How I'm really doing after my 1st term of nursing school... | Kiara Madisen 

The dating thing is actually really stressing me out. I'm 23 and never had a boyfriend. I wanted to stay focused on university but now thinking about dating apps can be so stressful 😅

I have no desire to go to nursing school but I’m invested in your journey. Lol. Glad it’s going well for you so far.

Girl you’re literally smashing nursing school, life and everything! You deserve to treat yourself occasionally with a date with a cute guy who likes you! Doesn’t have to be scary or super pressured, just an opportunity to meet a new person who might be really cool to hang out with 🥰🥰

From a current pediatric oncology nurse I'm so excited for you! I honestly am biased but I think it's the most rewarding specialty. My advice though would be to find some hospitals you want to work at early and start potentially being a CNA there even before you graduate... getting my foot in the door at my current hospital was the best thing I did for myself in terms of getting hired!

I remember being in my MedSurg clinical and I just knew that floor nursing wasn't for me. (Much respect to all the floor nurses out there) The minute I started my ER rotation, I knew I found my jam. You'll know where you are meant to be when you get there. Enjoy the journey!!

I’ve been following your journey and so excited for you! I’m currently a pediatric cardiothorastic icu nurse from Ohio. I think my best advice going into residency and getting a job is being open minded. Any job is great experience and even if it’s not the “dream spot”. You can definitely learn any from any department in the hospital. I started off in a unit that was a cardiac adult step down unit. It was not really where I expected to be or what I wanted. However, I learned SO much and really gave a great foundation to becoming a nurse. It also helped me land my dream job!

Nursing school test questions are truly so different. All of them are right answers, but you have to pick the BEST right answer. I definitely think practice questions help! When looking for a job, start looking a few months before you graduate, go to new-hire events at local hospitals so managers can get to know your name and face. I know a lot of people will tell you that you should med-surge nursing for a year before you go into a speciality but honestly, if you don't want to do med-surge, don't do something you'll be unhappy with. I started out in NICU and now doing labor and delivery and I have no regrets. I have a lot of respect for med-surge nurses but I know I would have been miserable had I done that first. I would probably stick with your first job for 18 months to two years before moving on to a different job or specialty (if you plan on doing that). I think two years is a good time frame to become more comfortable with nursing, before you switch to something new! Best of luck!

Hey, always love your vids! my update is that I graduated a year ago and have been really struggling with adjusting to work, but i finally think I've hit a bit of a stride and did my first major solo surgery last week. And the scrub nurses were AWESOME and helped me so much! as a nurse you will have such an amazing impact on the younger drs as well as patients

I feel like meal prepping while living at home is the worst. I was so good about it when I was on my own so I really feel you on that.

Kiara!! I finished my first semester of my ABSN too! It's been a wild but amazing ride so far! I start school again on Wednesday. I have 17 students in my cohort so its cozy! I also just was accepted as a finalist for the Nurse Corps scholarship!! Wish me luck!!

I recently got accepted into USAHS'S Doctorate of Occupational Therapy program. I was once a nursing major but upon clinical observation I fell in love with OT. Thank you for sharing your journey though we are on somewhat separate paths. Keep up the good work! You will make an excellent RN one day :)

Finished my chem class with a 99 and heading into my last pre nursing semester! I have one class and a HESI exam before I can apply for the nursing program which I am SO pumped about! Loved this Q&A. Wishing you the most success in your program!

i graduate nursing school in like 4 weeks and the biggest lesson i have learned is to expect the unexpected. going in to school i thought i wanted to be a nurse involved in women's health but i was so wrong lol. i kept an open mind throughout my program and turns our my passion is in mental health ! i just applied for a position in a forensic psychiatry hospital. if you would have told term 1 me i would end up being a psych nurse, i would have thought you were nuts but here we are !

I get to FINALLY submit my master's thesis tomorrow, and it's been such a long journey to get here that I'm just an emotional mess right now! I wish I had time to just stop and reflect everything that has happened and what's coming up with a new job... Thank you so much for sharing your journey! ❤️ It has kept me motivated even though I'm in a totally different field .

Im so happy for you. I hope everything is going smoothly and just enjoy the experiance. Maybe next time share a day in nursing life or home. If you meet Katie, make a video. I'd love that. Anywho, xoxo from Malaysia.

