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Nursing Student Blog
Dive into topics around life in nursing school, study tips, and more.


Questions to Ask in a Nursing Job Interview
If you’re taking the time to read this, you’re probably in the final stages of nursing school or maybe you have finished nursing school. Either way, congratulations, because you’re likely on the verge of finding your very first nursing job.

Questions to Ask in a Nursing Job Interview
If you’re taking the time to read this, you’re probably in the final stages of nursing school or maybe you have finished nursing school. Either way, congratulations, because you’re likely on the verge of finding your very first nursing

The Best Nursing Schools in Arizona
Deciding where to go to nursing school is a big choice. You want to know that you have the best professors on your side to ensure that you are set up for success when it’s time to take the

Nurses’ Favorite Meal Prep Ideas 🍽
Most people are aware that nursing is a busy job. Staying busy and feeling like the day flew by is oftentimes thought of as a benefit of nursing. One downside that comes with the busy nature of the job
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Featured Posts
Despite the high demand for nurses, nursing can still feel like a competitive profession. I remember nearing the end of nursing school and realizing that I was in competition with all of my classmates to find a job after graduation, and my head started to spin…
As someone who has completed both a B.A. and a full-time nursing program, I won’t hesitate to say it: being a student nurse is significantly more demanding than pursuing a regular undergraduate degree.
Juggling work and university is nothing new – according to a report by Georgetown University, nearly 80% of college students in the U.S. hold at least one part-time job. However, working during nursing school provides extra challenges: juggling classes, exams, and clinicals means that you won’t be the ideal recruit for most classic student jobs.
Meet our Writers

Ximena Lama-Rondon
Nursing Student
Ximena is a copywriter and medical interpreter turned Nursing student who feels strongly about patient education and improving healthcare access for women from immigrant and rural communities.

Melissa Mustafa
MSN, FNP-C
Melissa is a Family Nurse Practitioner from Southern California who currently works in both Pediatric Urgent Care and Wound Care specialty settings.

Sophia M.
BSN, RN
Sophia is a Registered Nurse with
experience working as a floor nurse on a Renal Care Unit and Hematology/Oncology Unit.

Katelyn Johnson
Nursing Student
Kate is a copywriter, certified medical assistant, and licensed First Responder with a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration in the South Florida area who has now taken the leap to Nursing School.

Matt Murphy
DNP, RN, CEN, TCRN
Matt is a registered nurse currently working in nursing professional development. His free time is mainly spent with his three children as they are always reliable in keeping him active.

Veronica Wilson
Nursing Student
Veronica is a honors student in her final semester. She found her passion for nursing during her experiences as an EMT and Patient Care Technician seeing the impact that nurses had on patient care.

Jennifer Brady
RN
Jennifer is a Registered Nurse with experience in school nursing, case management, hospice, and the health insurance industry. She is passionate about holistic care and natural approaches to medicine.
All Posts

Questions to Ask in a Nursing Job Interview
If you’re taking the time to read this, you’re probably in the final stages of nursing school or maybe you have finished nursing school. Either way, congratulations, because you’re likely on the verge of finding your very first nursing job.

The Best Nursing Schools in Arizona
Deciding where to go to nursing school is a big choice. You want to know that you have the best professors on your side to ensure that you are set up for success when it’s time to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). There’s a good chance that you’ll apply to a number of different nursing schools before deciding on where you’ll go. Sometimes, students apply to the same school multiple times in order to get accepted at one of the best.

Nurses’ Favorite Meal Prep Ideas 🍽
Most people are aware that nursing is a busy job. Staying busy and feeling like the day flew by is oftentimes thought of as a benefit of nursing. One downside that comes with the busy nature of the job is that it can make it hard for nurses to keep themselves fed.

15 Best Nurse Graduation Gifts
The day has finally arrived! Your favorite student nurse will finally take the long-awaited walk across the stage for their diploma and a final breath of relief as their nursing school journey ends.

What Type of Nurse Should I Be? How to Choose Your Specialty
When people see the title “Registered Nurse,” they immediately see a scrubs-clad figure doing the rounds at a hospital. And yet, the type of work nurses do can be radically different depending on the specialty and work setting.

