What to do when you're worried about nursing school
Christina Rafano tells anxious nursing students that past grades don't predict future performance. She recommends talking to instructors early, mastering dose calculations, and checking the syllabus to reduce unknowns. Treat each term as a fresh start and stop the self-defeating stories you tell yourself.
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Go. Hello, everyone. Welcome back. Super exciting. Happy New Year. Merry Christmas. Hello, hello. Oh, you guys, I am so, so excited for this. We got a lot to cover today. I am so stoked to be back with you. So we've had several weeks of off with the holidays and everything. I am so excited to be here. Hey, you guys. Wow. Thanks for all the hearts and thanks for joining. We were talking about how to get prepped for this next term in nursing school. It's going to be fantastic. Hello, Jonathan. Hi, Marfa Jo. So good to see you again. Kendo. Hello. Happy New Year. Hi, Lena. Hello. Hello. Hello, everyone. Yes. Belated happy New Year. So exciting. Okay, I have some really, really important things to share with you about starting nursing school. Okay. And not only starting nursing school, but starting a new term in nursing school. So I have really, really important things that you need to know about. Okay? So. Hi. Wow. A lot of people joining on YouTube as well. Hello, everyone. Oh, I know. It's so good to be back. Right? Okay. So, typically, Matthew and I do our live shows Monday nights at this time. Unfortunately, he's with the baby right now because we couldn't quite get bedtime in beforehand. So we'll see how that goes. Maybe he'll pop in. But I am here and I am doing good. Thank you for asking. I am so glad you guys are here. Yay. Okay. Hi, Nehru. It's so good to see you. Losing my motivation in nursing school. Yeah, we're gonna talk about that, Niru. Like we are going to jam on that. I even have notes prepped for today, you guys, which never happens. You know that. I pretty much just come here and spend whatever's in my mind, but I have notes. Because I have too many important things to share with you. I do not want to forget. Okay? Oh, Annalina, losing hope about nursing. You're gonna do fantastic. And I'm gonna tell you why in a minute. Okay? When do you guys start school? Tell me, when do you start nursing school? When's your next term start? A lot of students I know are the 9th or the 16th. I think those are the two most common dates. We have some. Some of our nursing SOS members who start tomorrow, which is super exciting. Okay. January 9th, the 9th. Nerve. Oh, YouTube. I'm sorry. Hey, Instagram. I gotta move you over so I can see YouTube comments. There we go. 9th, 9th, the 4th. Okay. End nursing school in May. Fantastic. Miriam, Miriam, you're asking about NCLEX. Go back on our YouTube channel. We have a fantastic live video that Matthew and I Did a few weeks back on the next gen nclex. It's gonna help you so much. March, really? That's. Are you taking next term off then? Martha Jo's. February 9th. January 17th, the 9th. Yeah. Okay, so most. Most of you guys are the ninth. The ninth. YouTube is all the ninth, too. Yeah. 228. Yes. Okay. Ninth. Oh, I'm so glad. Ninth for paramedic. However, I love this channel because I want to eventually go into nursing. Yes. Fantastic. Exciting, exciting. I'm glad you are here, Danny. Okay. January 9th. January 17th. Okay. Fifth semester, new route. Yes, yes. Awesome. So. Hi, Kathleen. So good to see you. Ninth, ninth, ninth. All right. Most everyone's a ninth. So you guys got a week. All right, so that really helps me out. So we have a week, y'. All. We have a week. And here's what that means. That means you have plenty of time. Okay? Hear me when I say this. There is no rush. You do not have to stress. You do not have to be anxious. You do not have to be worried. You have a week to prepare and you are going to do fantastic. All right, so that's what we're going to talk about today, is how to get prepared for nursing school. Now, the first thing I want to say because this has been coming up a lot, so I know that when I get a bunch of emails, when I get a bunch of DMs, which I have been getting a ton of emails and DMs about this, a lot of nursing students right now On Instagram, on YouTube, comments in my email have been telling me, hey, Christina, I didn't do as well last term as I wanted to, and now I'm really scared for the next one. So that is what I've been hearing. Anyone in that boat, anyone who is like, thinking, I'm really scared for this upcoming term because I didn't do as well as I wanted to last term. If that is you, raise your hand or put up. Actually, let's. Let's have some fun. Let's put up your favorite emoji. Okay? If that is you, if you're like, hey, Christina, I wish I did better last term. I didn't. And now I'm super scared for the next one. One. Okay? I am hearing this all over the