I've been subscribed since your sophmore year in college and it feels so amazing to watch you grow and achieve your dream of going to nursing school and now you are absolutely smashing it!

I'm studying rn for my UK med school entrance test! So scared but keeping positive about everything!! Thanks for all the great tips!

you’re rockin it kiara !! my update: finished my nurse residency program two months ago and I’m transferring from adult med surg to the NICU here at Yale next month! I’m studying now for it and I’m sooo excited! Nurse residency tips: make sure you know the application periods way in advance! My application period opened early January and closed mid February for a JULY start date!! So basically I had to plan 7 months ahead to start as an RN the summer after graduating (may 2020 grad). So many people I knew got delayed start dates/fall dates because they didn’t know the program applications opened and closed soooo early.

Finishing a term of nursing school is huge! Congrats!!!! The dating thing will naturally work itself out. Don't put the unnecessary stress on trying to find your person right now, and you can always hold out for a super cute doctor ;)

when I was going through nursing school my favorite study method was to take the powerpoints and highlight the main topics they touched on or really emphasized and find that section in the book where they go more indepth on that topic. it works even better when the professors pulled direct sentences from the textbook, you would know where they will pull questions from!

Hi girl! I’ve been a nurse in PDX for 9 months now, graduated from OHSU’s ABSN so I have ALL the scoop on residencies! I did Providence’s residency for Postpartum and now am cross training for labor and delivery and NICU. I love my residency because there is no contract or money you have to pay to break, and you can switch specialties in 6 months! Lots of my friends did OHSUs residencies and they are good too, but harder to get into without going to school there and all night shift and a 2yr contract. My other best friend is in Legacy’s residency but that’s another 2 year contract and she’s the only one in our program who got in. Feel free to contact me with any questions!

just hit my one year at my job so that's fun. in two and a half weeks I get to go back to school on campus (hopefully if COVID stops resurging). I'm also excited to vote in the ferderal election in Canada... I think I might want to run one day. Congratulations on finishing your first semester. Dating is stressful but just try and keep an open mind and be cautious especially meeting new people.

I get to start my preceptorship in a few weeks in a GI/Endoscopy clinic! I can definitely relate to living at home while in nursing school. It's really nice to have other people around and helping with day-to-day things but it can be hard to adjust routines around everyone else's routines. So excited for more nursing school updates as you start second term!

Your CNA experience is also going to come in handy when you start applying for jobs. Everyone in my class who was a tech for several years found jobs before the rest of us, even before they'd taken the NCLEX. One girl was hired by the Mayo Clinic two weeks before we graduated. That CNA experience is going to take you far!

I wanna go into pediatric and NICU too! I just got done with my last pre requisite class and going to put in nursing applications soon( I live in Portland Oregon area too) super excited yet overwhelmed! Love your videos and can’t wait to see more of your journey! Thanks for the inspiration and motivation!

It's so cool that you have decided to become a nurse. Having a great nurse can really make or break your hospital experience. When I had to have surgery as a child, what made it ten times more bearable was having my favourite nurse come in every day and try to put a smile on my face, even though I was in pain. That happened when I was nine, and I still remember her even now that I'm twenty-one, more than a decade later. Shoutout to nurse Jennifer and all the other wonderful nurses everywhere! I'm sure you will become that for somebody else one day, Kiara, and I know they are going to be so grateful for you when that time comes! And a life update for me is that I got my first ever office job for the month of August, so I'll be able to work until I go back to school in September. I won't be making enough to pay for school, unfortunately, but it's a job as a writer which has been my dream ever since I was little, and if I do well here, I think I have a shot at being able to come back and work this job again for the entire four-month break next summer!

New grad RN here! I applied to a lot of programs in my last semester of nursing school but my biggest advice is to start applying/networking as soon as possible! I am in a residency at a pediatric hospital now, I got the position in April of this year but applied in December 2020. Be patient with the recruiters they usually will get back to you, best of luck to you! :)

YES ! YES ! I LITERALLY woke up to see this in my subscriptions. I'm OBSESSED with your videos and you. You are my role model and you deserve all the happiness and success that's coming to you. Also, congratulations on finishing your first term of nursing school. 🧡 SENDING OUT LOTS OF KISSES

Date with no expectations except for getting to know yourself better and having fun! Dating in my early, mid-twenties wasn’t always great, but going into it not expecting him to be my husband really made it more enjoyable and taught me more about myself and what I needed in a relationship vs. what I wanted in a relationship.

