Nursing Students Guide: Home

This LibGuide has been created to assist you with locating information and preparing for your future career as a nurse. Here you will find resources and information on helpful apps, reference resources, and recommended journals and websites, as well as information on APA. While this LibGuide is a good starting point, we also have many other resources to support you as well.  

Nursing is a demanding and rewarding professional career that can bring great satisfaction and joy. It has many opportunities but it also is a profession that demands a lot from the person. Do you have these qualities?

1. Empathy. Empathy is one of the most recognized qualities of a nursing professional. A nurse needs to be able to feel empathy for the patient. Do you have the ability to listen, be present, and "walk in their shoes"?
2. Team-based. Nursing needs everyone on the team to be able to be professional, have difficult conversations, function well under stress. and be able to contribute to the work of the team. Sometimes that may mean working over time, or letting go of your own favored idea(s).
3. Critical thinking. Being able to think about a situation, address the problem, and deal with the patient's and family's questions professionally and objectively. Each person and situation is unique, and what works in one situation may not work in the next situation. 
4.  Stress! Nursing is not a low-stress career. It involves many personalities, and when a patient is in distress or has "coded" you must be able to think under stress and respond without panicking or getting angry. Also, patients and their loved ones do not always behave kindly to the people caring for them; can you be professional when faced with difficult and stressful situations?
5. Persevere when it gets tough. Nursing students are expected to study hard, complete their work on time and face high academic expectations. There will be lots of studying in nursing school. After graduation, the hours can be long if you work in a hospital or nursing home, the shifts can change frequently, and learning the ropes on the job can feel a bit overwhelming at times. 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the career outlook for nurses is growing fast!