place. Like, everyone is telling me this. So I want to address it now because there is a lot of stress and anxiety about the next gen nclex. Like the new nclex. There's a lot of anxiety about, you know, if you're starting med Surge or critical care or OB and pediatrics. Everything's kind of new right now. You know, it's a new term. So I know that that can be pretty intimidating. Okay? So, yes, I know a lot of you. That's a lot of emojis. Thanks, you guys. Is the cry face really your favorite emoji? That can't be your favorite emoji. My favorite emoji right now is the turtle. So if someone can throw up a turtle, I would very much appreciate it. So here's the first thing I'm going to say about this, okay? Just because you didn't do as well as you wanted to last term does not mean that you will not pass the next term, okay? And here's why I say that. You guys, first off, you've learned so much. Like, you've learned kind of how nursing school runs, and you understand it better. Just the flow of it, how they. How they test, how the instructors teach, by and large, how clinical kind of goes. Even if it's a new clinical facility, you at least have been to clinical, you know, kind of, you know what. How to prepare for it. You. You've got your uniform, you've got all your stuff. You know, it's. You kind of know how it flows. And also, every term is different. Okay? You guys, hear me when I say this. Please, please, please, please. If you are sending up the emojis, thank you for the turtles, by the way. I so appreciate it. If you guys are in this boat where you are thinking, I didn't do as well last term as I wanted to, and therefore, that means that I'm not going to do as well this upcoming term, that is a complete lie. It's a complete story that you're telling yourself because every term is different in nursing school. Just because you didn't do as well last term as you wanted to does not mean that you will not do as well in the next one, okay? Because the thing is, you may have struggled with fundamentals, but maybe med surg is your jam, or maybe you may have struggled in med surg, but OB and pediatrics is your jam, or psychiatric nursing is your jam. Every term is different, okay? So do not beat yourself up. We are not in the business here of beating ourselves up, okay? Don't beat yourself up in your brain. Don't say, oh, I can't do it, because, xyz, I have all this evidence in my past, you know, from past terms and everything that tells me I can't do it. Don't do that to yourself. Don't bring in all that brain drama, okay? Just because you didn't do as well last term as you had wanted to does not mean that you will not pass this next term, okay? I've just been getting so many dms about this. So much, you know, so much. You guys have no idea. Like, my DMs are flooded with this exact problem. This is everything that I've been telling these students. Make sure that you take every term kind of in isolation. Like, take what you learned last term, apply it to the next term. But. But then just don't think. Don't get caught up in that lie, that just because you didn't do as well as you wanted to last term means that you're going to fail the next term. That's not the case. Okay? All right. The second thing I want to say about this. If you have failed. If you failed last nursing term, because this is happening. I'm hearing this, too. Students who failed last term in nursing school and are now retaking it. Who is retaking? If you are willing to raise your hand, let me know who you are. Who is retaking this next term? So that means that you didn't pass last term and now you are retaking this next term. It's fine if you don't want to raise your hand. No big deal. Here's what I want to tell you. Please, please, please do not lie to yourself and tell yourself that you cannot do it. Okay? When you are retaking a term, here's what we most often see. When you are retaking a term in nursing school, it does not mean that you're not going to do as well. It actually means the exact opposite. If you are retaking a term, you are more likely to do better the second time. And that is because you've already been through so much of it. You already know half the material. Now you just have to kind of shore up the rest of it, right? So just because. Do not. Do not lie to yourself. Right? Just because you failed last term, just because you have to retake an exam now, retake a term now, does not mean that you're going to fail again. The opposite is true. You are more likely to pass this next term because you didn't pass last time. Does that make sense? You guys, Are y' all with me? Are we feeling it? Are we feeling the energy? Okay. Feeling the vibes? The nursing school vibes? Yes. I'm retaking a class. Me. Me failed one class and have to start the program over. Yes, absolutely. Taking med, surge, maternity, Mental health Okay. Yep, yep, yep. Very worried. You're going to do