This book acquaints a student nurse with the demands and rewards of both an education and a career as a nurse. It is divided into four parts. Part I looks at the beginning of the new life for the student nurse. A career in nursing is a journey that begins with information gathering and planning on the part of the student nurse. A student nurse with a real-world perspective is better equipped to tackle the demands of the nursing profession. In the course of nurse education, nurses will be asked to put what they have learned into practice by working in a hospital or other clinical setting under the direction of a nursing instructor. The second, third and fourth parts talk about achieving success in the classroom, at the clinical site and at home. There is a strong correlation between good classroom performance and good clinical performance. In the clinical education setting, students need to apply classroom knowledge to “real world” situations. Many nursing programs have requirements called technical standards that must first be met by nursing students in order to qualify for enrollment in a clinical nursing course. Creative thinking can allow a nursing student to handle personal crises without unduly impacting progress toward graduation. Part V deals with success following education. This part focuses on licensure and the National Council License Examination (NCLEX), job hunting, financial exposure and malpractice insurance.