Nursing Externships: Everything You Need to Know
Something that sets nursing apart from other professions is that there is a lot more to it than simply graduating and getting a job.

How to Study for Dosage Calculation in Nursing School
There are quite a handful of classes in nursing school that students have difficulty with, though Medication Dosage Calculation, or “Dose Calc” may be one of the most common. Even if you consider yourself good at math, the dose calculations tend to be tricky.

The Best Nursing Schools in Colorado
It is important to weigh your options carefully when determining where to go to nursing school. Colorado is often touted as one of the best places to live in the United States, thanks to their beautiful landscapes, climate, and endless things to do. Turns out, it also isn’t a bad place to go to nursing school.

Too Good to be True? 5 Nursing Job Interview Red Flags 🚩
As a new grad nurse, you will likely apply to more jobs than you can count before receiving your first interview invitation. Don’t allow your excitement or desperation to take hold and land you in a position you might regret. If you notice any red flags as a new grad nurse during an interview, take them as a warning to run in the opposite direction.

4 Steps to NCLEX® Success [Free Online Event with Prof. Lawes]
4 steps to success, 3 key takeaways – join us for a cozy live session with our top educator Prof. Rhonda Lawes to clear up all your NCLEX doubts and questions. You’re not alone!

How to Study for the NCLEX® – and Pass! NGN Tips & Strategies
The NCLEX is a hurdle every nursing student has to take – and it is doable! This blog post presents the best strategies you can apply to prepare for the NCLEX exam, create a solid NCLEX study schedule, find the most suitable NCLEX review course, and how to best utilize practice questions to help you succeed. Keep reading for tips and tricks that will help you conquer the exam and launch your nursing career.

NCLEX® Registration Guide: How to, When, and Costs
This blog post offers a comprehensive guide on how and when to register for the NCLEX exam, including eligibility criteria, exam fees, and registration process. Whether it’s choosing a testing center of avoiding common mistakes, this article will help you navigate the NCLEX registration process.

NCLEX® Scoring: Everything You Need to Know
Every new nursing grad knows that it isn’t over once you walk out at graduation–you still have to pass the NCLEX exam. The NCLEX exam is how nurses acquire their license to practice, and it is used to determine a new nurse’s skills and knowledge for entry-level nursing. Unlike many other exams you’ll take in nursing school, the NCLEX is unique in the way it is scored. You won’t receive a grade or a score on the NCLEX, it is simply pass or fail. This article will share all about NCLEX scoring to help you best prepare.

The Nursing Student Clinical Experience in the COVID Era, and a Look Ahead
There probably isn’t a single person that would deny the incredible impact COVID-19 has had on all aspects of society around the globe. The healthcare industry, however, was hit especially hard, which includes those actively working in healthcare as well as those preparing to enter the front lines. Two years ago everything changed, but have we found the new normal?

Next Gen NCLEX® Question Type Guide [+ Examples]
The Next Gen NCLEX introduces a number of new question types that focus more strongly on critical thinking skills. Keep reading to get an overview of the new question types and try the free practice questions below to get an idea of the new questions for yourself!

Night Shift Nursing: What to Expect and How to Survive
Hospitals and other facilities are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so work doesn’t stop after 5 PM. To decide whether night shift nursing is right for you, you’ll need to know the benefits and drawbacks, have the tools to manage the difficulties, and understand how to make the most of your days off.

How to Study in Nursing School: Prioritizing Guide [+ Examples]
Every nursing student has been there: sitting down to do your assigned readings prior to a lecture and realizing that there’s no way you could possibly read all of the pages you’ve been assigned.

What Happens If You Fail the NCLEX®?
After all the hard work you did to graduate nursing school successfully, you still face one major hurdle to becoming a Registered Nurse. We all know what it is — that’s right, the NCLEX® or National Council Licensure Examination.

The Nursing SIM Lab – Learn How to Master the Experience
“This course has a SIM lab component that will be worth 15% of your final grade.”
The first time I heard one of my lecturers say this, I immediately knew I was about to face something important – one of those unique nursing school experiences that involve their lingo, rites of passage, and an unusual source of stress.

