Success in nursing school requires academic and personal discipline. Academic and personal discipline is founded upon good work habits, time-management skills, and endurance. You should know how much time and preparation is necessary for doing well on exams and research papers. Personal discipline is required in the student's personal life. It is important to eat well, exercise, get the appropriate amounts of sleep, and find leisure time to relax.
Nurses don't work in an isolated and solitary environment. Nurses work in an interactive environment with doctors, colleagues, and patients. The ability to work well with others in a spirit of collegiality and team work is an essential quality for nurses and this is especially the case in nursing school. Nursing students study together, share ideas, impressions and thoughts about the material they are learning, and mutually rely on one another for comfort and support. Working in a team-work environment requires patience, flexibility, persuasive skill and the ability to listen to others as well the ability to take a leadership role.
Nursing students take in a lot of detailed information about medicine, medical procedures, medical equipment, nurse/patient relationships and nurse/doctor relationships. The ability to critical reflect upon, analyze and appropriate the information is an essential skill required for doing well in nursing school. Analyzing the information gives the student a deeper appreciation and understanding. Information that is simply memorized for an exam is easily forgotten after the exam. In addition to analytical skills, part of the job of a nurse requires the ability to troubleshooting and problem-solving unexpected situations.
Empathy and compassion are an integral part of the nursing profession. Nurses often spend more time with patients than doctors. Nurses also are often required to deal with patients in very intimate, and potentially embarrassing, situations. The ability to empathize with the patient is essential to helping the patient feel comfortable in awkward situations. Approaching nursing school with an attitude of empathy and compassion helps the student to keep things in perspective and motivates the student.