situation. My purpose and internal motivation for becoming a nurse now is definitely not the same as it was at the beginning of my journey; yet allowing nursing school to change the way you think has been one of the most beautiful and rewarding things yet.
2. Find your {external} motivation
Internal motivation is striving towards a goal for personal satisfaction or accomplishments; external motivation is when something from outside yourself motivates you towards something, whether it be a goal, mindset or accomplishment. Internal motivation is what pushes me to keep on 'raising the bars' on my goal ladder; external motivation is how I stay sane through the stress and chaos of being so ambitious.
For me, external motivation has ranged from exercising to blogging to coffee. Finding hobbies and creating even a short period of time to divulge in said hobby {whether that be exercise or drinking coffee or taking a 'girls night' out with the friends} may seem challenging, due to the lack of time nursing school can sometimes create; however, it is important, for sanity's sake, to take some time for you. Yeah, in this area I am more-or-less a hypocrite - like when I integrate my 'hobby' of coffee-drinking with studying. But hey, a nursing student has got to do what a nursing student has got to do, right?
3. Find some encouragement
Finding healthy external motivation techniques is key, and creating unique and caring relationships with those who are walking along beside you through your nursing journey is so beyond important.
When I began nursing school, I believed that I would graduate with no new friends, that essentially I would become and remain a nursing-school-hermit and would sit in the back row all by myself and not make any friends at all. Dude, I legit believed this was going to be me.
And less than a month into the program, I was telling my friends that I believed I would become a nursing-school-hermit; and you know what is even more ironic {and just downright hilarious}, the fact that they too thought this is how they were going to spend nursing school.
Fast forward a year and some change to my second or third mental health nursing course exam in which my score was much less than par. After seeing my grade, I couldn't help but have a mental breakdown. So there I sat on the window sill at the end of the hallway in the nursing school building, first trying not to cry, and then trying to not have copious amounts of snot come streaming down my face. Then here comes three of my friends; one comes and sits beside me on the widow sill and tells me that I am not the only one who did horrible and proceeds to say things and I can't help but laugh and smile. In the midst of chaos, you will find the stars, and by stars, I mean wonderful friends who quickly become this thing called nursing family.
4. Thrive
"C's make degrees."
This statement was one I never liked, well, because it has never been my mindset. It is a mindset of survival, not a mindset of endurance and thriving.
There are those who just survive, and then there are those who make it a goal to thrive through chaos and thrive through challenges; who look to crazy circumstances for opportunities to capitalize.
What does it take to thrive rather than survive?
I believe the secret to thriving rather than surviving is a positive mindset. Instead of wondering what good can come out of a chaotic and challenging situation, look for the opportunities that can bring about growth.
And who knows, at the end of your journey, you may have accomplished a lot more than you had originally planned.
