Nurses Helping Nurses: Guide for First Year Students

What can first year nursing student expect?

First year nursing students undergo a major transition. Succeeding, in the first year of training as registered nurses, invariably proves to be one of the greatest challenges of their lives. But, what should nursing students expect during their first year and what role will other registered nurses play in their training, during that time?

Nursing students can expect to experience an interesting, exciting and extremely busy, first year. It will be one that involves an intense, academic-based, nursing-oriented program that will require sincerity, commitment and dedication on the part of the student nurses.

But, the first year can and will be a fun year too, as student nurses become increasingly independent as young adults, beginning to comprehend and to define the art of nursing and what it means to them and their futures. They will learn new methods of professional communication and interaction, as well as make a plethora of new friends.

Part of the role and responsibility of other registered nurses is to ensure that first year students are appropriately nurtured and properly mentored, in such a way that they will be able to succeed as registered nurses. In time, they are destined to become the next generation of student nurse mentors, so setting an excellent example for new student nurses is always important to registered nurses.

First year nursing presents an interesting and intriguing mixture of academic and nursing related studies. There is a multiplicity of nursing career options for students, who are serious about becoming registered nurses. 

During the first year, student nurses will have a chance to become acquainted with some of the most recent nursing trends and the various options that are available to them.

Universities and colleges offer an array of potential nursing programs open to student nurses, but there are a number of basic courses that must be undertaken during the first year of college or university, as these courses lay the groundwork for nursing. A high level of academic achievement will be required by college and university nursing schools, as well as other institutions that train student nurses. The first year nursing courses constitute a heavy, academic work load.

While the curriculum may vary to some degree, depending upon which academic institution or school of nursing the student nurses attend or in which country these institutions are located, training will include introductory courses like anatomy and physiology, sociology, pharmacology, chemistry, English, psychology and child psychology.

During the first year, the student nurses will have an opportunity to visit different hospitals, nursing homes, retirement homes and other health care facilities, doctor's offices and various community agencies.

Student nurses will be allowed and encouraged to actively participate in many aspects of health care, though this will be limited, as appropriate nursing care skills must be acquired first. Many of these nursing skills will be taught by registered nurses, in a variety of clinical or non-clinical settings.

Registered nurses will work closely with student nurses in regard to the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of nursing. They will be taught the basics of charting, as well as how to create and maintain patient nursing care plans.

First year student nurses will begin to participate in seminars, conferences and workshops on various topics, ranging from medical-surgical nursing to geriatrics, psychiatry, pediatrics, obstetrics, palliative care or other specialized areas of nursing like the operating room, intensive care and emergency.

With the current focus shifting towards home nursing, first year student nurses may accompany registered nurses on home visits. They may visit different community based organizations in order to learn how they function, in conjunction with the health care community.

Student nurses will be writing essays and papers, as well as taking tests and writing examinations on a regular basis, throughout the first year. They will learn vast amounts of medical terminology and observe professional doctor-nurse, as well as professional nurse-patient-family interactions.

First year students may be allowed to accompany patients who go for x-rays, tests or various procedures, in order to familiarize themselves with what happens to patients in hospitals or during different phases of their nursing care.

They will learn CPR, first aid skills, basic bed-side nursing care, treatments and procedures and the importance of care, concern and compassion for patients. Much of what they learn will be taught by professional registered nurses. Courses on medical ethics and human rights will be included in their basic training. They will learn how to function in conjunction with other health care professionals and non-professionals.

Student nurses are currently being trained in an era where Internet studies, research and testing are a reality. Thus, they will also be able to use e-mail, voice mail or chat rooms to communicate with their nursing instructors, teachers, other registered nurses or fellow student nurses. If necessary, they will be able to start their own online web sites or blogs. At some point in the future, this might become a course requirement.

In their first year, student nurses will start to look at specialized fields of nursing, with respect to the pathways that they may wish to pursue in their future studies. Other registered nurses will offer counseling and guidance related to their own expertise and experience and will assist them to adjust mentally, emotionally and physically to nursing, as a lifetime occupation worth pursuing.

Many student nurses will seek financial assistance for training, because the cost of college or university nursing education is increasing. For any prospective student nurse, looking at financial options of student loans or grants is a viable option. Depending upon where student nurses train, there may be employment placement for those who are financially strapped.

While it appears that there are many things to learn, prospective student nurses will find that the career they have chosen is perfect for them and that the expectations others have of them are realistic, reasonable and feasible. Registered nurses everywhere can attest to that reality.

Currently, there is a serious shortage of nurses and many, first year students may be able to obtain valuable experience, working in areas that otherwise would be restricted to more experienced student nurses or registered nurses. Because there are continual transitions in medicine, first year nurses may also obtain experience in new realms of medicine like infection control, perhaps those related to the current spread of the H1N1 virus.

Is nursing your career of choice? Go for it! You will be glad that you did. But, do serious research before accepting enrollment in any college or university, nursing school program. Make certain that you find a reputable institution or nursing school that offers appropriate nursing education that will give you the highest possible standard of professional training as a registered nurse.

If you are in doubt or have questions about nursing as a career, talk to other registered nurses, as nurses helping nurses is what nursing is all about as a profession.