As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take an enormous toll on human health across the globe, its impact is felt significantly in other industries as well. Higher education has been upended with most institutions sending nursing students home to complete the rest of the year online.
If you’re a nursing student, the impact is being felt even more keenly. Clinicals have been canceled while hospitals and healthcare facilities grapple with an overwhelming number of severely ill patients. But many nursing students will still be able to continue on as best as possible by completing the academic courses they have.
If you’re a nursing student who’s now trying to finish the rest of the year by taking all your courses online, it all might feel nearly impossible. Remember you’re not alone. Your peers and even many of your professors are trying to manage this new normal.
Wondering how you’ll manage the rest of the year as an online student? Here are a few tips:
Commit to a Class Schedule
Even if your online classes don’t require a specific meeting time, block out your schedule as if they do. Scheduling time when you log in or do the work or meet with a study group will give your days and weeks structure. Write it in your schedule and plan your days around those fixed times.
Ask for Help
If you find the online format is challenging or you’re struggling without the face-to-face contact, reach out to your professors or to your school. Asking for help early will ensure that you aren’t falling behind. They might offer different perspectives to nursing students on how to work in this new format.
Stick to a Routine
You’ve probably heard this, but keeping to a regular daily routine will keep you focused. Get out of bed at the same time every day and set aside time for specific free-time activities—exercise, reading, watching TV, hobbies, or video chatting with friends and family. Try to go to bed at a regular time as well. Carving out blocks for your work and your leisure helps you set boundaries so you don’t find you’re spending too much time or not enough time on either.
Take Care of Yourself
These times are stressful, chaotic, scary, and unsettling. Accept that you aren’t going to continue on with life as you know it. Plan to make adjustments. Try to eat nutritious food and get sleep at regular intervals. If you tend to eat three meals a day, keep doing that. If you prefer to spread out your eating, eat smaller meals, but at similar times every day. Again, the routine can help you feel like you have a schedule and give you structure. If stress is interfering with your daily functioning, reach out for help either with a therapist (many are offering telehealth appointments) or a close confidant or member of your faith community.
Keep Focused on the Future
Remember why you started nursing school and keep that end goal in mind every day. Remembering your goal, and working toward it, will give you purpose and help ground you in the day-to-day business of living your life. This virus is changing the world as we know it, and it will not always be as troubling as it is now.
Good luck, nursing students—you’ve got this.
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