great. Seriously. Seriously. That is what we most often see is, like, nursing students, when you get caught up in this, like, brain drama. I call it brain drama because that's how I feel in my mind. I'm like, oh, Christina, stop the drama. Anyway, that's how I talk to myself. I call it brain drama because we get caught up in this, where we tell ourselves, because this happened in the past, it means this for my future. Not true. You get to create your future out of nothing, my friend. Just because it was one way before does not mean that's how it needs to continue. Because you are capable. You are smarter than you think you are. You matter more than you think you do. You can do it. You are so, so capable of passing nursing school, okay? Take your learnings from before, apply it to this new term, and you are just going to be off to the races, okay? It's going to be fantastic. So don't get caught up in that brain drama. Don't beat yourself up and get super overly worried about it, okay? You're going to do fantastic. Okay? So like I said before, I have notes because I have very important things to say tonight, and I just wanted to make sure that I don't miss anything. So the first real tactic that is so, so important that you know about is to make sure that you are communicating with your instructors early. Okay, Cheyenne, you just asked me, what about people that are just about to start? Any advice? This is your advice. Communicate with your instructors now. So you should have your instructors. Like, you're probably going to get your syllabus fairly soon, maybe the day before the exam. You have their contact info, right? For your instructors. Like, communicate them. Communicate with them. Ask them, you know, if you were taking this nursing school class. If you were taking your class, like, you're talking to an instructor, right? If you were taking your class, how would you study for it? All right, what can I do to set myself up for success in your class? Okay? These are questions that I would ask of my nursing instructor. These are questions that I literally asked my nursing instructors when I was in nursing school. This is where this comes from. Okay? You've got to make sure that you are communicating early with your instructors and that you are communicating often with your instructors. They want to know that you are all in, that you are here to pass nursing school, and you are going to do whatever it takes to make that happen, okay? They need to know that you care, all right? They're the ones that give you the final grade. Great. I was just talking to a gal just a couple days ago on Instagram, and she had failed the term, right? She failed her test. She had failed the term. Then she met with her instructor and her instructor Pastor. So this is why you guys. This is why you have to show your instructors that you care. You have to show your instructors that you know it and you're trying and you are dedicated. That is going to go such a long way. Okay? So make sure that you email them at least once a week or meet with them in office hours once a week. Or, you know, catch them after class. Make sure you were talking with them, communicate with them early. Communicate with them often. Okay, thank you. Thank you. Praying to God that every test before I hit submit. Yes, absolutely. And you're going to do great. You guys, guys, seriously. Sorry, YouTube. I'm missing a lot of comments. Hey, I was pregnant in nursing school, too, I think. Do we have a YouTube video on that? See, this is why I need Matthew here. We've done so many YouTubers, you guys. We are going to hit 300 YouTube videos this year. What in the world, man? That is just so bananas to me. Okay. Oh, should I say it? Yeah, I think I'm gonna say this even though Matthew's not here. I was gonna. I was gonna say this with him here, but he's not here, and that's a bummer. And then I was gonna say it on Instagram. Stories and. Okay, here's the thing. I'm gonna tell you guys a story real quick. Okay? Are we down for this? Can we, like. Can I. Can I just go on a little tangent for a minute? I promise you, you're gonna love it. Okay. When I started nursing SOS a few years ago, my goal was to help 3,000 nursing students pass nursing school. That sounded completely bananas to me. Like, 3,000 nursing students like, Christina, who in the world do you think you are? Like, talk about brain drama. I was giving myself all the brain drama, right? You can't do that. It's impossible. All these things can. I just wanted to help nursing students pass nursing school, right? Okay, my goal was 3,000 nursing students. Well, guess what, you guys? We are almost 5,000. Are you kidding me? Like, what in the world? Okay, 5,000 what? Okay. All glory to God. Now, here's the thing. I was considering this to myself over December for Christmas, okay? And I was thinking, all right, so we passed that goal. Okay? Lord, now what? Now what? You know, now what what? Like, it's in your hands now what? And this number came to me, and it freaked me out and almost, like, made me ball my eyes up. Are you ready for it? 20,000. I was like, are you kidding me? 20,000. Okay, so here's the thing. Our goal now, Matthew and I and our nursing SOS team, our goal is to help 20,000 nursing students pass nursing school. Can you even believe. Okay, you guys, we're gonna make this happen. 