Today I'm bringing back one of the most popular episodes from the podcast - how to pass your nursing school exams. Nursing school exams are unlike anything you've ever seen before and learning how to master these tricky tests takes skill.
Feb 23, 2026•22 min
Today I'm bringing back one of the most downloaded episodes from the podcast - 28 supplies you must have to succeed in nursing school. There is so much to do, and remember, and take care of in nursing school, that spending any time dealing with finding the best this or that can leave you completely exhausted. So here's the replay.
Feb 20, 2026•31 min
Episode Replay: Why I Quit Nursing School Jon shares his personal story of leaving nursing school - the toxic culture, institutional failures, and the moment he realized the system was broken. If you're struggling in your program and questioning whether it's you or the environment, this episode validates what you already know: sometimes the problem isn't the student. Originally one of our most downloaded episodes, this replay is a reminder that speaking up about what's broken in nursing educatio...
Feb 05, 2026•26 min
Get your free personalized NCLEX study plan at: NCLEXgenie.com Your advisor looks at you and says it: "Have you considered that maybe nursing isn't for you?" Or the variation: "Not everyone is cut out for this profession." They say it like they're being kind. Like they're doing you a favor. They're not. In this fired-up episode, Jon Haws exposes the most weaponized phrase in nursing education—and teaches you exactly how to fight back. You'll learn: → What "not cut out for nursing" ACTUALLY means...
Feb 02, 2026•8 min
Visit NCLEXgenie.com to create a personalized NCLEX study plan in just 30 seconds: NCLEXgenie.com If you're processing your first patient death right now, or if you're scared about when it's going to happen, we've got resources at NURSING.com that can help. We've got articles on grief processing for nurses, videos on coping with loss, and a community of nursing students who've been exactly where you are. Head to NURSING.com/griefandloss and find the support you need. And if this episode helped y...
Jan 30, 2026•7 min
Get a personalized NCLEX study plan in just 30 seconds at: NCLEXgenie.com I can still remember my first shift. . . I arrived to the Neuro ICU about 5 minutes late, sweating, out of breath, and flustered . . . not to mention nervous, scared out of my mind, and excited! What a way to start my career as a nurse, right? My initial plan was to arrive 30 minutes early, look up my patients, and try to feel prepared for the shift . . . things didn't work out that way and I ended up stuck in traffic for ...
Jan 28, 2026•9 min
We can help if you decide to return or need help making the decision. Visit us at https://NURSING.com You were so close. One semester left. And then you failed. Your whole life plan just collapsed. I'm going to tell you what nobody else will: what actually happens next, how to handle student loans, and whether you should go back or walk away. We'll cover: • What happens to your student loans when you fail out • Your transcript and readmission options • The sunk cost fallacy (and why it's okay to...
Jan 23, 2026•11 min
VISIT NURSING.com for help with communication with preceptors: https://nursing.com Being called stupid by your preceptor isn't "tough love" - it's verbal abuse. In this episode, I break down the exact difference between constructive criticism and verbal abuse so you know when to document and report. We'll cover: • The real difference between tough feedback and abuse • What verbal abuse actually looks like in clinical (eye rolls, public humiliation, constant criticism) • How to document every inc...
Jan 21, 2026•11 min
A Black student mistaken for housekeeping. A disabled student told to "reconsider her career choice." A trans student deliberately misgendered daily. When students report discrimination in nursing school, they're told they're "too sensitive" or "misinterpreting" the situation. Jon breaks down what discrimination actually looks like in nursing education, why it persists in a profession built on hierarchy and conformity, and exactly what to do if you're experiencing it. Includes specific steps for...
Jan 19, 2026•11 min
Get help at: https://nursing.com Episode 3: When Your Instructor Wants You to Fail You're prepared. You know your meds. You practice your skills. You do everything right. And somehow, you're still getting destroyed in evaluations. Your instructor tells you you're "not ready for this." That you're "not cut out for nursing." They find fault with everything you do. And you're starting to believe them. This isn't about having high standards. This is about an instructor who has decided you won't make...
Jan 08, 2026•9 min
The Nursing Brain Sheet That Actually Works (PLUS FREE DOWNLOAD) GET YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD AT: https://nursing.com/cheat-sheet It's 10am on your first clinical day. You've got four pages of notes you can't make sense of, vital signs written on your hand, and you just forgot to chart that your patient went to the bathroom. Meanwhile, that beautiful color-coded brain sheet your instructor gave you? Completely useless. The problem isn't you. It's that academic brain sheets are designed for perfect the...