Dropping Out of Nursing School: Pros, Cons, and the Aftermath
Nursing school is a challenge, there is no denying that. However, it’s not always the difficulty that makes the thought of dropping out of nursing school start floating around your head. There could be many reasons why you have started thinking about quitting.

HESI vs. TEAS: Nursing School Entrance Exams Compared
Nursing school is an intense experience in and of itself, but the screening process begins before you even start your BSN. Nowadays, one of the most important filters is the nursing school entrance exam. The two most common are the HESI (Health Education Systems Incorporated) and the TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills).

Nursing Prerequisites Explained: Preparing for Nursing School
Think of fresh-faced you immediately following your high school graduation. Now, imagine Future Nurse You, ready to deliver efficient care to a critically-ill patient. Is there a vast knowledge gap between both personas? Of course! Much of the distance you’ll need to cover in your path to an R.N. will happen before you ever take your first nursing class – as nursing prerequisites.

All About Maintaining Your Nursing License and Handling Your Credentials
Some of you reading this might still be engaged in the nursing school battle, while others could have overcome that challenge and slayed the final opponent known as the NCLEX®. Whatever stage of your nursing professional development, your nursing license, and any additional credentials you’ve worked so hard to obtain, need to be protected and maintained moving forward.

How Hard Is Nursing School? The Truth About What to Expect
Is nursing school hard? That’s the big question everyone asks when looking into becoming a nurse.

What do Travel Nurses Do?
During the early days of the pandemic, a viral picture made the rounds around social media: a plane full of healthcare workers headed into New York City, which at that time was seeing its hospitals collapse and its streets empty. For many of us, this extreme scenario was the first time we heard about “travel nursing.”

Surviving Your NCLEX® Test Day
I don’t know any nursing student who hasn’t on multiple occasions thought about their future NCLEX®. We spend years’ worth of blood, sweat, and tears working our way through evaluations to reach the NCLEX® grand finale, the gatekeeper to our career aspirations.
If your exam is fast approaching and you are feeling the pressure, I’ve got some information to help calm your nerves.

Professionalism in Nursing: A Skill to Start Working on Now
During my first semester in nursing school, a statement by our Dean struck me particularly profoundly: “Nursing school is not just meant to give you the knowledge and a degree so you can ‘find your way’ after graduation. The goal of nursing school is to create a nursing professional.”

Nursing Home Nurse vs. Hospital Nurse: What Is the Right Environment for You?
Being a nurse or a CNA in a hospital or in a nursing home can provide vastly different experiences. When we think “nurse,” many of us immediately picture a hospital – but in reality, the day-to-day routine across different settings can vary quite a bit.

How to Become a CNA
Becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or nursing aid is one of the quickest ways to gain hands-on experience in the healthcare field.

How to Become a Nurse Practitioner, and Why
One of the biggest appeals of choosing to pursue a career in nursing is the opportunity to continuously grow in your field. Being a nurse practitioner is a goal for many nurses who want to gain more autonomy in their field. Fortunately, there are a variety of paths to becoming a nurse practitioner for those who have been a career-long nurse or for those who are deciding to dive head first into the nursing world.

Do Nurses Need Malpractice Insurance? Lawsuit Statistics and Advice
One of the most intimidating aspects of being a nurse is the fact that anytime you are performing your job duties, you are running some risk of being sued. Poor documentation and medication errors are only a few of the many reasons why a nurse may get sued. Nurses can protect themselves from hefty litigation fees by being prepared with nursing liability insurance, but many nurses wonder if it is necessary and, if so, how to go about getting it.

Dating a Nursing Student: Relationships in Nursing School
What does nursing school have in common with a brand new relationship? Well, they both tend to storm your calendar, creep their way into every conversation, and are hard to appreciate from outside. On the other hand, (good) romance doesn’t usually tax your empathy or keep you on your feet for shifts of up to 10 hours.

“Nurses Eat Their Young”: What Is Really Behind the Old Stereotype
Nurses are routinely listed as one of the United States’ “most trusted professions” because of the tenderness and care that we routinely show our patients. Yet, many of us are decidedly less gentle when dealing with our colleagues: nursing is also recognized as one of the most unwelcoming professions for recent graduates.