20,000 nursing students pass nursing school. We can do this, right? Like, are you. Are you feeling it? Are you feeling it? We're gonna do this. So this is so important because you matter. You matter so much. So much more than you think you do, right? Like, you are a world changer, okay? Like, being in nursing school. This process of going through nursing school and doing the hard things, getting uncomfortable at clinical and putting yourself out there, right? Raising your hand at clinical and putting in your first IV or giving your first PO med or, you know, the million other things that you do in nursing school, all of these things, those things change lives. Yes, because you're helping your patients. But also, you become a stronger person. You become a different person when you continue to push yourself outside your comfort zone, when you continue to believe in yourself. When you come up to a nursing school exam and you say, you know what? My brain is telling me I can't do this, but I am going to consciously choose to tell myself I can. That will change you forever. Okay? And that is why we are here. 20,000 nursing students. I want 20,000 of you guys to know that. Okay. That you can do whatever you set your mind to, Lord willing. All right? You are so much more capable than you realize. All right? You guys feeling it? Do you feel that? Do you believe that? Can you send me some emojis, please, Rosalind? I will be done by March. Congratulations. Done by July. Fantastic. You guys are awesome. Like, sitting. Seriously, you are rocking nursing school. Okay? Make sure, you guys. I love your emojis. Thank you. Miriam. Yes. Fantastic. Awesome. Elle Jacobs. I'm so proud of you. Cheyenne. Ruth, I love it. You guys are going to rock. Yes. All right, so that is where that's at. Are you ready? 20,000. 20,000 nursing students. We gotta. You guys gotta help me out. Spread the message, okay? Tell people they can do it. All right? Tell people they can do it. So 20,000 nursing students. We are going to help 20,000 nursing students pass nursing school. Okay? You guys in? You in with me? Because I'm all in. I want you to be all in, too, okay? So the next thing that you need to make sure that you do before you start nursing school or before you're starting a new term is to make sure that you know dose calc inside and out, okay? Make sure you know dose calc inside and out. You are going to have a dose COC exam within the first two weeks of your term, and you need to pass it in order to stay in your program. Some nursing programs front load their dose calc exams. So maybe you had a huge dose calc exam when you started your program. Some programs have DoSCALC exams all the way through. That was how mine was. So my nursing school, we had a doscalc exam each and every term and if we didn't pass it, got the boot. That is how it is, okay? Your nursing school is not different than anyone else's nursing school, okay? All nursing schools really are very, very similar. So make sure that you understand dose calc inside and out, because if you do not pass that exam, you will be kicked out of your program. Now, the good news is that most schools allow retakes, all right? So make sure that you are practicing because we don't want to do a retake, okay? Because it's just. Why have the stress when you don't need it? Okay, Great question about dose calc. I don't know what to use to practice. Here we go. The Nursing SOS membership community is the place for you. If anyone is confused about dose calc at all, you have got to join the Nursing ESSENCE Membership community and enrollment will open on. I wrote it down. January 15th. Okay, so here's the thing, you guys. Enrollment into the nursing SOS membership community, it only opens a few times a year. And we do this intentionally because I personally don't like having to divide my attention or divide my time. Right. Between trying to get new students in and also taking care of our current members, I am very much member focused. We want to make sure that we are taking care of our members. So once you're in, man, you're in. Like, we're all in helping you pass nursing school. So make sure that you join when enrollment is open, because when those doors close, they're closed. And they're closed for a while. So make sure that you join on January 15th. It is a Sunday. I am so excited, you guys. So stinking pumped for this, right? 