Jan 07, 2026•8 min
You're doing everything right in clinical, but your preceptor is setting you up to fail. They humiliate you in front of patients, refuse to let you practice skills, then write that you "lack initiative." When you report it, you're told to "build a better relationship" or "be more confident." This isn't about being tough. This is abuse. And it's happening in nursing programs everywhere. In this episode, I'm giving you the exact survival strategy for getting through a toxic preceptorship without t...
Jan 06, 2026•8 min
View the full lesson here: https://academy.nursing.com/lesson/nursing-care-plan-ncp-for-pressure-ulcer-decubitus-ulcer-pressure-injury/?quiz-view=open All right. Let's work through an example Nursing Care Plan for a patient with a pressure ulcer or pressure ulcers, right? Let's look at the hypothetical patient. Let's think just about what we might see on this specific patient regarding the pressure ulcers. So subjective data, if I have a patient with a big wound, whether it's on their sacrum or ...
Oct 10, 2025•12 min
Find the full lesson here: https://academy.nursing.com/lesson/nursing-care-plan-ncp-for-encephalopathy/ This here is the nursing care plan for encephalopathy. So, the pathophysiology. Encephalopathy is a general term for disease of the brain tissue. It's a syndrome of brain dysfunction caused by damage to brain tissue and failure. This damage can be done by atrophy, lack of oxygen, edema, or toxins. So some nursing considerations, there are a few things that we want to consider when taking care ...
Oct 09, 2025•7 min
I was so wrong . . . let me explain. I first created this shirt back in 2019 - at the time I was focused on the word "BEST". As in, "Be Your BEST Self". However, going through 2021 and all the way through 2023 my depression began to grow - immensely. At a few points it absolutely has been debilitating. This is nothing new - I've battled depression, bipolar, and anxiety for many years - but this time - the cloud was much darker. Nursing can be tough. Find hope at NURSING.com ❤️ Happy Nursing! Jon...
Oct 08, 2025•3 min
Find the full lesson here: https://academy.nursing.com/lesson/nursing-care-plan-ncp-for-abdominal-pain/ First, we're going to collect our data. Remember, our data is just our assessment, so subjective from the patient and objective from the nurse. A patient with abdominal pain, that's having symptoms, the subjective data for this patient is likely going to be the pain, maybe they have a decreased appetite, and how about some nausea? Those kinds of things are going to be all their subjective data...
Oct 08, 2025•8 min
Working as a nurse in the ICU, I cared for many patients who are burned into my mind and heart forever. One of those patients was a young mom, in her early 40s with children in their early teens, who had suffered from cancer that had metastasized to her brain. She was incredibly sick, and this cancer was extremely advanced. One night as I cared for her, she was feeling exceptionally sick. Just a couple hours into the shift, I was preparing her for bed. Her family stepped out and went home for th...
Oct 07, 2025•2 min
Them: "How can we help?" Me: "I don't know . . ." The hardest part is I honestly don't know what will help. [many of you know I struggle with depression, anxiety, bipolar, and OCD] This is a conversation I've had countless times over the last year. If only I had some sort of ailment that could be SEEN and FIXED . . . why can't it be a broken arm? A simple cast would "fix" the problem in just a matter of weeks. With mental health, you read the books, you do the checklists, you take the meds, you ...
Oct 06, 2025•6 min
I've been where you are. During my first semester of nursing school, I walked into a room of 25 students who would be my cohort. As I scanned the faces, a chill ran down my spine. "I'm the only lucky one here," I thought. "Everyone else is so much more prepared. I hope no one discovers how dumb I am." This feeling didn't go away after graduation. On my first day as a new grad nurse in the Neuro ICU of a large Trauma I hospital in Dallas, I was sweating, out of breath, and utterly convinced I'd s...
Oct 03, 2025•6 min
The power of four simple words - "You CAN do this" - transformed one nursing student's life from the depths of despair to professional success. This remarkable story of resilience and hope centers on Heather, whose journey illustrates the devastating impact of self-doubt and the life-changing effect of support in healthcare education. Her experience resonates deeply with countless nursing students who face similar struggles, making it a powerful testament to the importance of community and perse...
Oct 02, 2025•5 min
I still remember the night before my first pharmacology exam. 3 AM. Energy drinks scattered across my desk. Hundreds of flashcards in disorganized piles. My eyes burning from staring at tiny drug names for hours. And the worst part? I knew nothing was sticking. Beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, ACE inhibitors, ARBs—the names swirled together in my mind like alphabet soup. The side effects lists seemed endless. The contraindications felt arbitrary. How was I supposed to memorize this much ...