How to Create a Nursing Portfolio: Professional from Cover to Binder
Once you are near the end of nursing school, you will quickly feel the pressure to start applying to jobs in order to have your new job lined up soon after graduating. Even though nursing is a field in which there are always plenty of jobs available, it is hard to ignore the competitive nature of applying for jobs as a new graduate.

Welcome to Lecturio’s Nursing Student Community Discord!
The Lecturio Nursing Student Community Discord is live and ready for you! That is, if you are a nursing or pre-nursing student who enjoys free communities where you can learn, vent, give advice, and find other humans who get it because they too are living the nursing school life.

Why Can’t I Concentrate? How to Focus on Studying
There’s no denying the fact that we live in a world filled with distractions. In a given day, we may take in more information than our ancestors faced in their entire lives. Both a blessing and a curse, the ability to learn about anything is at our fingertips, yet the modern world is overflowing with constant distractions.

A Guide to SOAPIE Charting [+ Examples]
One of the most important aspects of working as a nurse is documentation. New nurses are often surprised by the amount of time that they spend behind a computer throughout their workday, charting and writing important nursing notes. Although your charted assessments will likely be documented using a charting program such as EPIC, Cerner, Allscripts, or MEDITECH, you will frequently run into situations when you need to type out a nursing note. Having a template for these notes can make it much easier to relay all of the important information to clearly communicate what’s happening in a given situation.

Abusive Patients and Other Challenges: Tips for Getting through Nursing Clinicals Smoothly
Daunting and intense clinicals are unfortunate, but they are also a side of nursing school that can teach you the most because they provide exposure to the uglier sides of the profession, such as abusive patients or workplace bullying.

NCLEX® Changes 2023 — All You Need to Know About the New NCLEX® Format
From the moment of starting nursing school, every piece of knowledge and skill mastered is geared toward one goal—earning a nursing license. And even after donning graduation robes, there is still one more step to go through: the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX®)!

What are Clinicals in Nursing School: How to Start Them Right!
Clinicals in nursing school are not just a unique experience: they are also among the most highly-anticipated and nerve-racking ones. When you think of “nursing students,” you probably picture them on a hospital floor rather than a classroom.

Nursing School Entrance Exams: Tips & My Experience
There are many hoops that you’ll need to jump through to get accepted into nursing school. A good grade point average, an in-person interview, and nursing entrance exams are a few of the common requirements for most nursing schools. This article will break down the different types of nursing entrance exams, some tips for preparing, and my experience taking the TEAS exam.

What is a Nurse Residency?
If you’re a recent nursing school graduate or a current nursing student, chances are you’ve heard about nurse residency programs. Nurse residency programs are a popular choice for many new nurses and for good reason, but they can also present some drawbacks. This article will break down everything you need to know about nurse residency programs and some of the pros and cons of attending one.

Alternative Careers for Nurses: 5 Unexpected Jobs to Pursue as an RN
Many nursing students can’t wait to work in the acute care setting, thriving off the adrenaline and multitasking that comes with a traditional bedside nursing job. But you may find out that this environment is just not for you–and the great news is, you have tons of other options! Here are 5 unexpected jobs you can do as an RN.

Working During Nursing School: The Best Jobs for Nursing Students
Juggling work and university is nothing new – according to a report by Georgetown University, nearly 80% of college students in the U.S. hold at least one part-time job. However, working during nursing school provides extra challenges: juggling classes, exams, and clinicals means that you won’t be the ideal recruit for most classic student jobs.
At the same time, if you have enough breathing room to choose, the right job will help you apply what you are learning or even get some extra experience that will put you ahead of the class.

How to Get a Nursing Job with No Experience: Tips for New Grad Nurses
Despite the high demand for nurses, nursing can still feel like a competitive profession. I remember nearing the end of nursing school and realizing that I was in competition with all of my classmates to find a job after graduation, then I thought about all of the other nursing schools in our area who would be graduating right around the same time…and my head started to spin.

