Are you freaked out about nursing school and
not sure what to expect or how to pass? In this video, I'm going to walk you through
my step-by-step process for how to ace your nursing fundamentals class. I'm not kidding you, these tips I'm going
to share will help you figure out exactly WHAT to focus your study time on, how to learn
it faster, and how to critically think along the way. This might just be the most important video
you ever watch in nursing school, so be sure to stick around until the end, because I'm
about to blow your mind. Now like this video, hit that subscribe button,
click the notification bell, and let's dive in. So if you remember from THIS video, I shared
my top tips for how I got straight A's in nursing school. But being honest, that wasn't an easy road. There was a LOT of trial and error that went
into figuring out exactly how to study. I came home much every day with a headache,
and felt like quitting pretty much all the time in that first term of nursing school. I cried all those tears, so you don't have
to. I've spent a lot of time thinking about WHY
I got straight A's in nursing school, when other students struggled to make it. It's not that I'm special, gifted, or super
talented. I know my husband can give you a whole LIST
of things I'm terrible at. Starting with keeping ANY plant alive for
an extended period of time… And those are just a few of the casualties
we've had over the years… I am not special. But here's what I DO know. I followed a particular critical thinking
model, even before I created it and recognized what it was. This is a Model that I created to help walk
you through, step-by-step, how to critically think in nursing school. In a few minutes, I'm going to walk you through
this Model for how to study in nursing school so that you can ACE your fundamentals class. But first, I want to put your mind at ease
and walk through exactly what you can expect in your fundamentals class. I've received a LOT of questions about this
over the past few weeks from our NursingSOS Members, and I know you're probably a little
freaked out about it too. So if you're heading into nursing fundamentals,
listen up. Here's how it will go: you'll have your main
lecture class where you'll learn all of the basic concepts. The main thing you'll learn about is the nursing
assessment and the nursing process. I have a deep dive video on the nursing process
HERE for you to check out after this video. So along with the nursing process, you'll
learn about things like fluid and electrolyte balance, how to take vital signs, infection
control practices, how to write care plans and how to document in a patient's chart. Don't worry, we cover many of those topics
here on our YouTube channel. I'll put all the links in the description
for you to check out. Now along with this lecture class, you'll
also most likely have a skills lab class and a clinical class that go along with it for
you to be able to practice all of these things. During skills lab, you'll probably get to
use mannequins and supplies in your school's simulation lab so it's like you're taking
care of real patient's, without the fear of a real patient judging you or putting you
at risk to hurt someone. It's important to practice your skills FIRST
before doing them in real life. You'll practice your nursing assessment, learn
how to give medications, and maybe practice some basic skills like giving vaccines. And then during your clinical class, you'll
finally be able to practice all of your assessment skills on a REAL LIVE PERSON. How exciting!!! So don't worry, friend, take a breath, trust
yourself, and do the best you can. It took me the better part of a clinical day
to assess my first patient in nursing school, because I kept forgetting things and having
to go back into her room and ask her more questions. Man, that was rough. So don't worry, if you're super nervous, you
are NOT alone. I was right there with you! So that is generally what you can expect for
your nursing fundamentals. Make sure you practice as much as you can
in the skills lab so that you're prepared for clinical. Now, let's talk about how to study in your
nursing fundamentals class. I've created a Critical Thinking Model that
you can use again and again for every topic you're studying. It will walk you through, step-by-step, how
to study in nursing school. Following this Model will be the difference
between getting a C on an exam and getting an A. So pay attention, take notes, and let's
change your life. The Critical Thinking Model goes like this:
DRC. The "D" stands for definition or description. The "R" stands for reason or rationale, and
the "C" stands for connection. So let's write this out and go through and
example to help it all come together. Because seriously, friend, this is the KEY
to success in nursing school. Follow this Model, and you will be GOLDEN. The "D" stands for description or definition. What is it? What is it that you need to know about? What's the description of it? This is the high level stuff. Don't worry, we'll get to the critical thinking
and the deep stuff in a minute. So stay with me. So let's take an example of giving oxygen
to a patient. Giving oxygen and oxygen administration is
absolutely something you'll study during your fundamentals class. You HAVE to know it for nursing school and
