Care Plan for the Common Nursing Student

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Dear Nursing Student,

Don’t worry, you’re not the only one contemplating the idea of giving up, and wondering how in the world you’ll get through this. Don’t give up. Take a look at my care plan for the common nursing student here, and take a moment to take inventory.

Thousands of others nurses have been where you are now, and they made it to the finish line one way or another. Be glad that they make it difficult. Take a minute to consider how frightening healthcare would be if nursing students had it easy. If they didn’t emphasize on you knowing the math inside and out and thinking critically.

Nursing school isn’t just teaching you how to save lives. It’s teaching you how NOT to kill people. 

Know Your ABC’s: Airway, Breathing, Circulation

Take a minute and just breath. This is important. If it’s one of the first things you check in your patient, you should be no different. Remember to breathe.

Give yourself a minute of peace, and give your poor brain the oxygen it needs. You may have a list of assignments a mile long, and what seems to be not nearly enough time or brain power to get them done.

This is normal, I promise.

You may even be considering having a Brittany Spears-esque meltdown, and shaving your head and calling it quits.  If Britt could pull through so can you.

Nursing Student Care Plan

Assessment

• HR 140
• RR 25
• Low quality sleep, <5 hours/night.
• Increased caffeine intake, daily
• Increased intake of high trans fats foods
• An anxiety level of 10/10

Diagnosis

Severe anxiety r/t increased amounts of nursing school assignments aeb increased HR/RR, and altered sleep patterns.

Planning

SN will experience an anxiety level of < 5/10 by the last day of the semester.

Nursing Interventions

• SN will buy a planner and use it DAILY. In doing so, SN will schedule time for self AT LEAST 2 times a week.
  • Being more organized can make a world of difference for those anxiety levels. Even consider color coding different items.

• SN will eat AT LEAST 2 really good meals daily, avoiding fast food as much as possible.
  • Optimal nutrition leads to optimal brain power. Eating a well-balanced diet decreases r/f fatigue. 

• SN will NOT put off doing his/her assignments but instead will dedicate at last 1 HOUR a day to getting school work done.
  • You are your own biggest enemy. Try and aim to get your work done as soon as possible rather than waiting until the final hour. It may be the difference between sanity and insanity at the end of the day.

4.SN will prioritize getting AT LEAST 6-8 hours of sleep per night.

Your brain needs a break as much as your body does. Give both the time they need to recharge, and you’ll find your thoughts will be MUCH more clear and organized. 

• SN will find time to engage in hobbies AT LEAST twice a week. Taking a few hours to unplug each week should be a requirement in the curriculum.
  • Here’s the thing…everyone needs that one outlet that basically hits “refresh” in your brain, so that next time to look at the problem (your assignments) it’ll be as if you’re looking through a whole new set of eyes.

It’s always important to remember that before you can take care of anyone else you need to take care of your self first! Check out my blog post about 5 Things Nurses Should be Doing for Self Care.

Evaluation:

• HR: 60
• RR: 17
• Restful nights sleep, nightly.
• Sleeping an average of 7 hours/night.
• Anxiety levels reported at 3/10
• SN states “Using a planner gave me the sanity that I nearly lost for a while there.”
• Survived the semester without experiencing a single anxiety attack, or shaving my head.
• Passed all classes with A’s

Was my outcome met? HECK YEA IT WAS.

Narrative Nurses Note

Pt presented with severely high levels of anxiety 10/10, HR 100, RR 19, fatigue, malnutrition, hypolipidemia, and r/f mental breakdown. Supplied pt with a cute planner and some multicolored pens, to ease anxiety levels. Completed ALL assignments DAYS before they were due, not THE DAY BEFORE they were due. Found this to reduce anxiety levels significantly. Ate a nice home cooked meal, nightly. Engaged in at least 1 to 2 hours of hobbies post-dinner meal. *Meal presented by 17:00 so that pt would not be going to bed on a full stomach*. Bedtime was at (:30, consistently. Pt was able to attain a full 7-8 hours of sleep, nightly. Reported feeling bright eyed and bushy tailed. Anxiety reported at 3/10 by the end of the semester. Final grades reflected the pts hard work to decrease anxiety levels and become more organized. Pt instructed to keep up with the new regiment, daily to continue seeing good results. ————————————————————————————K.Y. SN

This care plan doesn’t just apply to nursing students. Any college student, or just any person for that matter, can use these stress reducing and health promoting techniques.

What did you do, or currently do, during nursing school to reduce stress and stay on top of things? Tell me in the comments below!