The Senioritis Care Plan for Nursing Students
By Ashley Prince, Nursing Student and ThriveAP Contributor
Spring has finally arrived! The weather is warming up, legs are getting shaved again, and graduation dates are fast approaching. Except for mine. And probably yours too, since many ABSN, PA, NP and other MSN programs work throughout the summer. This can be a huge bummer when everyone is finishing up finals, but our summers are going to be filled with 12 hour clinicals, preceptorships, NCLEX review courses, and zero time to work on that tan.
The annual senioritis epidemic is approaching its peak, at least in my class. Friday classes are starting to take place at the bar, we’re pushing the limit on how late we can arrive at clinicals, and all studying has been forgotten about until the night before the exam. And the only cure is graduation.
I’m right there with everyone. But with some high stakes events coming up- ACLS certification, the HESI exit exam, and preceptor placement- I’m realizing that now is a really bad time to slack off. Here’s a little care plan for handling your particular senioritis symptoms, and hopefully give you a little more to hang on to until graduation day finally does come around:
1. Plan a trip. Right now, the only light at the end of the tunnel is scheduling that dreaded NCLEX. That’s not very exciting. So plan a trip! Whether it’s a full out vacation or an indulgent staycation, give yourself something to look forward to once classes are done.
2. Get a hobby. Sounds odd, since we’re already so distracted. But when you’re excited and passionate about something else outside of nursing school, everything else, even the early morning clinicals, seems a little brighter and more bearable. I’ve started to learn how to rock climb- what will you do?
3. Give yourself mini goals. Don’t focus on how you’re going to make it all the way to August; instead, think about the HESI you need to pass in June or the few skills you still need to perfect in your final clinical rotations. Setting smaller milestones will make the time go by much faster.
4. Make daydreaming productive. Sometimes we all need a good Internet break when we’re on our 5th diabetes lecture. Instead of going on Facebook to see everyone’s political opinion, check out Pinterest, where there’s TONS of great nursing tips, mnemonics, and humor for just about every topic. Even checking out the relatable memes is more productive than looking up the latest Kardashian scandal.
5. Remember, you could still get kicked out. It might be late in the program, but you may not be in the clear yet. If your school has a grades policy like BW does, where you can only get so many C’s, your lack of motivation could make all those months of hard work be for nothing.
When all else fails, remember, that if you’ve made it this far, you can hang on for just a little bit longer!
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