your clinicals. So the definition and description of oxygen
administration is that you are actually GIVING oxygen to your patient. You may give it at different levels or concentrations
and through different ways. And if you want, you can write all of those
down here as well in this category. Now the second part of this process is the
R, which stands for reasoning or rationale. This is where you'll write about the WHY. Why does it happen, or why does it matter? This is the reasoning behind it. And in this section, I really want you to
dig deep and focus on the underlying reason. This is the first step of critical thinking
here. I'll walk you through the next step in a minute,
so stay with me, we'll get there. So in our example of giving oxygen, WHY do
we give oxygen to a patient? Well, we give oxygen if a patient isn't able
to oxygenate themselves, either they aren't able to get enough oxygen in, or they aren't
able to circulate it as well. So here I want you to dive into the pathophysiology
behind it. Listen, friend. If there is ONE reason that I got straight
A's in nursing school, it's this: I dug deep. Constantly. I didn't just learn the surface level stuff
like everyone else. I used this model and practiced my critical
thinking skills over and over again. And THAT is what made me successful. Because when I got to my exam and it gave
me a case scenario about oxygen administration, I didn't just memorize the surface level stuff
that the rest of my class focused on. I was way more prepared because I did the
critical thinking and learned WHY it matters. And that's what I want you to do, too. To really dig deep and ask yourself WHY. Why do we give oxygen, why does it matter,
and why is it important. So that's step number 2: reasoning or rationale. Why do we do it? And now the 3rd step is the ultra critical
thinking part, and this is the C: Connection. This is where you'll write how it connects
to the other things you're learning. This is the HOW: How does it connect to everything
else? This is where you'll really shine at your
critical thinking skills, and where it will really start to show to your instructors that
you know you stuff: when you can connect the dots and put it all together. So in our example of giving oxygen, how does
that connect to other things you're learning about? So in your fundamentals class, you'll be learning
about the nursing assessment, and you'll also learn about oxygenation and perfusion: how
the body gets oxygen and how it circulates through the body to keep us alive. If you want a deep dive into the nursing process
and what the nursing assessment is, be sure to check THIS video out after you finish this
video. So this is the final part of critical thinking,
being able to connect it all together with everything that you're learning about. Don't worry, I'm not going to leave you guessing
on how to do this. Let's keep our same example and walk through
it together. So when you give oxygen to a patient, there
are a LOT of things you need to assess for before, during and after. You'll look at things like their lips and
mucous membranes to see if they have a blue tint to them, which could indicate a lack
of oxygen. You'll look at how they're breathing and listen
to their lungs. If they're having difficulty breathing they
may need to be on oxygen to increase their blood oxygen level. So walk through each of the nursing assessment
components that relate to giving oxygen. How does giving oxygen affect the body? You'll also learn about oxygenation and perfusion
in your fundamentals class, so how does giving oxygen affect that? Well, giving a patient oxygen will hopefully
increase the amount of oxygen in their blood, it will get more oxygen to their brain and
other vital organs to keep them happy. Are you seeing how all of this connects together? This Critical Thinking Model is VITAL to follow
in nursing school. Like I said before, practicing this will be
the difference between getting an A and getting a B or a C on your exam. Now I have a series of critical thinking questions
for you to follow as you study as well. These will really help guide your learning
and help you focus your studying even more. I do a deep dive into these question in THIS
video here, and I've also got a free cheat sheet that outlines them too. So be sure to download that, the link is in
the description below. Phew, friend, I know that was a LOT of information
right here. I really wanted to do a deep dive video for
you to give you everything you needed to succeed in your Fundamentals Class. So if you found this deep dive training SUPER
helpful, write LOVE in the comments to let me know, and tell me the date your start your
nursing program, or if you're already in nursing school, tell me the month and year you'll
be graduating. I am super pumped for you and your nursing
school journey, and I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to help you through it. And of course, if you want more help with
Nursing Fundamentals, make sure to join the NursingSOS Membership Community where we are
currently releasing a brand new fundamentals course. I'm so excited! You are going to LOVE it! Now click on the next video to help you keep
rocking nursing school, and go become the nurse that God created only YOU to be. I'll see you over there friend. Take care!