20,000 nursing students. We are going to help 20,000 nursing students pass nursing school. It is going to be so stinking fantastic. I hope that you are in with me because it is going to be great. Honey root, you are amazing, my friend. So Thankful for Nursing. SOS Passed my pharmacology with an A. Of course you did. Love it. Okay, so make sure you join. All right? That's what, two weeks from yesterday? I think Two weeks from yesterday. Mark it on your calendar. You don't want to miss it. Yes. Because enrollment will be closing on that Friday, whatever that Friday is. I'm not going to do the math, but it opens on the 15th, and then it closes on that Friday. Okay. All right. The next thing that you need to make sure that you do before nursing school is to meet with your upperclassmen, someone who is ahead of you in the term. Okay. Or look at the syllabus because you want to get a good idea about what the next term is going to look like for you. Okay. You want to get as clear of an idea as possible about what to expect. How does it run? Like, what clinical sites are there, what papers do you have to write, how many care plans do you have? Everything. Every question that you can possibly think about about next term, like, ask it to an upperclassman, ask it to your instructor, look at the syllabus and, you know, figure out, like, figure out exactly what next term is going to look like. Okay? That way you are going to be so much more prepared because it takes out kind of this. The unknowingness. Is that even a word? The unknowingness. That sounds a little. I don't know if that's a word you guys roll with it. The kind of unknown, Right? It takes up the unknown. You. It really just will help you to know kind of what to expect. Right. When you are starting a new term or when you're starting nursing school from straight, you know, from fresh, man. You've got to make sure that you are, like, in the right mindset, and it will really help. Help you to do that if you actually kind of know more of what to expect. We don't want to go in blind and not know what's happening or what to do, Right. Not the best place. Like, we don't feel very prepared, right? As people. We don't feel very prepared when we just, you know, go in and, you know, have it, like, asked any questions, haven't looked at anything. So make sure that you're looking at your syllabus. Make sure you're talking to upperclassmen. If you can make sure, like we talked about just a few minutes ago, making sure that you are talking with your instructors, just making sure that you are having all these touch points to kind of know what to expect. As much as possible, as much as you can. Okay? I know it's scary. I know it's difficult to put yourself out there and email your instructor or talk to an upper college, but seriously, it will help so much. This goes back to what we were just talking about, is that nursing school is going to continually push you outside your comfort zone, right? It's going to continually push you outside what you thought you were capable of. Right? And that's a amazing thing because you are going to come out so much stronger on the other side. Like, we are not just in nursing school to become nurses. We are in nursing school to become amazing nurses, like the nurses that God created you to be. Right? That is why we're here. Which means that you are going to grow leaps and bounds as a person in that time, all right? So don't waste your time in nursing school. Don't waste it. Take every opportunity. Get uncomfortable. Do the hard things. Do the difficult things that you were scared to do that you don't want to do, do those things, okay? Do push yourself outside your comfort zone and get uncomfortable. Because that is how you are going to grow, not only as a nurse, not only as a nursing student, but as a person. Okay? Do the uncomfortable things. Okay? All right. It's Anna. All right. Hello, this is Anna. This is kind of what we were talking about. If you fail one section or even one test, some schools like mine, they kick you out. Depends on the test, if it's weighted really highly. Yes, that makes sense. Now, the thing is, you guys make sure that you are not getting caught up in your mind, right? If we are stuck in this place where we're so concerned about these exams, right? And I get it. I get it. Like, I was in nursing school, you guys. Like, I get it. I've struggled with, like, serious anxiety my entire life, and nursing school did not help that well. Actually, it helped me realize actually how bad it was so that I got help. Like professional help. Very, very important, okay? We cannot get caught up in our own mind and tell ourselves that we can't do it. Because here's what will happen. If you were telling yourself that you can't do it, if you keep telling yourself that story, it's impossible. No one ever passes nursing school. It's too hard. Everyone fails that exam. This instructor fails everyone. I'm not the instructor doesn't like me. I hear these things all of the time. If