I am most excited about graduating, starting my career as a nurse, and learning so many new things. I hope to work in the OR as I had my preceptorship there and I loved it. One thing I am anxious about when I start working is the transition and feeling like I have no idea what I’m doing, but I am sure I will feel more comfortable as time goes on. Usually, I plan my weekly studying schedule by writing all my assignments in my planner and making a checklist of other things I have to do like reading for class and writing notes/outlines for class. One way my friends and I celebrate progress is going out to eat after finishing an exam, which I find is a good way for me to relax.
I learned more about my learning style through the nurse logic modules and figured out that I am more of a tactile learner. Seeing things out and being able to repeat and walk through them is very helpful for me. In the Nursing Concepts module, I learned about the three domains of learning which include cognitive, affective, and psychomotor which involves practicing skills. In the priority setting frameworks module I learned about the different nursing frameworks. ABC, least restrictive/least invasive, and survival potential are some of the frameworks that I have used before. In the testing and remediation module I learned about different types of questions that would be on the NCLEX. This was very helpful for me as they showed examples of the questions as well.
It’s wonderful you found an interest in the OR already, Amy! As for feeling anxious about the transition from student to novice nurse – that is to be expected. Many hospitals now offer residency programs for new grads, and are able to provide structured, intentional guidance and support for new nurses to help them acclimate successfully to the role. Look out for those kinds of opportunities!