Hearing about your nursing school experience is so awesome! I'm beginning to plan applying to grad school and it's equal parts exciting and scary knowing that undergrad is almost over 😅

I just applied for a flight attendant position at the airline I work for and I’m so nervous to see how this goes!! Becoming a flight attendant has been a dream of mine for so long and I am so excited for the future.

Granddaughter spent 80% of ABSN school behind the computer due to COVID. She graduated, but was way behind the curve due to lack of clinicals. She had a great preceptor who was patient with her. Now, she finished residency and is mentoring newer nurses.

Kiara actually just wanna say I’ve been for like 2 years! For the old Oregon videos. Thank you so much for being such a inspiration. College has definitely been rough last year with everything but this has channel has been so helpful and just so real. So thanks lol

i’m so happy you’ve have a great term and you’re loving your program!! to give you an update, idk if you remember me talking about my MCAT in some previous comments.. but I decided to put it off for a while. I needed to prioritize my mental health (which I was not, and was like falling apart) so I made the decision to cancel my exam and pursue a thesis MSc. in the meantime! I need to take some more time for myself before I jump into med school (which i will hopefully after the masters), so my path has changed quite a bit but i’ve never been happier 😊

I’m so glad you had a good first term! This next year will fly by and you’ll be an RN before you know it :)

I love how positive you are! Thank you for sharing your positive vibes ✨ Keep shining!

For your nurse residency make sure to pick at least your top 2 or 3 specialties and apply! Also try to go for a no contract residency that way if you go into a job and a couple of months in you aren’t happy you can LEAAAAVE :)

I would love to hear about the additional resources you use. You mentioned podcasts which I find super interesting and I think it would be so useful!

I love these types of videos! I am so proud of you for finishing your first term of nursing school! That is such a huge accomplishment! I am so proud of you for working hard to achieve your dreams! I look up to you so much! ❤

I feel you on the whole dating thing! I’m also in an ABSN program and everyone in my cohort is married or in a long term relationship so sometimes hard to relate but I just let my dating apps sit there and collect notifs 😭 but congrats on finishing your first term !!

I'd been staying with my parents for a while due to the pandemic, but now I've to go back to uni, not only that but also move in to an apartment. I'm really anxious as I admit I've become really dependent on them and just can't seem to know a way how I can live by myself! This video makes me feel loads better

So happy to see you happy, even though you're tired! I'd love to see a vlog day in the hectic life hahah. Give yourself grace with dating and have fun, it gets too overwhelming so I just avoid it lol. Excited about your room video, have a great day!

Omg new video! I'm so scared of starting in person classes. I'm so introvert that being around people makes me nervous but I'm excited to learn

Congrats on surviving the first bit of nursing school!! I just finished leadership camp for my university’s marching band yesterday! We have today off then our full twelve hours a day seven days a week for two weeks camp starts tomorrow! I’m super excited to see so many of my friends in person for the first time in a year and a half!

I'm a new grad registered nurse in Australia, and the first week of my job was really hard on my mental health. Leaning on God and family as well as stepping back and thinking about why I wanted to be a nurse in the first place really helped!

You Pour So Much Work & Love Into Your Videos And It Truly Shows🌿🌼 ~love from another content creator💗

I loved when I lived with my parent. I miss it. I hate having to pay my own bills, especially rent. I hate having to buy my food and groceries. I mean yes, it’s great to be able to accomplish that goal of being okay and by myself. But, I miss the old days when I didn’t have all the responsibilities that I have now. Kiara your video’s are so positive! I appreciate it. College is stressful because all of my hard classes are on my final year. The pandemic isn’t helping because now we have the surge in Oregon. But, yesterday (and you should definitely check kgw) they did a mini story on the surge at a bend hospital and it’s really bad with covid there. It really made me even more aware of how serious this pandemic is.I was hoping this would all be gone before starting the EMT & Paramedic program (at PCC) but these nurses and doctors are so overwhelmed. A woman died because no ICU (think that is what it’s called) beds were available. They interviewed a Bend hospital. I appreciate all health care professionals so much that are currently in the field and people like you and myself coming into the field. I am so grateful to have all of those wonderful angels out there who are there if and when we need them. I don’t think they are getting enough love and appreciation right now. So THANK YOU to all of you out there for all that you do!!!