we get caught up in those stories in our minds, what do we do? The answer is nothing, okay? When you are stuck in The I don't know how. It's impossible. I can't do it. When you get stuck there with that story in your mind, are you more productive or are you less productive? And the answer is, we're less productive, right? If we're telling ourselves a story, I can't do this. It's too hard. It's impossible. No one ever passes. I certainly can't pass. Like, if we're telling ourselves that, what are we going to do? Are we going to study for the next exam? Of course not. Like, we might do it halfway, but that's not what nursing school requires, right? We have to go all in, right? You got to study, you got to put in the work. Friends, we cannot, we cannot get caught up in that brain drama, all right? Do not do that to yourself or it will self sabotage your own success. All right? You can do this. You are good enough. You can pass. Pass. You will pass. Put in the work. Just like you said, Bean Rushie. Hello, Hard work. Thank you, Instagram. Seriously, friends, you've got to go all in on your dream. Nursing school is not something that you can do halfway, okay? It requires more from you, which is a fabulous thing. Like, take it in stride. Just say, hey, you know we're here. Let's not waste nursing school. These few years are going to pass anyway. Might as well get uncomfortable and become a stronger person as we go, right? Let's make it happen, friends. Thank you for all the hearts and the fires and the emojis on Instagram. I appreciate that. I wish YouTube did that. That would be pretty cool. Yes, friends, this is so important, okay? And I, I really, seriously, if you are stuck right now, worried about next term, like go back re watch this live because through your little motivational pep talk, you can absolutely do this. All right, friends, here's what I want to mention real quick before I go. Super important dose calc cheat sheet. Free dose calc cheat sheet that I have for you, okay? So if you are on Instagram, the link is in my bio for a free dose calc cheat sheet. We've also got a farm cheat sheet. We've got a critical thinking cheat sheet. So check it out, it's all there. YouTube. I can't type it in the box because I'm not going to type here while I'm on life. But YouTube, go to Instagram. We're nursing sos find me on Instagram. Go to my bio. We have a free dose cop cheat sheet. Got a free farm cheat sheet for you, critical thinking cheat sheet. And a Study cheat sheet. Hey, we give you all the stuff, so make sure that you get those, okay? Make sure you get those. All the cheat sheets in my bio, all right? Click them, check them out. Practice dose calc before the next term. Because like, me ru. Like you're saying, gotta make sure dose calc. You've got to understand those calculators. And you guys, don't get caught up in the brain drama. Don't do that to yourself. Like, seriously, it will self sabotage your own success and we do not want to do that here. Okay? All right, so the Nursing Assets membership community is opening in less than two weeks. I am so stinking stoked. Okay, the 15th. All right, the 15th. You cannot miss it. It only opens a few times a year. So make sure that you join on the 15th, okay? I will post about it on Instagram. I'll email you about it. If you're on our email list, make sure you join because we are here to help you pass nursing school. It is amazing. You are gonna love all the resources inside. It's gonna change your life. Okay? If you love what we do on YouTube, if you love what we do on Instagram, like, the membership community is a whole nother level. Helena. What? So, so Great, you guys. 20,000 nursing students. We're gonna help 20,000 nursing students pass nursing school. Are you excited for this? Are you as excited as I am? I'm feeling it. I'm feeling it. I'm feeling the, the nursing school vibes. I hope you are too. We are here to help you pass nursing school. All right, Amina, The Nursing Essence membership community is $39 per month or 390 per year, which is super fancy because then it's like getting 12 months for the price of 10 if I'm doing my math right real quickly in my head. All right, friends, we will see you. Well, Matthew and I will see you on the next live next Monday. Okay? So same time, same place, follow me on Instagram. Instagram stories. You know, I'll tell you all my stories about my oven that's been happening and is not so fun lately. But if you want to follow our Instagram stories, I am here for it. I give you nursing school tips, motivation, just like this. Super fun. DM me anytime. We have fun on Instagram, my friends. So, all right, we will see you next week. Take care you guys. Happy New Year. And again, do not get caught in the brain drama. You are going to do fantastic next term, okay? You are going to do fantastic. Are you guys? Take care. We'll see you later. Next time. Bye. Bye. Bye.
