Don’t Forget to Breathe: Lessons from a First Year Student

Paper by Daniel Peraza Garzon

      As I began to let people know I had been accepted into nursing school I would typically get a similar response from everyone. It would begin with a congratulations followed by "you're going to have no free time." That response mostly came from people that had heard stories about nursing school but had not personally experienced it. In those situations, I would convince myself they had no way of knowing. That became more difficult to do as friends who were already nurses delivered the same response. In all honesty my mind was filled with more dread than excitement in the weeks leading up to the first day. I would love to say that the dread quickly diminished when school began, but it only increased.

      Prior to starting nursing school, I had this idea that most of our academic learning would involve case studies, simulations, and hands-on experience. I knew certain subjects such as pharmacology and pathology would require a more traditional learning approach, but I felt that the prerequisites had prepared me for that type of learning. So it came as a massive surprise to me how little of those hands-on experiences and simulations were present the first term, and instead, research and writing took over. This was a big blow to my confidence, since I will be the first to admit that writing is something that I have always struggled with. I went from writing at most two papers a term to having around six in just the first term alone. With multiples of those papers having overlapping due dates, time management became a key role in succeeding throughout the rest of the year. 

      So, how did I manage school, work, and personal life? At moments, specifically at the start, I would say not well. In the beginning I felt that I neglected my personal life because school and work took so much time. Guilt began to take over my thoughts as I was not spending enough quality time with my girlfriend, just existing in the same space. My daily routine involved school, then work, followed by assignments, and lastly attempting to sleep. As the academic year progressed, I began to manage my time more efficiently and learning how to prioritize assignments and making time for my personal life. The more I managed to create time for the things I enjoy the better I was doing academically. I accomplished this by getting a head on my assignments when possible and spending a few more hours a day on assignments during the week. This way if a dinner with friends or a date would arise, I was able to take a few hours off and enjoy the moment without feeling like I was neglecting school.  

      I can confidently say that without the support of my family and most importantly my girlfriend I would not have succeeded during my first year of nursing school. Accepting their support was not an easy thing for me as I am often the one providing the support. I had to learn how to let the people around me help and remind myself that in nursing you will often have to rely on the support of the people around you. The importance of a medical “team” became apparent quickly during my clinical hours and something that I will continue to keep in my mind not just for next year, but for the rest of my nursing career. I am a hundred percent certain that my newly learned ability to triage assignments and time management skills will play a key role in my success as a trauma nurse in the future. 

      As the start date for my second year of nursing school approaches it would be great to say that feeling of dread was gone, but that would be a lie. The difference this time though is that I have the resources and skills needed to adapt and succeed. Most importantly with the continuing support of the Billi Odegaard Scholarship Fund I have the financial stability to ensure my success. Nursing school becomes your priority, but the world around you does not stop. This means that unexpected things just happen, from a broken laptop to an unexpected death in your family. The scholarship allowed me to have financial stability, to lessen the burden of those things and continue to focus on succeeding in nursing school.  I am thank for not just the financial support they have provided, but the guidance and opportunities they continue to give. With the skills I have learned and the continuing support of the Billi Odegaard Scholarship fund I know that I have what it takes to succeed in my nursing school journey. 

PS Do not forget to breathe