Dear 1st Semester Nursing Student,

My name is Stephanie! I am so happy that you are about to start your nursing journey!! You have
so much to learn and grow into in the next two years. It will definitely go by before you know it.
I hope that my advice can benefit you in your program and take a little stress off from you.

First off, the program is definitely going to be a new challenge in your life. I would begin to
dedicate more time to your schoolwork if you want to succeed. I remember being in 1st semester
and feeling swamped with readings, lectures, assignments, exams, clinicals, etc. I caused myself
to stress out too much and almost have a mental breakdown halfway through the semester. The
hardest thing for me was trying to learn how to adjust to nursing school. I really recommend that
you learn how to manage your time properly, use your time wisely, and develop good study
habits early!! Your first semester isn’t meant to be your hardest but there are several people that
have a hard time adjusting to the new type of learning (like me!). So, my biggest advice is to find
a good routine for yourself early on. The exams are definitely more difficult than any of the
exams you had during your first two years of college. The nursing exams are more application
based and are meant to trick you. My advice on studying for the exams would be to know the
PowerPoints very well!! Also, maybe do the readings from the book that talk about the topics
they point out. And always always always do the practice questions at the end of each chapters!
Those are very helpful, and the exact questions are even on the exam (sometimes)!!

Second, always take advantage of your clinical experience!! You really learn so much during
your clinicals if you put the effort into it. You need to be assertive and ask the nurses if you can
do a skill or give a medication. Also, always ask questions! You will never learn without asking.
Your clinical experience is where you learn the most and apply the content you learn in class. If
you don’t put yourself out there, you will never get that experience.

Third, don’t forget to take care of yourself during the program!! Your professors will talk about
this a lot, but self-care is important!!!! Nursing school is mentally and physically draining but
your health matters! I really encourage you to find some form of therapy that you could use to
destress if it is yoga, running or working out. Taking an hour away from studying each day for
yourself will benefit you in the long run.

Looking back two years ago, I would have never imagined I would be where I am today. Nursing
school was very difficult for me. I had a lot of self-doubt that would inhibit my performance. But
after completing a preceptorship and learning so much about myself and capabilities, I feel
competent in graduating and becoming a nurse. And I am going to start my career in a
Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit… I wouldn’t have imagined this two years ago.

There are going to be a lot of challenging moments to come in your near future, but I hope that
you never lose hope in why you wanted to become a nurse. Don’t doubt yourself!!! You are
going to be capable of succeeding in this program as long as you put in the effort and time into it.
I hope that this was helpful for you and I wish you all the best in your future!

Stephanie Martinez
Email: stephaniemaraya@email.arizona.edu