Dear 1st semester students,

Nursing school is tough, it takes a lot to become a nurse and it can gradually wear on you

if you let it. To be a great nurse, you do need to study hard and do your very best in both clinical

practice and theory practice, but you also need to take a moment to care for yourself. This

profession is not easy, and it certainly was not easy for me, and I continue to learn and make

mistakes even as I gear towards graduation. I had a lot of failures throughout nursing school, but

I learned from my mistakes, I picked myself back up, and I remembered that one day I will be a

great nurse, and you will too! But you have to be willing, you must also put in the effort and

strive to be your very best self so you can give excellent patient care, you can see how disease

processes work, and you can be proud of yourself for have doing it! The road can be long and

hard, but you’re not alone! Nursing is a team effort and if you surround yourself with people who

also want to succeed and be the best nurse they can be you can’t go wrong! There will be times

of struggle and times you may want to throw in the towel but remember that nursing is a very

rewarding profession and the skill you learn and the people you meet will last a lifetime!

Sincerely,

Joseph Ochoa, BSN, 4th semester student