The Peel — Week 11

This summer isn’t just a test of endurance - it’s a chance to be strategic. With clinicals, coursework, NCLEX prep, and everything in between, it’s easy to slip into autopilot. But progress isn’t just about doing more. It’s about doing what actually moves you forward.

This week, we’re shifting the focus from survival to sustainability. Instead of grinding harder, we’re asking smarter questions:
→ Where is my time best spent?
→ What helps me feel capable - not just busy?
→ How can I build experience in a way that supports my future, not drains my present?

If you’re ready to work smarter, not harder - we’ve got you. These roles are designed to fit your schedule and build real-world clinical skills without adding to the chaos.

NCLEX Preparation

Question of the Week 📚

Code Blue, Plot Twist

Scholarship Spotlight 💸

If you’re looking to fund your next steps without losing focus, two scholarship opportunities stand out this week:

The AACN² Pathway to Critical Care Nursing Scholarship offers $2,500 to pre-licensure BSN students at AACN-member schools who are within 6–12 months of graduation and have a minimum 3.2 GPA. If you're thinking about high-acuity or ICU settings, this one’s worth your time. Applications are due September 1, 2025.

Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson’s Nursing Scholarship Finder helps you search a wide range of national and state-specific funding options for ADN, BSN, and MSN students. Awards range from $1,000 to $10,000, and many support specific specialties, communities, or service commitments. You can browse by state, degree level, or deadline to find the ones that fit you best.

Weekly Motivation ☀️

We hear it all the time—“You can’t pour from an empty cup.” But in nursing school, when you're juggling clinicals, class, work, and personal life, the advice often feels vague or unrealistic. What does it actually mean to fill your cup when you're in the middle of a 12-hour clinical, two deadlines, and three group chat emergencies?

It doesn’t mean dropping everything for a full reset (though that’s great if you can). Sometimes, filling your cup means choosing the smallest possible thing that brings you back to yourself—even for a few minutes.

Here are a few real-world examples that count:

• Writing in a journal—not a perfect page, just one honest sentence

• Stepping outside for two minutes of air, even in scrubs

• Drawing something silly or playing a low-stakes game

• Going for a walk without your phone or study guide

• Making music or art that nobody will grade or post

• Breathing intentionally while waiting for your food to heat up

• Doing nothing on purpose—and not apologizing for it

If it makes you feel human again, it’s worth doing.

And maybe most importantly: You don’t have to wait until you’re fully depleted to start. Preventive rest is powerful. You deserve moments that are yours, not just recovery in between output.

Freshly Squeezed Jokes 🍊

One Last Thing 💡

This part of the summer doesn’t need to be a sprint. It can be a recalibration. A quieter kind of progress. The kind where you stop reacting and start choosing - where effort becomes more focused, not just more frequent. Recharging isn’t about stepping back from your goals. It’s how you stay connected to them.
It’s how you move forward with clarity, not just momentum.

So if you’re slowing down, simplifying, or doing less on purpose - that’s not falling behind. That’s strategy. And it counts.

—
The Grapefruit Health Team