What to Do to Prepare for Nursing School

*Please note: If you’re interested in nursing school but haven’t been admitted yet, you might find it helpful to start with my previous posts about How to: Choose a Nursing School and Nursing School Interview Questions instead!

This post is for those who have just been accepted to nursing school and are wondering: What’s next and how do I actually prepare for nursing school?

First of all: Congratulations! This is a huge accomplishment and something you worked very hard to achieve. I’m so proud of you! Don’t forget to take a take a deep breath and just CELEBRATE yourself. Take a minute to enjoy this amazing achievement before you do any of the following.

Figure out your living situation

If you are moving for nursing school, you need to have housing set up EARLY. The last thing you want to be worrying about is where you’re going to live, who you’re going to live with, and if your housing just fell through unexpectedly. While things obviously do happen last minute and this is uncontrollable, have a lease signed (or at least explore the neighborhoods you’d be interested in living in) and identify / meet any potential roommates AT LEAST a few months in advance. I drove to San Diego from the East Coast for nursing school and was all moved in (with time to spare) about a month before my nursing school orientation. While this timeline worked great for me, you have to figure out what’s best for you.

Prepare your friends and family

Honestly, there’s a solid chance you won’t be seeing them as often or as much as you prepare for nursing school (and during nursing school). Have a real conversation about what your schedule is going to look like and what your duties will look like at home while you’re in school.  Chances are, you won’t be able to hang out as much.

You will probably miss some family holidays or vacations throughout nursing school, because most schools do not have the most forgiving attendance policies. Preparing your friends and family for nursing school is just as important as preparing yourself for nursing school – especially if you have children and will be sharing the workload with a partner, daycare, a nanny, etc. Even though this sucks, just know this is not forever. Nursing school is just a means to an end. Just remember to set expectations with friends and family so no feelings are hurt.

Are you planning to work during nursing school? The same rules apply. First of all, make sure this is even doable and feasible with your nursing program, and second of all, make sure your manager knows that you are about to start your nursing program. You might need to go per diem or work fewer or different hours. Always maintain open and honest communication with the manager at whatever institution you work at so they know your schedule might change. If leadership at your hospital isn’t giving you any wiggle room here, that’s a red flag.

Figure out logistics of getting to and from class and clinicals

This is not at all necessary, but if you’re an anxious person or a planner (no judgement here, I am both of those things,) it might be a good idea to explore the area where your nursing school is if you’re unfamiliar with it. Take some time to figure out how long it’s going to take you to get to your clinical sites. Know where to park, how to get to your orientation, and how long it’s going to take you to get there from your house.

Now is also a great time to get your car checked out to make sure it’s functioning at its best. If you don’t plan to use a car, get familiar with the public transit system in the city your nursing school is in. This is all especially helpful when you’re going to school in a city you are unfamiliar with. Trust me when I say that planning ahead of time is my #1 tip as you navigate how to prepare for nursing school and will save you lots of stressing later on.

Make sure you’ve completed all of your requirements

Starting any nursing program comes with TONS of mandatory paperwork that can really sneak up on you if you’re not on top of it. Keep in mind that this often includes getting a physical, doing drug testing, and obtaining vaccination records. Get these done early, because getting a doctor’s office to fill out any kind of form can sometimes take absolutely forever. You will likely have to provide vaccine records from doctors you haven’t spoken to in years. Give yourself plenty of time to do this (we’re talking 2+ months out from your start date.)

Keep in mind that some nursing programs also offer admission contingent on incoming grades you’ve taken in your prerequisite classes. Make sure these classes are complete and your transcripts are sent before starting the program. The last thing you want to do is lose your well-deserved spot in the program because you didn’t turn in some paperwork.

Get organized

Get your multi-colored pens ready folks, because planning out your life is essential during nursing school. Order your planners or calendars and prepare to write EVERYTHING down. This will obviously have to wait until after you have orientation and get an idea of where / when your clinicals are, what classes are going to require the most time, and when your assignments are due. However, you can have the supplies to get organized before any of this happens. You can also use an electronic calendar, and I found it very helpful to share this calendar with my friends and family. You can (and should) include events on these calendars that are not nursing school related. This is also a great way to practice work-life balance before you start your nursing school program!

Figure out mandatory dress code requirements

… And order everything you need EARLY. In preparation for my nursing program, students were expected to get a very specific kind of non-digital white watch (yea, I know, what the heck) and white nursing shoes. The white watch was surprisingly much harder to find than I expected, and I spent lots of time looking at reviews for the nursing shoes (because you will be on your feet A LOT). Give yourself at LEAST 1-3 months to get these items delivered so there are no surprises later on. The same goes for any supplies or books you might need, which will obviously be nursing school dependent. Pro tip: Make sure you have a functioning computer WELL before you start your program. You will likely need it for almost all of your assignments, and many nursing programs have you download specific exam software that does not work well with questionably functioning devices.

Budget (and fill out any financial aid forms EARLY)

If you’re not sure how you’re going to pay for nursing school yet, I’m here to light a fire under your butt and tell you to do it now. Like … yesterday. This is really a process that should start before you even apply for your programs, but if you’re doing it after you’ve been accepted, that’s okay too. Do some research as to how you’re going to pay for nursing school, what your repayment options are going to look like, and when you’ll need to start paying loans back. Make sure you have filled out your FAFSA forms and are aware of the deadlines.

While it’s also a great idea to apply for scholarships, you can actually apply for scholarships throughout nursing school too. However, trust me when I say that you probably won’t want to do this during nursing school, because many require essays (and you just finished writing those just to get into nursing school, right)? There are tons of websites that offer scholarships. One I looked at often during school was the Johnson & Johnson Nursing Scholarships & Grants, but a quick Google search will yield tons of results.

Relax

I know this sounds ridiculous, but self care is your best friend right now. I know it feels like there’s a ton to do and you have no time for this, but trust me when I say that you should practice self-care now and it will pay off immensely later. This is not to say that you will never have time to practice self care once you start your nursing program, but do take the time to relax before your mind is swimming with projects, tests, assignments, and always having to be somewhere. Making this a priority as you prepare for nursing school will help SO much when you’re actually in nursing school, because self care should always remain a priority (and yes, it is possible!)

Though this is obviously not an all-inclusive list, I hope this helps you figure out how to prepare for nursing school. Remember to make your to-do lists, write it all down, and CELEBRATE YOURSELF!