My mom is a nurse who works with kids she does pediatric, NICU, and other things I can't remember the name of. She said that when she went to school she wanted people to prepare her for how depressing some of the stories are. So just prepare yourself I love you

I loveeeeee your updates. This has been sitting in my watch later playlist for way too long

I moved to Portland a few months ago and going on dates is so stressful! But you can do it! You’re awesome and anyone would be so excited if you’d go on a date with them!

Love the Video 🌟❤ I am starting my peds rotation tomorrow and I am so exited. My Update and also high recently is: I finished My trauma surgery rotation and I am happy how I handeled it. Also I Finished year 1 of 3 of nursing school and I am so proud of myself and all the hard Work, sweat and Tears. I never did anything I love quite as much as nursing. All the emotions. I would love being a Cardio-thorastic nurse one day I absolutley lovedmy time there..and it's soo good to know you are Kind of going through the same experiances. Thank you for being so authentic. 🌻🥰

Omg that was me calling it the aesthetic cave on a DM 😅 After so many years of school (undergrad and grad school) I learned to study differently depending on the testing style of each course. Some were multiple choice so it's more about recognizing the information. But some like my psychopharmacology one were entirely essay style questions so you really had to know the material.

the congenital cardiac surgical team at OHSU is so kind and fun to work with if you ever go that route! :D good luck with nursing school!!! you got it!

I'm starting my first semester of grad school today & am excited/stressed about it! Excited things are going well for you!

You’re officially done with first semester! Congrats girl 🎉 I can’t wait to watch the rest of your journey. I start my dream RN job this month after apply and being rejected from SO MANY jobs. When your time comes, don’t be discouraged if you don’t get a job as fast as your peers. Apply to everything that has potential. I almost didn’t apply to this job and I’m so grateful I took a risk and did it! And I think you’d make an amazing Peds Onc RN! Always rooting for you Kiara, you’ve got this ❤️

Looking forward to getting out of lockdown soon (fingers crossed) New Zealand went into strict lockdown on tuesday nght due to our first case of delta!!!

you go girl!! so happy for your achievements 🥰❤️

Just started watching your nursing videos, and I love them so much, as a pre-nursing student who is considering content creating as well... could we have a how to get started with social media video??

I'm excited bc my master in divinity program at Harvard starts this week

I’m starting my graduate program tomorrow! Already “behind” in readings and some of my textbooks are running late 🤪 wish me luck

You are such an inspiration! Thank you ❤

Yo go girl!! Always be like this and stay positive❤

Kiara, such a great job! Enjoy yourself!

I’m so proud of you kiara!💗

I love when Kiara does Q&A’s!! And love the video!!

The dating thing is me!! Im at law school and am working at all hours of the day by the time I message someone I can no longer be bothered ahahaha! I also hate texting and way prefer in person chats but ur right in person things is a bit scary so WHAT DO WE DO??? im glad so many other people in the comments as well relate!!

IM SO PROUD, So inspiring. Keep going!

Leaving for college in 4 days! Love you Kiara, never stop being you!💜

Way to go Kiara!!! So happy for you!!

Just recently I started watching the tv series Scrubs again. Last time I was watching it was about 5 years ago. It's often a very heart warming and still funny tv series. That's my little partly relevant life update :)

I'm happy u dont seem stressed out💕😚

I’m so proud of you!! ❤️

The first week of nursing school was genuinely so hard!

you’re such an inspiration 🤍

I graduated for a Portland school and very few of my cohort got residency spots, super competitive in the Portland/vancouver area. As important as your resume is it comes down to how well you interview and how much they see you being a part of their unit. Also sometimes it’s good going to into med surg if you’re not sure of a speciality cuz some residencies have two year contracts with $10,000 fees to get out of them.

Could you make more night routines? Morning routines? Maybe even a study routine ?

Be careful with residency programs! Often they require a contract if they offer a sign on bonus!!! So if you ever decide the unit is not for you, you have to pay back the bonus!