Oct 01, 2025•8 min
Struggling to stay on track in nursing school or NCLEX prep? This is the plan 300,000+ students have used to pass — with daily structure, Flash Notes™, SIMCLEX®, and a 200% guarantee. 👉 https://nursing.com/ You show up ready to learn. But your preceptor barely looks at you—or worse, tears you down. What do you do when the one person meant to guide you just… won't? In this episode, we talk about what it really feels like to be stuck with a toxic preceptor—and how to protect your confidence, your...
Apr 28, 2025•13 min
Struggling to stay on track in nursing school or NCLEX prep? This is the plan 300,000+ students have used to pass — with daily structure, Flash Notes™, SIMCLEX®, and a 200% guarantee. 👉 https://nursing.com/ I almost walked away from nursing school. Not because I wasn't cut out for it. Not because I couldn't handle the material. But because I believed the soul-crushing lies that nearly broke me – the same lies that might be breaking you right now. In this raw, unfiltered episode, I share my pers...
Apr 21, 2025•18 min
Struggling to stay on track in nursing school or NCLEX prep? This is the plan 300,000+ students have used to pass — with daily structure, Flash Notes™, SIMCLEX®, and a 200% guarantee. 👉 https://nursing.com/ Visit NURSING.com/different for exclusive resources designed specifically for nurses with learning differences. In this deeply personal episode, Jon Haws, RN and founder of NURSING.com, shares his never-before-told story of withdrawing from nursing school due to crippling anxiety—and how tha...
Apr 10, 2025•23 min
Struggling to stay on track in nursing school or NCLEX prep? This is the plan 300,000+ students have used to pass — with daily structure, Flash Notes™, SIMCLEX®, and a 200% guarantee. 👉 https://nursing.com/ SOCK method quiz/cheatsheets/resources at: https://nursing.com/sock In this raw and revealing episode, Jon Haws, RN, shares his personal journey from pharmacology nightmare to nursing confidence. With vulnerability and humor, Jon recounts his 3 AM study sessions surrounded by scattered flash...
Apr 02, 2025•27 min
Struggling to stay on track in nursing school or NCLEX prep? This is the plan 300,000+ students have used to pass — with daily structure, Flash Notes™, SIMCLEX®, and a 200% guarantee. 👉 https://nursing.com/ See if you might have imposter syndrome: https://nursing.com/imposter In this deeply personal episode, Jon Haws, RN and founder of NURSING.com, opens up about the universal yet rarely discussed feeling of inadequacy that plagues nursing students everywhere. Drawing from his own journey from ...
Mar 24, 2025•22 min
Is nursing still worth it, or is burnout making it impossible to stay in the profession? In this episode, Jon Haws, RN, gets real about the struggles nurses face, sharing his own story of quitting nursing school just 10 weeks before graduation. He breaks down the shocking statistics behind nursing burnout, why it might actually be PTSD, and the hard lessons he learned from hitting rock bottom. But here's the truth—nursing can still be one of the most rewarding careers IF you take care of yoursel...
Mar 17, 2025•16 min
In this episode, I take you behind the scenes of my unexpected path—from stepping up as a charge nurse to creating a community of thousands of nursing students and professionals. I share how I started by posting my own notes and podcast episodes, only to realize how deeply my story resonated with others struggling through nursing school. You'll hear how NRSNG rapidly grew, why I left my job in the NEURO ICU, and how I hired a passionate team to meet the skyrocketing demand for our resources. I a...
Feb 17, 2025•9 min
In today's episode, I'm taking you through a pivotal part of my nursing journey—from my early days in the Neuro ICU to precepting students, becoming a charge nurse, and the moment I realized nursing education was broken. This realization is what fueled me to start NURSING.com (formerly NRSNG). I wanted to fill the gaps I saw in nursing education and give you the tools I never had. I share my struggles with imposter syndrome, the pressure of caring for patients, and why never feeling fully ready ...
Feb 13, 2025•13 min
Welcome to The Nursing Podcast , where we dive deep into the real-life experiences of being a nurse. I'm Jon Haws, RN, founder of Nursing.com, and today, we continue my journey—picking up from landing my first ICU job. In this episode, I share the raw realities of my 13-week neuro ICU internship at a Level 1 trauma hospital, from my first nerve-wracking shift to the heartbreaking cases that shaped my career. I reflect on the profound impact nurses have, including a moment I'll never forget—when ...
Jan 31, 2025•11 min