What Happens After Nursing School? Advice For New Graduate Nurses
There is nothing that compares to the sigh of relief you take when you walk out of your last day of nursing school. With such a huge accomplishment checked off, you are one step closer to your dream nursing career. But what happens next? Here is the inside scoop on some of the most pressing questions you may have fresh out of school as a new graduate nurse.

How to Wear Scrubs – And Enjoy Them!
Scrubs have grown into the dominant type of hospital workwear and are taken as a symbol that you “work with patients.” From your first day of clinicals onwards, you will spend considerable time in them. At first glance, this can feel like a baggy and unflattering choice, but learning how to wear scrubs is a lot like developing your personal style.

Taking the Pulse of Your Profession: Nursing Influencers to Follow
Nursing school is an intense and absorbing period. Between your workload, your pending quizzes, and the physical exhaustion of clinicals, it may feel like following nursing influencers on social media adds to the noise. And yet, sometimes, they can be exactly what keeps us sane and prepared for our next clinical!
Why? First, the entire field of healthcare is one of constant change. As a result, many of the “standards” of when you initially applied may have changed when you finally get your BSN. Besides, hospital culture can often be challenging to explain to outsiders – often, our friends just won’t get why an incident is so frustrating.

Nursing School Anxiety: Protect Your Sanity, Health, and Grades
Questions like “Why is nursing school so stressful?” or “Can nursing school cause depression?” are found on every student nurses’ forum. How can we protect our mental health while keeping up with our hectic schedules?

How to Prepare for Nursing School: 7 Ways to Hit the Ground Running
After receiving your acceptance letter, it is easy to feel like you are practically already there. However, the path to becoming an RN still includes a few years of nursing school. Are you ready?

The Hardest Class in Nursing School
There’s no denying the fact that nursing school is hard, but prospective students tend to wonder: what exactly makes it so hard? There are a number of things at play that make nursing school an incredibly challenging endeavor.

Should I Become a Nurse? 7 Questions to Consider
If you are wondering “Is nursing for me?” you might be finding it difficult to gauge what the profession is really like from the outside. Here is a quick rundown of the pros and cons of nursing, along with seven questions to ask yourself before you decide.

What Is a BSN, and What Can I Do With One?
When it comes to becoming a nurse, there are a lot of routes you can take. It can be difficult to distinguish the difference in nursing degrees and job options that are available. Here are career options available to anyone who completes a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN), the ins and outs of completing a BSN, and my personal experience becoming a bachelor-prepared nurse.

Nursing School During COVID-19: Staying on Top of Everything
Moving your classroom into your bedroom was confusing for most of us. It blurs the separation between our private and public spaces. It also isolated us from our peers and made collaboration feel different.
Yet, these problems are not insurmountable. The tips below require some preparation and a dash of self-discipline.

How to Tackle Typical Nursing School Interview Questions
By far one of the most defining moments on your journey to becoming a nurse is your nursing school interview. For many young professionals, their nursing school interview is one of their first ever professional interviews, which can make the process even more nerve wracking. Rest assured, you can do this.

Things Every Nursing Student Should Have
Most nursing schools include an essential supply list as part of their welcome package, but there are many more things that every nursing student should have.
However, in almost all cases, these lists are just… lists. What will you actually need?

How to Overcome Clinical Instructor Conflict
Clinical rotations are often where nurses find their niche, but many also find themselves dreading clinicals because they have a difficult relationship with their instructor. How should student nurses handle this situation?

Writing Notes for Studying in Nursing School
Note-taking is not one-size-fits all, so I’ve outlined some tips for taking notes in nursing school and considerations that can help you pinpoint the note-taking method that will work best for you.

Going to Nursing School at 30 – It’s Not Too Late!
Switching careers after the age of 30 is often seen as an unorthodox choice. Yet, it is a surprisingly common one in nursing. As someone who will not become an RN before 34, I can shed some light on the practicalities and emotions that come with joining nursing as an older adult.

A Day in the Life of a Nursing Student
As someone who has completed both a B.A. and a full-time nursing program, I won’t hesitate to say it: being a student nurse is significantly more demanding than pursuing a regular undergraduate degree.
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