DHS class of 2013, I love you and miss you! I shout out hello wherever you are and I hope that you are enjoying nursing and still have the zeal as you did at school!
DHS class of 2013
My years at nursing school were some of the best school years because I made some lifelong friends. My class did almost everything together and felt like a large family with 34 persons.
Of course we had class couples and class drama but we had fun!
A group of us would go to Burger King every Friday after class. The double stacker served with ginger ale was my favourite. Yummy yum!
After eating we would sometimes walk around town. Our goodbyes were long because everybody had to hug each other. The good old days…
Proud mom
I was extremely happy to start nursing school but boy I did not know what I was in for. My mom was extremely proud that I had decided to go to nursing school that she quickly spread the word.
She encouraged me to study instead of going out and would even bring my dinner to my room when I was studying. She was such a sweet mommy! Sigh! Continue to rest easy mommy.
Nursing school
The first semester of nursing school started off a bit easy because I had been exempted from some courses. However by the second semester I started feeling the stress of school.
Most times I cried because of Anatomy and Physiology and Dosage Calculations. I did not see how I would pass these courses. Learning the body parts in depth and learning the medical jargons got the best of me and everyone in the class.
Dosage calculations hmph was my enemy! It was difficult to understand and perform the mathematical calculations. So much to learn in so little time! I was very miserable and worried. Would I pass or be able to complete nursing school!?
The workload was intense that I felt like quitting all the time. I honestly kept telling myself that I did not want to disappoint my mom and wanted to help her have a better life. My mom was my strength.
My sweet Sam
The course material was extra challenging. My partner would help me with my assignments every night over skype. Religiously I would send him my assignments and he would do all the research. He made my work much lighter. Thank you Sam!
Lots to do
Nursing school is very expensive! The books too are expensive! We ALWAYS had to be printing at the Reprographic Centre commonly called Rip-off! Do not ask about presentations, group work, case studies and clinicals at the school, hospitals and health centres.
Tons of unfamiliar terms and medical jargons, performing clinicals and doing return demonstrations. The information we had to learn, absorb and retain was compact and in a short time. I felt bombarded with information.
Weekly assignments, quiz and exams! My mom would say “check the state of Rema’s room” in Saint Lucian creole and call my room a pig’s pen because I had papers and books scattered all over.
Yes, there were projects and field trips too!
You literally have no social life when at nursing school. Some of us managed to go to Upper Level Nightclub sometimes to party hard and relieve our school stress! Oh yes!
Our lecturers
We had the most wonderful lecturers! Mrs James was the coordinator of the Department of Health Sciences (DHS). She would inspect our uniforms to ensure that we were abiding by the rules. She would tell us to pray and she believed in us every chance she got.
Sister Jolie was warm and caring. She was so soft spoken that her voice would put me to sleep, she was an earthly angel. Continue to rest in peace Sister Jolie.
Ms. Antoine was always jovial and she would mistake myself for Tama and Misha because she said we looked alike. Laughs! We had to do lots of drug cards for her Introduction to Pharmacology class!
By the end of Ms. Antoine class we would have become pharmacists and know both the generic and trade names of the drugs, drug interactions, indications and side effects plus patient education.
Mrs. Lesfloris was such a sweet clinical instructor. She would constantly be seen with the other clinical instructor- Mrs. Dolor. Mrs. Dolor was the actress and funniest lecturer. Mrs. Dolor would always be smiling and had many funny stories to share.
Mrs. Preville taught the most challenges courses! Anatomy and dosage! She told us daily that we were “fearfully and wonderfully made.” I still tell myself the same thing even years after leaving nursing school.
Ms. Peter was very classy and wanted the class to stand every time she entered. She made her classes fun, easy to understand and wanted to see us all succeed.
Mr. Hewitt was passionate about teaching Environmental Health and constantly spoke about health inspection. Ms. Mathurin, Ms. St. Juste and Mrs. Plummer taught Psychology and were always smiling and gave fun stories about their work.