To me it would be interesting to see a vid about how you take care of your health - Like how often do you go to prevention meetings (I don't know whether this is the right word in English sorry :) at doctors (teeth, eyes, vaccination - like tetanus, blood pressure, OB GYN, etc.), if you floss your teeth (I personally don't, I'm bad I know, but it hurts I don't have any gaps in between my teeth), whether you had braces, what type of tooth brush you use, toothpaste... But I think it would be a difficult to make, because health is a controversial topic in the US as the insurance is quite expensive and many cannot afford regular check-ups etc.... But still it would be interesting to me. Or, a much less controversial topic, make-up - how you do your daily make-up, your evening one, what products you use... The same with cosmetics - face cream, make-up remover, shampoo etc. I would like this too :)

Aww I'm so proud you did well in your exams!!! I'm moving into my own studio apartment in a couple of weeks for my masters degree so would love to hear any tips/advice you have for living alone, and maybe anything you regret buying or think is essential to have in your own space?

oh my goodness, literally TOMORROW I go back to college after 5 years. Vet Nursing Program!!!

Congrats on your career milestone

Im starting my pre-nursing courses and I honestly feel so lost and like my time was wasted so much with the amount of classes that I took. I graduated my AA in Biology so I don’t know if I do RN to BSN or just straight to BSN. BTW I DO THE SAME THING WITH ON NOTABILITY AND WRITE ON THE POWERPOINTS!!! I feel kind of weird because all of my friends drifted apart, so I have no friends currently. I love watching your videos 💖💖💖💖💖💖

I’m starting my master’s program next month at UO! Very excited but very, very nervous too!

Life Update! I got an internship at L'Oréal Luxe for 12 months (while still studying). I am incredibly happy, I love my job and I can't believe I'm here. Also, it's a paying intership so that means I can pay my own college tuition. And wow, so about the dating part, I'm 20 and never had any kind of romantic situation with anyone, not even a kiss... It's weird because I'm ok with that but also sometimes get anxious about if it gonna happen anytime soon or how because COVID in my country is still pretty bad. But well, I keep working on myself and it will come when it has to come...

Happy for you Girl!🌸🥰

I have OB clinical in 8 weeks and I feel the same as you! I want the experience of the speciality but don't think I want to work in that speciality and just work with the babies!

I'm in Physical Therapy school and I also am very interested in pediatric oncology! seems like an extremely rewarding place to be.

Can you do a video sometime of how you do your notability notes. I also bought the GoodNotes app as well. I have been using that too. Thanks girl! Also, don’t worry about looking or an apartment. Enjoy your parents! This is a blessing. I’m moving in September and girl the rates on apartments is going up. They went up to 1800 on some of them for a 1 bed, 1 bath. The lowest that I found right now is $1500. Yuck and that doesn’t include utilities. When you never hear from me again on your vlog comments …it’s because I’m working non-stop just to pay the rent lol. My best advise is to just let love come to you girl. Especially, because the right one..will be on the same path as you. You will find someone in the field when you get out and work in the hospital. In the mean time, do you and get clear about who and what you want in a partner!

I love the nursing school content!!!

Oh such an interesting video AHHH💕😃

I'm curious if you ever considered med school, PA school, or another healthcare field, and if so what made you land on nursing??

School starts tomorrow, and it’s the first time I’ll be back in a classroom in a year and half. Any advice on transitioning back into in person schooling?

I’m in a accelerated undergrad nursing program which I heard is rare. It’s 16 months

What a small world I’m in Portland, OR too! I am new to your channel and I am starting my nursing school Sept 27th. Watching your videos makes me feel better and eases my anxiety lol but I am doing the OCNE program with Clackamas community college and OHSU so I am trying to prepare for what is ahead. Can we get tips on how you study? How you memorize everything and different ways of studying ? Great resources?

A rough week is passing by..and heading to an end.. I'm going to have a Zoom interview with a team of Overseas trade exhibition headquartered in Seoul and take an 3 hour long written exam this Saturday.. I know it's tough and the weight of my burden, but it's good to see many people are cheering to each other and especially your bright image of showing positivity!🙌 Y'all, Let it pass..!

I just got a new part time job in a nightclub and I love bar work so I’m happy and I can leave my other part time job behind which I do not enjoy, best part of that job was meeting a guy I’m currently dating :)

Hi Kiara! Miss you!

Day in the life!!

I'm going into my 3rd year of education/ philosophy!

Good luck with your lessons, Kiara . Best nurse in the world. 👌👌👌💪💪💪❤️❤️❤️ I hope i will be the computer engineer soon.