Beginning nursing school!

I'm getting excited to begin my first week of nursing school, that is, until I took a look at a nursing skills manual that we'll be using. I thought NAR training was tough ... 24 skills to learn within a couple months, now I see there are 72 we'll have to have down to graduate (granted, many are repeats of NAR training).

Learning practical skills is something that doesn't come easy for me; I'd much rather study from a book and take a test, write a paper, or turn in some other written assignment.

I'd be interested to hear how the first few months and year of nursing school went or is going for others. What are your tips for getting good grades and studying effectively? I hope to complete the BSN after getting the AS degree, so grades will matter. If I dare, I'd like to think the DNP lurks somewhere in my future!

Any tips on finding well-paying NAR jobs while attending school? I'm checking into per diem work, but ideally, I'd like to get part-time work in entry-level informatics, the kind of full-time job I'd eventually like to have.

Feel free to weigh in on your experiences, tips, and general comments!