(MEPN Director, Dr Jackie Close)
Eight ways to avoid unhealthy competition in nursing school
- Don’t participate in the “whadyaget” game after test results are given.
- When you work in a group, make a conscious effort to include less verbal or assertive members and to solicit their feedback.
- At clinical rotations, always be on the lookout for peers who might need a hand for tasks such as turning a patient or making a bed for a patient in traction. Also accept assistance graciously when you need it.
- Refuse to badmouth other students behind their backs.
- If possible, deal with conflict at the source. If you are having problems with a classmate, try to solve it directly with them.
- Use humor judiciously to defuse tension, but be conscious of others’ feelings and the fact that stress can make even the hardiest individuals sensitive to good-natured ribbing.
- Actively look for traits and behavior to appreciate in your classmates.
- (Dunham, K.S.2004. How to survive & maybe even love nursing school: A guide for students by students. FA Davis, Phildelphia.)
- Always go into a situation thinking only the best of the others. (Jackieism)
Tips for your Christmas/Holiday Gift List
- Journals to ask for:
- RN
- Nursing 2018 (2019, 2020, etc.)
- The Nerdy Nurse’s Guide to Technology
- Becoming Nursey
- Law and Order for Nurses
- From Frustrated to Fulfilled
- The Nurse’s Reality Shift: Using History to Transform the Future
- The Nurses Reality Gap: Overcoming Barriers Between Academic Achievement and Clinical Success
- How to Survive and Maybe Even Love Nursing School: A Guide for Students by Students
- I wasn’t Strong Like This When I Started Out: True Stories of Becoming a Nurse
Great tips! Thanks
Ernestina Martin
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