Dear First Semester Nursing Student,

Congratulations, you are now a University of Arizona nursing student. The next four semesters
are going to be some of the most challenging times in school. As you progress through the
program you will find that each semester pushes you to a new level. I’m going to tell you a little
bit about my experiences during each semester and how I was able to survive nursing school.

First semester was the hardest. You might hear from other people that third semester is the
hardest and don’t get me wrong you will be busy in third semester but from my experience
nothing came close to the transition from pre-requisite classes to starting my first semester in
nursing school. I think the first semester was the hardest because you still have to juggle three
general classes while also beginning your first clinical class. I also wasn’t really sure what
nursing was all about, so it was difficult for me to try and see the bigger picture. The most
important thing that I learned in first semester is to start with the PowerPoint and move to the
book. If you try to read all of the assigned readings, you will find yourself running out of time
and not focusing on the main topics that you will be tested on. Lastly, this next piece of advice
that I am going to give you has helped me get though every semester of nursing school. I
understand that not everyone learns the same but if you like the material to be right there in
front of you this will work. Print every PowerPoint and handout they provide to you on D2L and
write notes directly on them. Organize them by weeks and put them in a binder. That way you
have the entire test worth of material in one place. After you take the test move that chunk of
notes to a bigger binder. Then at the end of the semester you will have all of your notes for
that class and will be ready to conquer the final.

Second semester was the best. It was exciting, and you actually get a better understanding of
what your life will soon look like as a nurse. First semester you only had one care plan but for
second semester you better be ready to write at least 6 of them. It will definitely be a transition
from first but if you put in the work now, third and fourth semester will come much easier. My
advice for you for your second semester of nursing school is to take advantage of every
opportunity you have to do a skill. Don’t be intimidated and don’t refuse a skill just because you
don’t feel confident. Thats how everyone feels their first time they do anything, but you’re not
going to become the master IV starter if you sit back and watch everyone else do them first.

Third semester was the quickest of all. During third semester you barely have time to
remember your own name. As I said earlier if you put in the work early this semester will come
much easier for you. It may be intimidating to show up to the hospital the night before and get
your assigned patients and try to learn everything possible about them before you start for
your first 12 hour shift, however, after the third or fourth week it will take you half the amount
of time to gather all of the information you need for the next day of patient care. But my advice
for third semester is to ask yourself why as many times possible while writing up your care plan
and the next day while caring for the sick patient, and if you can’t answer them yourself don’t
be afraid to ask your nurse or instructor.
Fourth semester is a slap in the face. You may think that you know what to expect since you
have become more familiar with what you are going to be doing in just 6 months, but once the
preceptorship starts you will find yourself more exhausted and drained than ever before. By the
end of your preceptorship you will be expected to carry the whole patient load for the entire
day. It may feel like a lot right now in your first semester of nursing school, but I can assure you
that you will be ready for what you will be expected to do. My advice for your fourth semester
of nursing school is to start to figure out how you work best. During the previous semesters you
were forced to adapt to how your assigned nurse does patient care, however, these 5-weeks
allows you to discover how you want to practice nursing.

I want to say that I am not someone that went through nursing school and got straight A’s and
studied 10 hours a day. Nursing school is one of the most challenging things that you will ever
do, besides being an actual nurse. But the career that you have chosen is going to be so
rewarding and fulfilling. You will realize that being a “nurse” become a lifestyle, it’s who you are
inside not just what you do for a living. In addition, it okay if you don’t know what unit you want
to work on or what type of nurse you want to be. Nursing school will help you discover what
you are passionate about. Try to keep an open mind and know that this career has so many
options. So, try to enjoy your time in school and learn as much as you can now because soon it
will only be a memory.

Sincerely,

Chloe DeWitt