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Nurses are everyday superheroes who consistently go above and beyond for patients with a holistic, patient-first approach. In order to do more for yourself, your patients, and your future, however, it is always a good idea to advance your skills through ongoing education and training.
Many states legally require ongoing training and education (or at least clinical hours) before they will renew your license. Rather than do the bare minimum, however, you owe it to yourself to push the envelope on your career so that you can truly discover the rewarding benefits of being a nurse.
Regardless of whether you are earning your first nursing degree, or have just enrolled in an advanced nurse practitioner program, these top five tips will help you breeze through your degree.
1. Ensure the Degree Suits Your Situation
If you plan on taking on the degree full-time (either in person or by completing an online nurse practitioner program), ensure that the degree was designed for full-time study and to be finished fast. Similarly, if you want to work while you complete your degree, ensure that it offers essential services such as clinical placement and extended graduation dates. Regardless of your situation, your degree needs to work with you. If you are unsure or need special considerations, get in touch with the admissions counselor to see what they can do for you.
2.Build a Routine and Stick With It
Routine is where the magic happens. Not only should you get into good healthy habits such as eating well, sleeping on a consistent schedule, and of course, exercising, but you will also want a study routine that is simple to follow. By breaking up your study requirements throughout the day you make your degree less daunting, you will give your brain time to digest the information that you have learned, and you will give yourself essential breaks that are critical for productivity.
3. Take Advantage of the Services Available to You
From your student success coach to clinical placement services, to even mental health services or IT services—all universities today offer several essential support services for their students. Be familiar with what is available to you and use them as necessary. These services are included in your tuition, so using them is just one easy way to improve your degree outlook and the value you get out of the program.
4. Work With Your Peers
Get in touch with your peers and work together. Online degrees can be quite isolating, even with the new improvements to the digital infrastructure. By getting in touch with your peers yourself you can make friends, engage with those who understand your struggles, and have people to turn to for a laugh or help. Studying with others or even creating collaborative notes can all help immensely when it comes to your degree.
5.Be Smart With Your Study Notes
You should make notes that work with how you learn. If you are someone who focuses better when their hands are busy, you can create voice notes or use the text-to-speak feature on your device to listen to your notes or readings while you occupy your hands. If you benefit from visual aids, use a note-clipping note tool such as One Note to draft visual-focussed notes. The time it takes to create these is great for your own understanding and memorization—and makes revision a breeze.