If you’ve been a subscriber of this blog, then you know I’m a letter-writing type of person. I’ve written letters to my grandpa, my younger self, my future gf/wife, and Kobe (happy Kobe day btw 8/24 – I still can’t believe you’re gone, I miss you!). With my first official day of nursing starting today, I wanted to write a letter to my future self so I can come back to this post when the feelings of overwhelm start to set in with all the reading, studying, and clinicals.

Dear (nursing student) Kevin,

You did it! After almost 2 years of prerequisites, your hard work and determination finally paid off. Congratulations on making it into nursing school on your first attempt, not an easy feat given how competitive it is to get in. Take a second to just be proud of getting into 2 out of the 3 schools you applied to. Don’t get too comfortable though, because these next 2 years are going to be some of the hardest, most frustrating, but hopefully rewarding years of your life. You’re going to feel overwhelmed with all the assignments, readings, clinicals, etc. but just know that it is all normal. You’re entering a profession that requires you to be flexible, fluid, and will constantly challenge you to critically think.

Starting nursing school during a pandemic is like adding another roadblock on your journey of becoming a registered nurse (RN). You got a little taste of what things are going to be like in the 6-week summer school session you just completed, not easy huh? Well, think of this pandemic as an added bonus to help you down the road because things are going to change on you constantly and it’s better to become comfortable with it now.

Here are a few things to keep in mind during these next few years…

-Remember what your nurse friend told you, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”  Lead with care and compassion.

-You’re not going to know every little thing about every disease, virus, etc. Just keep in mind that there are things you need to know, things you should know, and things that would be crazy for you to know. For example, you need to know the normal range for vital signs, you should know the general signs and symptoms for most major diseases, and crazy for you to know every single medication for every disease. You’re entering a field that is constantly changing and requires you to be a life long learner. Keep the beginner’s mind mindset you’ve been practicing as this will help you stay curious and engaged throughout your career.

-Don’t be afraid to ask for help! It’s not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength and vulnerability to ask for help. As much as you want to be the ‘helper,’ be open to receiving help. On the flip side, always be open to helping your fellow classmates if they’re struggling with something.

-Sleep, rest, rejuvenate! Take a deep breath and just be…then get back to studying!

-Finally, try to utilize the KISS method as much as possible…
Keep

It

Stupid

Simple

Your propensity to overthink, overanalyze can help you in certain situations but with medicine and science, try not to overcomplicate things.

Love,

Kevin

My hope is that you got something out of my letter that you can use in your life. There are going to be bumps in the road these next few years but as long as I take it semester by semester, month by month, week by week, and day by day, I’ll be fine.

QTOP: “When you’re a nurse, you know that every day you will touch a life, or a life will touch yours.” –unknown