Nursing Student President Gives Glimpse into Finding Success

Wednesday, October 14, 2020
Nursing Student President Gives Glimpse into Finding Success

Entering her final Block (4) in Paradise Valley Community College’s two-year Nursing Program, Brenda Barraza has learned all the ins-and-outs of the program, discovering sensible ways to achieve success.

First and foremost, Barraza stays organized and has created specific study methods to help her be successful. She keeps a day planner with to-do lists, exams, clinics, and assignments. She also prints out the PowerPoints instructors provide, finding this extremely helpful in learning the material and using it as a guide through classes, writing notes in the margins and highlighting emphasized points.

Barraza, who is Student Nursing President here at PVCC, said, “I am constantly reviewing the PowerPoints and once I feel confident about the material, I test my knowledge with practice quizzes I find online or in the back of the textbook.” She said testing herself helps identify her weaknesses and strengths.

Other suggestions include:

  1. Become part of a study group It’s a great way to compare notes, discuss topics, test one another. If you form a study group from the get-go, you will be together through all four blocks.
  2. Join the Student Nursing Association (SNA) The SNA is a group of nursing students ranging from block 1 to block 4 who actively participate in volunteer work, school events, and nursing conventions. The group meets once a month and aims to get more recognition for PVCC’s nursing program and help the community at large. It’s a great way to network, find internships and build your resume.
  3. Check out PVCC’s tutoring Take advantage of the block 3 and block 4 student tutors available with flexible schedules. Professors are also great at responding to emails and can schedule virtual office hours currently. 
  4. Identify outside resources Check out Register Nurse RN, a youtuber who creates videos and practice questions on different topics. Other resources include Khan Academy, Simple Nursing, and Osmosis -- all of which help make certain topics easier to understand. Best of all - they are free!

Barraza will graduate in December and plans to take her NCLEX, hoping to become a labor and delivery nurse. Eventually she would like to return to school to pursue a degree in Midwifery.

For more questions about PVCC’s Nursing Program, visit https://www.paradisevalley.edu/degrees-certificates/nursing or contact Carol Frazier, Program Coordinator, at 602-787-6624, carol.frazier@paradisevalley.edu.