Getting into nursing school is an incredible accomplishment. But now that you’re in, you still need to get through. And that will be an even more incredible accomplishment.

Here are some tips, from a nurse who recently graduated and is now mentoring other nursing students, on how to succeed in nursing school. 

Take care of you. You are the single most important asset that you have right now. And although it may feel counterintuitive to prioritize taking care of your own body and mind right now, self-care is the best return on investment you can get while in nursing school. I don’t mean the fluffy kind of self care either. This isn’t about bubble baths and wine and chocolate. This is about discipline, doing the hard work of taking care of your body and soul so that you have the health and strength you need for the rigors of nursing school. Let’s look at these disciplines.

Sleep. This is probably the area where I see nursing students shoot themselves in the foot most often. You absolutely must prioritize sleep. Seven hours a night, at a minimum. No all-nighters, ever.

Sleep is essential to brain function, especially memory and critical thinking. Since those are the two things you need most right now, make sure you sleep. Remember that, in general, one hour of sound sleep is worth three hours of sleep-deprived study. So you are better off getting to bed two hours early and getting up an hour earlier. You’ll feel better AND your studying will go much better. 

Eat. When you are frantically trying to get all your assignments in, it way too easy to skip eating altogether or to just grab convenience foods. Don’t do it. Make sure that no matter how busy you are, always go for healthy snacks.

Buy a bag of apples and use those for quick snacks. Take a few minutes to cook the veggies. If you have to buy from the hospital cafeteria, choose the chef’s salad instead of the sandwich. Keep sugar consumption to a minimum. If you use caffeinated drinks, keep consumption to three or four cups per day and don’t use it as a substitute for sleep. 

Drink water. Lots of water. Hydration is key for cellular health, as your studies should be telling you. Brain health, in particular, is affected by dehydration, and right now you need every single brain cell you possess to be firing on all four cylinders. Aim for at least half your body weight in ounces. For example, I weigh 150 pounds, so I need at least 75 ounces of water daily. I use a twenty-four-ounce water bottle and refill it at least three times a day.

Socialize. You need people. You need time with people in which you don’t study together or talk about nursing school. It can be very tempting to put relationships with family and friends on pause while you concentrate on nursing school, but this is short-sighted. Although you will probably need to cut back on extensive socializing for the duration of nursing school, I strongly encourage you to intentionally schedule some social and religious events into your calendar. I didn’t do this, and I paid a steep price, both relationally and emotionally.

Manage your time well. After self-care, time management is probably the area in which nursing students struggle the most.

We are not used to having so many assignments and deadlines and clinical days and tests and other things to keep track of and complete on time. It can look overwhelming, and so we end up trying to just remember what we need to do next and scrambling to meet deadlines at the last minute. There is a better way, I promise. 

Use a planner. A good old-fashioned paper planner will be your new best friend in nursing school. (If you already use an online planner, that can work too. But if you don’t, go with paper, because it’s easier to see the big picture.) Choose one with lots of room, and preferably equal space for the weekend days. Academic planners are useful here, since you won’t need to find a new planner between semesters.

Look ahead. Once you have your planner in hand, put every assignment and deadline into your planner. Use a pencil, because this stuff tends to change at the instructors’ whim. Write in the clinical days and where you’ll need to be. Don’t forget social obligations and scheduled relaxation time. For larger projects and major tests, it is often helpful to break it down into chunks and put preliminary deadlines down for those so that you don’t end up trying to do it all the day before it’s due.

Understand your motivations. Are you motivated by procrastination? Do you need pressure to perform? Or do you work best with plenty of time? Are you naturally organized (or not)? Plan accordingly. If you work best well ahead of the deadline, then schedule your study and work time as far out ahead of the due date as possible. If you work best under pressure, wait a bit longer and give yourself preliminary deadlines to meet. If an assignment is due at 11:59, give yourself until an hour before your normal bedtime. Don’t sacrifice sleep!

Delegate. This one is hard, because nurses are people who like to take care of others. However, it is impossible to be an effective nursing student and still be a full time mom, church volunteer, chauffer, and scout den mother. Figure out what others can do and ask for their help. The kids can wash the dishes and help with housework. Someone else can mow the yard (unless you really enjoy this, then count it as your relaxation time).

Study smart. now that you are healthy and organized, let’s look at the final key piece. How you study.

Big picture matters. Whenever you are presented with a new concept or lesson, look for the big picture. Exactly how you do this varied depending on how your brain processes information. For many students, concept maps are helpful. Drawing pictures, outlining, color coding your notes…whatever works for you. But do try to see the big picture and not get lost in the million details.

Key points. If you are lucky, your instructor will provide a study guide with key points. If they do, use it! If they don’t, make your own. Listen for repeated information, and if an instructor tells you something is key, write is down and study it until you understand.

MARCH (What’s gonna kill them first?). During the first semester of a two-year program, and the first year of a four-year program, you will focus on learning information. Later, you will need to shift to a critical thinking focus. Start asking yourself what is going to kill them first. In the Armed Forces, they use MARCH (Massive hemorrhage, Airway, Respiratory, Circulation, and Head injury/Hypothermia). In nursing school, you are more likely to talk about CAB (Circulation, Airway, Breathing). Ask yourself, what will stop their heart? What will affect the airway? What will affect the breathing? Those are key to effective study and to effective nursing.

Good luck. See you on the floor, my future colleague!