Nursing School Essay

Aid for Nursing Students to Manage Nursing School
Nursing is a very competitive career that includes a large amount of work. Nursing School can be challenging but there are ways to be successful. In How to Survive and Maybe Even Love Nursing School, Kelli S. Dunham, RN and BSN, explores several different concerns that nursing students can have as they head off to and complete nursing school. All kinds of advice are given out in this book from studying for exams to handling clinicals. The book focuses on the needs for each different nursing student, such as whether a student has a family at home or if a student has to work while in school. Dunham uses several examples of past nursing students and herself as to support the advice she is giving

One major point that Dunham covers in her book would be how to manage stress. Dunham states, “The first thing to do is to put the stress in as positive a frame as possible… the second general suggestion is to put stress in its rightful place” (Dunham 35). Dunham wants students to know that stress is inevitable and that humans need some kind of stress in their lives, but she also wants students to maintain their stress in balance. She gives students several ways to handle stress, including self-care—which is doing something you like to do to reduce stress. She also suggests building a support system of friends, family, and even mental health professionals. Usually, the student’s friends and family are very supportive and help the student reduce stress, but other times stress can get out of hand. Dunham states, “Sometimes stress can be severe, and we can begin to feel hopeless” (Dunham 47). At this point, it is important to contact a mental health professional to help the student or nurse with his or her stress. It is important for the student to stay motivated and balance his or her stress. These tactics Dunham discussed will help any nursing student in his or her

She advices students to choose a clinical instructor and clinical site based on what past students have said about it. Dunham wants students to get the most out of their clinicals and to be well prepared for the near future. She also states, “the relationship between clinical instructors and nursing students is a unique one…think of your clinical instructors as one of nursing school’s most valuable resources” (Dunham 150). The instructor has probably had a lot of experience, so it is a good idea to talk to and learn more about him or her. The student should maintain a good relationship between the instructor and the rest of the people working on the floor. This should lead to a more successful working environment for