Registered Nurse (RN)-Former Nursing Student & Current Nurse Blog My Journey of Becoming & Working as a Registered Nurse

Hello Everyone,

So many times nursing students get frustrated when it comes to learning how to do the conversions. At first, I was so overwhelmed and I had a hard time learning.

However, after lots of practice I eventually became very comfortable doing conversions, and from that point on I never struggled with them again. I had a great question regarding conversions:

Hi Sarah. I love your site and your explanation on conversions is fantastic!I was wondering if it’s also important to learn how to convert to grams and grains? Also, if you could tell me what to expect for my first semester and what can I do to help prepare me for that. Thanks a lot.

Tabatha

Thanks so much for the kind words and the great question Tabatha! I will try to cover all of your questions the best I can.

Should Nurses Learn How to Convert Grams and Grains?

I am glad that you enjoyed the conversions page that I placed up. As I said before, I did have trouble at first learning the conversion formulas, and I was really stressed out when the test came.

However, after lots of practice I did eventually learn how to do the conversions. For those who may be interested in practicing those conversion problems, you can find the dosage and calculation conversions page.

As far as your question regarding the grams to grains conversions, no I was not required to learn that specific conversion, and it wasn’t stressed at all on the tests. In fact, I didn’t really bother with studying it much at all.

However, your school curriculum may be different and they may possibly choose to include those with your dosage and calculations problems. If that is the case, then I do recommend learning them. It may help if you can ask some of your fellow nursing students =-).

There are a couple of sites I can recommend which give some basic grains to grams conversion formulas/calculators, if you are interested in seeing how the formula works:

http://www.asknumbers.com/GramsToGrains.aspx

http://www.metric-conversions.org/weight/grams-to-grains.htm

What Should I Expect In My First Semester of Nursing School?

My first two years of college were mostly core non-nursing classes. The actual “nursing school” part was really the last 2 years. So what can you expect during this time? What will your first semester of actual nursing school be like? Great questions! I have written a similar post about nursing clinicals here that you may also be interested in.

Each year of nursing school had its good parts and bad parts. For example, my first year of nursing was more difficult academically, and I had some very difficult classes I had to pass. However, I didn’t have to really worry with clinicals at a real job too much so that was nice. The “clinicals” were mostly just skills tests that were performed in the actual classroom (such as inserting a catheter, applying dressings, and so forth).

The second year was much less difficult academically (the classes were easier), however, I had a much more rigorous work load with clinicals, projects, and so forth. The clinicals were a little more challenging because you deal with real people in an actual hospital setting.

As far as my very first semester of nursing school, it wasn’t too bad at all. Each nursing school may be structured differently, however, mine focused mostly on academic book work and so forth.

So if yours is the same, I would recommend you really just try to remain dedicated to your homework, projects, and studying. If you have trouble doing this, you can always get a study buddy, or form a study group.

I tended to study mostly on my own, and I would simply sit in my apartment bedroom and just study over and over as much as I could (and sometimes listen to music). That has always been my own personal study routine.

You really have nothing to worry about at all, and I think you will really enjoy your first semester. I know you must be very excited, and at the same time anxious and nervous.You will probably make some friends that you may end up partnering with throughout Nursing School on various projects, and you may even work with them once you graduate!

I think you will do great, and you will see that it isn’t bad at all. If you just keep up with your classes and study, it is really like anything else in school. Just remember that practice makes perfect, and studying regularly will not only help you pass your classes, but it will also help prepare you for the HESI and NCLEX tests.

Thanks again, and good luck! =)

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Posted under Ask A Question, Nursing School

Here is a great question about becoming a nurse:

Hi!

Firstly I would like to thank you for making such a great website!!! I’ve had so much trouble finding a place where I can ask about nursing from a real nurse!

I am currently in the last year of high school, and I am thinking about doing a nursing course in university once I leave school.

The thing is, I really don’t know if nursing is for me because I know so little about it.

and another thing is that I am scared of blood or looking at wounds, so do you think its possible to overcome that fear with time, or do you think I should search for another career.

Thanks =)

—Amber

Thank you so very much for your nice words and for the great question Amber. This is a great question, and I will do the best I can to answer your questions!

How Can I Know if Nursing is For Me?

I have written a page a long time ago about how to know if Nursing is a Good Career for You. A lot of people often are attracted to the nursing field, and yet don’t know a lot about it. So they do have an interest, but aren’t sure what nursing is like. Some turn out to like it very well, others may decide they hate it.

To know whether you will love it or hate it, the best thing to do is to think about your own personal talents and skills. Are you good with people? Can you work under pressure? What interests you about nursing? Asking those questions can help you realize if it is right for you or not.

The thing to keep in mind is that every single job on the planet has its good moments and its bad moments. Take being a famous actress for example. You have good parts of that: Money, fame, so forth. You also have bad parts: paparazzi, busy schedule, working with pushy actors/directors, etc.

So you see, any job will have good and bad things involved, and nursing is certainly no different. Some of the good things about nursing is: the pay is good, I like schedule, good benefits, the satisfaction of helping others. Some bad things include: fussy patients, coworkers who are bossy, excessive regulations/rules, and so forth.

The important thing is that the good things outweigh the bad things, and therefore, I really like nursing. If the bad outweigh the good, then nursing may not be the ideal job.

In any event, it is important to find a job that does satisfy you enough to want to be passionate and stick with it. If you can do that, then you can be a great nurse. If not, perhaps a different career may be better.

How to Find Out More About Nursing

There are SO MANY nursing jobs out there. You can work for the government, a non-profit organization, a business, a school, or a private doctor’s office, etc. There are so many different things you could do.

The best thing to do is to try and learn more about each potential nursing job, and then see if you have talents, interests, and a desire to work in that position.

You can also try applying for a part-time job in a hospital to see what nursing is like, what the people are like, and so forth. This is also a great way to build experience.

Can You Be a Nurse If You Are Scared of Blood, Wounds, and So Forth?

Yes, you can absolutely be a nurse even if you are afraid of blood. There are many paths in the nursing profession you can take, and sometimes you may not even have to deal with blood often (or ever). There are many “desk jobs” in nursing as well, and some nurses go on to teach school after they get their degrees.

Also, whether or not you can overcome your fear of blood depends on how badly you want to be a nurse. If you really want to be a nurse, you can overcome your fears by practicing and getting used to it. Anyone can overcome their fears if they want something badly enough.

For example, did you know that there was once a boy so shy in school, that when a teacher called on him, he would just sit there and not even answer? He was so afraid of talking in public, even in front of his own classmates. The teacher said, “I would ask him a question, and he would just sit there and not reply. He was so shy and timid.”

Later, this boy that was so shy eventually went on to be a famous preacher (Billy Graham), and he preached to millions of people live over the course of his life.

So that just goes to show you that you should never let a fear of something hold you back from fulfilling a career you are interested in. We all have fears, so don’t think you are the only one.

When I was in nursing school, I was terribly shy about having to insert a catheter, inserting IV’s, and the thought of seeing people naked was a little odd for me. However, once I got in there, I realized these people are sick, weak, and really need the care. There was nothing to fear, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought. It was far worse in my mind than in reality.

In fact, you eventually get so used to it, it doesn’t even bother you anymore. And you realize that you are helping someone to hopefully get better.

Conclusion: Is Nursing For Everyone?

In conclusion, nursing certainly isn’t for everyone. However, I think you should definitely explore your interests and see if nursing is something you may want to do for a career.

As with all careers, nursing does have its good things and bad things. However, I really enjoy it, and I am glad I stuck with it.

I wish you the best of luck, and thanks again!

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Posted under Ask A Question, Nursing School