Becoming a nurse is definitely a journey. Depending on the career path that you choose to take, there can be some hurdles to finally becoming and succeeding as a nurse. Inside this article, we will discuss eleven different resources that you must obtain to succeed as a nurse.
#1- Accredited nursing programs with high NCLEX passing rates
One of the mistakes many aspiring nurses make before they even start their journey is not doing the necessary research required so they can be positioned for success later. It’s so important that you honestly take the time prior and review and research all the nursing schools that you want to attend and make sure they have great passing rates; ideally 80-90% and above. Don’t look at the cost to attend the program, focus on if people are even successful with becoming a nurse. Trust me, it will save you thousands of dollars in the long run. I have seen people who have wanted to say money on attending a really low cost program without doing all their research, but ended up paying for it later with years and years without a nursing license that will make them money. Do the research so you don’t suffer later.
Disclosure: There are some affiliate links below, but these are all products I highly recommend. I won’t put anything on this page that I haven’t verified and/or personally used.
#2- Funding plan to pay for education
You want to make a decision early on exactly how you’re going to even pay for your nursing education. Are you going to work and pay out of pocket? Loans? Scholarships? Grants? Evaluate this now so it doesn’t stress you out later. You can check out Juno for more funding opportunities.
#3- Study partners or a community
Nursing is not meant to be done alone. You need some kind of support system with ideally fellow classmates to study with, so definitely make friends while you are in your program. You can also check out our community called, NCLEX Prep for Success on Facebook where we have thousands of students who range from nursing students to nursing graduates. Learn more here.
#4- Easy nursing books
Let me tell you, the thing that really saved my life in nursing school was easy to digest nursing books. Nursing is very complicated to learn so I needed books that could break everything down a lot more easier for me. One of the books I recommend are the cheat sheets codes by Picmonic. It’s available here on Amazon.
For additional nursing books, you can read my entire article here called, “Top 3 NCLEX Review Books”.
#5- Study tips
Did you know that there are multiple different ways to study effectively? And the reality is that nursing is something takes a lot of intention effort to completely learn it. This is why you need to leverage specific study tips that will help you to master what you need to know when it comes to really understanding nursing. You can visit our blogs, “7 Incredible Nursing School Study Tips For Success” or “3 Easy Tips To Learning Nursing“.
#6 – Tutor help
One of the things that helped me when I was taking my prerequisites in nursing was a tutor. I do recommend a tutor if you feel like you’re really struggling to learn the material on your own. We provide NCLEX coaching, which you can learn more by attending our webinar here or for other subjects, you can visit Wyzant Tutoring which has hundreds of tutors.
#7 -NCLEX Prep Help
So hears the reality, the number of people NOT passing the NCLEX exam is slowly rising year after year. This includes new graduates as well as repeat test takers. I did the math and in 2016, there was about 63,000 graduates who didn’t pass their exam. However now in 2020, there was about 96,399 graduates who did not pass their exam in total. This is definitely alarming and concerning. If you want us to help you to pass your test, watch our free webinar called, “How To Pass The NCLEX!” here
#8- Finding a good nursing job
Yes there is an abundance of nursing jobs but the challenge is having the right experience and credentials to get your ideal job. A great place to start when it comes to looking for jobs is Indeed.com.
#9- Mentor
What is a mentor? A mentor is someone who has already gotten to where you want to be and can help guide you along the way to help you achieve your goals. Find your mentor. Ask around. Talk to coworkers. It’s very important. Mentors can also come in the form of books, youtube channels and more. You can follow our Youtube channel here at www.youtube.com/ChoosingNursing.
#10- Scrubs and shoes
You definitely need a good pair of nursing scrubs and uniforms. It can honestly make a big difference when it comes to working on the job. You can visit our Amazon site here for a list of nursing scrubs and shoes that we recommend.
#11- Overcoming nursing burnout
It’s true. There are nurses who are burned out everyday from their job. But then there’s also thousands of nurses who have been working 10-20 years and love what they do. The issue is all about work life balance. Make sure to always take time for you so you don’t become the former.