5 Ways RN School Prepared You to be an APRN.

As a nurse, the opportunities to grow and learn seem never ending. The great news is that you can absolutely build on what you learned in your previous courses to continue to develop your skills as an Advanced Practice Provider. You are passionate about what you do! You have already done the work to invest in a powerful foundation for success. Here are 5 ways RN school prepared you to be an APRN.

5 ways RN school prepared you to be an APRN.

This list is not all inclusive, but hopefully it helps you identify some of the great investments you have made to laying a foundation of success for your practice as a APRN.

1. Nursing Care Plans

• Do you remember how frustrating it was to not be able to say someone had something you know they had??? (Hello ineffective air exchange — that’s right, patient with COPD — I’m talking about you!) Ever think that would be useful for anything but to annoy you?
  • Great news! You honed in on how to apply wholistic thinking in your care approach.

• By reviewing the body systems, how each was impacted by a disease process, and identifying and addressing needs – you learn to “see” the whole person and the burden of health conditions.
  • You can assess and know how to address Maslow’s hierarchy and you are prepared to walk the journey of increased wellness with your patients.

• The nursing care plans you formulated while in nursing school certainly helped lay a foundation for success as you move toward a larger role in patient health.
  • Because of that, Nursing Care Plans lands the #1 spot on the list of 5 ways RN school prepared you to be an APRN.

2. Research

• This does go along with the Nursing Care Plans.
• When I was in nursing school to be a RN and when I taught clinicals, one of the main pieces of a well put together care plan was the identification (and APA citation) of at least two peer reviewed journal articles that supported the intervention used for the plan of care.
• Knowing how to find peer reviewed, evidence based interventions is important to developing your skill set.
  • Also – understanding what makes one source better than anther is important in identifying the best information to incorporate in your treatment profile.
  • Being able to digest the information you find is vital in being able to use the information obtained in the best possible way to give your patients the full benefit of the treatment identified.

3. Study Groups

• Ok – this one is a bit controversial. You may hate group work. You may have loved group work. Maybe, you liked groups that you were in control of choosing to be a part of them — by choosing to team up with other students who cared as much as you did, not just about the “job” of a nurse but also about the education side of becoming a nurse.
  • One thing is certain — if you found a group of friends who were passionate about the job and the journey – you struck gold.

• Some of the best ways to learn information is to teach information.
  • A study group where everyone contributes and combines their efforts to go over new material, dive in and understand and explain what was being covered, work through the mechanism of actions or how a disease process impacted different body systems — this sharing of information and study style – is truly beneficial.

• If you were assigned to a group where this free flow of effort and information was not central, that was probably frustrating. As you start your APRN education, find a group that you identify with, one that you can partner with, one that you can learn with.
  • As a new APRN, find a group of APRNs that you can do the same thing with.
  • These connections are powerful and valuable.

4. Clinicals

• Making it to #4 of 5 ways RN school prepared you to be an APRN is clinicals. Ever feel like you lived at a hospital or a outpatient office? Yep. Me too. There was a lot of time spent learning in a hands on manner.
  • I am so thankful for the healthcare professionals that cared enough about their profession, the future of their profession, and the patients who need healthcare that they invested in teaching the next generations of healthcare providers.

• You can learn a lot from books, but you cannot learn everything you need to know there. Hands on skill development and acquisition is a lifelong investment in your practice and your patients.
  • Seek out and attend the best clinical skill lab development programs you can – as a student and a professional.
  • You know what can make that even better? Take those study buddy friends with you and make it a fun (but info packed!) weekend away.

• Look for ways you can increase your knowledge base with apps, online learning opportunities, and trainings.
  • However, don’t neglect the powerful and valuable resource that is in-person instruction and skill development!
  • Seek out opportunities through your state and national professional organizations. As a APRN student or a APRN professional, you can join similar organizations that will help educate and inspire you.
  • Look for online social platforms that host pages for your professional group and be a positive participant. Often, courses and training opportunities are promoted on these sites.

5. Super Scheduling Skills

• Navigating all.the.things.
  • Yes. You mastered that one! Personal and professional obligations and opportunities will always compete. The key? Finding the balance.
  • Get yourself a good planner and use those skills you developed (for survival!) in RN school. Write this stuff down. Put it in your phone. Whatever method you like the best – work it!
• Be present. For your patients. For your family. For your social connections. For your work. Invest.
  • Do not just commit – surrender. Understand the difference. Commitments, unfortunately, can be broken. However, when you surrender the time you need for professional to the professional, and you surrender the time you need for the personal to the personal, a beautiful separation takes place.
  • And that separation leads to better balance.

You have developed skills for a foundation of success.

You have invested, sacrificed, learned new ways of being and doing. It took hard work to develop these skills. The 5 ways RN school prepared you to be an APRN is not the only ways you have worked to prepare you for this moment.

You have laid a solid foundation through your time in RN school to help you become an Advanced Practice Provider that is committed to wellness and balance – in your personal and professional life. The 5 ways RN school prepared you to be an APRN is just a sample of the work you have put into your development to this point.

Balance is key. Identifying the skills you already have can help you have confidence in being the APRN you dream of being — for yourself and your patients.

For more on how to create a life of balance in your personal and professional life as a nurse, be sure to follow on Pinterest.