Hi first semester student!

I want to start off by congratulating you on getting into this competitive program, it is such a
huge accomplishment and you should be extremely proud of yourself. The next 4 semesters are
going to be a wild ride full of so much personal growth and lots of caffeine, but I promise
through all of the stressful days and sleepless nights you are going to look back on this journey
and be so grateful that you challenged yourself to pursue such an incredible career. The first
piece of advice that I have for you is to be patient with yourself. There are going to be more days
than I’d like to admit where you will feel lost and doubt your own abilities to become a nurse,
but just know that you are more than enough and everything that you are doing comes with time.
It is so normal to self-doubt during nursing school and I guarantee that you will slowly begin to
find your confidence and it is going to feel amazing. Nursing is a field where you will constantly
be learning new information, so be kind to yourself and know that it’s okay to be confused and
ask questions. Another key to success during this road you have ahead of you is to surround
yourself with good, supportive people. You are going to begin experiencing some very real and
not so pretty moments of life when you are in clinicals taking care of very ill patients and it is
important to have a solid support system that can lift you up and bring you positivity after a long
day. The day-to-day life of a nurse is not easy and it is going to be challenging so please make
sure you take care of yourself and do things that refresh you. Always make time to hang out with
friends and family, spend time outdoors, go to the gym, or any other activities that bring you joy.
Never forget that you can’t pour from an empty cup and the only way that you can be the best
nurse possible is if you invest time in your own self-care too. Also, your peers in your cohort are
going to become family and you will cherish their friendships forever. They will always be your
shoulder to lean on and the only people in the world that you will share this experience with. Oh
and one last friendly reminder. Please try to eat breakfast before clinicals even if you are nervous
so that you don’t get hungry during the shift. I was the student who was too nervous to eat and
amped up on caffeine and anxiety which led me to passing out at clinical. Trust me, from
experience, you don’t want to be that person lol.

Anyways, I wish you all of the best on this incredible journey you are about to begin. You will
be an amazing nurse, just believe in yourself. You have chosen to pursue the absolute best
career. You are going to get the opportunity to change so many lives and be a light in someone’s
darkness. Becoming a nurse has been the most rewarding thing that I have ever done. This career
takes a special kind of person and you are it! Congrats again, I’m so proud of you!

Sarah Medeiros