Mr. Griffith was well known for his communication skills and ensured that Communication class was filled with presentations to improve public speaking.
Administrative Personnel
Mrs. Elliot, Mrs. Ludovic and Ms. Boullie were the ones we bombarded with all our school questions. Thank you all for your help and not getting too frustrated with us!
Exams
I do not know where some of the lecturers got the exams from or how they formulated the questions but wah! The exams would be very difficult and different from what we studied.
Some of the medical terms were foreign to me because I did not come across them whilst studying. I do not know if I was sleeping during the class but I had to do “anti mali” where I sang a song and guessed the correct answers.
Mostly all the choices given during nursing exams are correct but you must select the most correct option! My oh my!
Hearing persons discuss the exams and their selected answers or seeing I wrote the wrong answer after I searched the textbook was equally painful as the exam.
Ways to survive nursing school
–Form a study group
Study groups can be disruptive and unproductive for some so they prefer to study independently but study groups work well for others. I prefer studying alone but the study group I was in helped increase my understanding of the course material.
I got fresh ideas, different perspective and different explanations. We would compare our notes and would not move on until everyone understood a concept. The study group served as a means of social and academic support.
I was a part of a click so we reviewed our assignments together before submission. We also reviewed past papers, practice questions and study material before exams.
-Take notes during class and recapitulate
Take notes during class and review all notes after class to refresh memory, reinforce what you learned, increase remembrance and seek clarity where necessary.
Master the course material after class to help prepare for exams. This limits the need to cram and increases the probability of succeeding on the end of semester exam.
Review your notes throughout the semester and do lots of practice questions from online test banks.
-Exercise
I exercised daily to release my school stress and anxiety and mostly because I did not want to gain weight. Exercising at the time really prevented me from losing my mind!
-Practice clinicals
My dad got me a big doll so I used it to practice my clinicals. I would lay it on my bed and do a return demonstration of what I was taught at clinicals. Get someone to be your patient and practice your clinical skills!
-Set a study routine
Set a study routine and stick to it. This helped with the constant information overload and I did not feel pressured to learn loads at the end of the semester.
Whether you study when you get home from school, do an all-nighter or wake up at 1 a.m. to 4 a.m . like I would, decide what works best for you.
-Embrace sticky notes and flashcards
Put sticky notes all over your room or places you could review them easily. I placed my sticky notes over the mirror and walls of my room, anywhere I would be able to read them.
I used flashcards “on the go” so I kept them with me when I left the house so I had study material readily available. I loved reading my flashcards during commute as well.
Ms. St. Juste told the class that one of the best times to review course material was during an advertisement whilst watching television. That did work for me especially when I was watching news with my mom.
-Vent and use your support system
Talk about your feelings openly instead of keeping it bottled up. Use your support system and speak to persons you trust. Journal! Just breathe even though you feel like the school work will kill you. I sometimes used a paper bag to breathe in to reduce my school anxiety.
To my past classmates and persons who have left nursing school, what do you miss most about nursing school? What would you tell someone who is interested in becoming a nurse?
To the aspiring nurses! Nursing school is just the tip of the ice berg! Bed side nursing is challenging and another level of “STRESS!”
The nurses of today!
Reems Sonson
Ourtropicalliving.com
Come live and love island life
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I remember my days at nursing school; very challenging, stressful and became overbearing at times. The best part about nursing school was forming bonds with colleagues who supported and encouraged you and vice cersa. This is one of the things the ways which made it easier to cope wity the challenges. Going to nursing school and becoming a nurse is not for the faint of heart.
I truly appreciate each & everyone of you
Thank you Beverly 😊
Awee ..those days..I read this article and smile from ear to ear as every word provided the guided imagery I used to refresh my memory of what we all wanted to get out of but somehow today miss! The friendships built has lasted for years…for some our classmates have become our work colleagues and teachers our friends. I look back with joy at those days as they were thr building blocks used to be where I am today. Very good article ..lovely read…hearts off to the staff and students of dhs..
I smile 😊😊 when I remember how much fun we had at nursing school Janel.