Any study tips for an upcoming 2012 nursing student?

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I am an upcoming nursing student that just got accepted into the full time R.N. program for spring 2012. I'm super excited but nervous at the same time.

I have heard that nursing school is difficult so I want to make sure that I'm as prepared as possible. I finished all of my pre-reqs about 3 years ago, so naturally, I have forgotten a lot of the content. For the core nursing classes, will I need to brush up on my Anatomy & Physiology, Chemistry, Microbiology, etc? Also, would it be a good idea to study medical terms as well? Any feedback will be much appreciated.

None of my prereqs are at all recent, and honestly I do better with that sort of thing than anyone else in my class who just had them. It's really up to you. I personally wouldn't do anything extra. You'll have enough silly assignments (yes, actually ridiculous assignments) in nursing school that will suck the life and enthusiasm from your being. At this point, I don't even open the nursing text books anymore. But it wouldn't hurt you to bone up either! Good luck.

My study tactics have definitely veered towards a different direction after reading all of these posts. lol Thanks!

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Specializes in Emergency/Critical Care.

Firstly, congrats on your acceptance into nursing school! I recommend that you try and get your hands on a syllabus from someone who has recently completed the first semester of your program if at all possible. This can be a good way to get an idea of what you're up against, as NS will be unlike any class you've taken thus far. Also try and familiarize yourself with certain "basic" concepts that will be drilled into your head during the first semester, such as the "nursing process". This will put you a little bit ahead of the game without adding the unnecessary pressure of pre-studying. Recalling certain info from your science pre-reqs can definetely be helpful, but it is not necessarily vital going into your first semester. The only other advice I have would be to relax and prepare yourself mentally, physically and emotionally for one of the most difficult things you will likely ever do academically. Best wishes and good luck to you!!

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I agree with some of the previous posts about studying NCLEX questions. I purchased several aps for my phone. This allowed me to review questions anytime I had a few free minutes - like when waiting in line at the grocery store. You can also select questions applying to your current studies. Of all the study habits I utilized other than reading the texts, reviewing NCLEX questions was the most helpful.

I found Mosby's to be the most helpful.

Good luck

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Take a medical terminology class or get a medical terminology workbook. Medical terminology is invaluable since you can figure out what any medical term means by knowing the root word, the prefix and suffix. It's a necessity in nursing and I don't know why schools don't make it mandatory. And remember this: nursing school is a lot of jumping through hoops. I took one week at a time. Don't worry too much about upcoming assignments till the one that's due this week is done.

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Thanks for all who replied to this thread!!! I'm a 41 year old student finishing my pre-req's and I am SCARED to death of the difficulty in nursing school. i've heard sooooooo many horror stories. I wonder if I have the stamina & mental dedication to succeed. The tips provided here help ease my fears just a bit...good luck to all!

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Much thanks and gratitude to all of you who have posted and continue to post. Kudos to allnurses.com for giving all of us a place to come together and support one another. :yeah:

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Specializes in Labor & Delivery.

JenniferWilson74 nailed it well! My BSN program spent a lot on the heart so A&P of the heart and circulatory system is a big one.

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I am starting my last semester in Nursing school and here is what I do. I have a room dedicated to me. It consists of a lazyboy recliner and a sturdy table adjacent to it. I have a 18" 2*4 bolted to the corner that swings in or out at the distal end I have attached a 19" monitor. I have 2 lights behind me, and shelves beside me. As I type this response I am sittin quite comfortably in my recliner with my monitor directly in front of me.

I have the bulk of my books for class downloaded on my PC. I have several Nclex CD's downloaded on my PC, and naturally I have high speed internet.

When I study I will have several windows open, my book, Nclex CD questions[saunders], and my browser for googling words or terms or whatever it might be I do not know.It works for me.

The downside is staying in a chair for so long, sometimes I fall asleep in this chair. Everyday whether I like it or not, I walk 20 minutes down the road at a fast pace and back. I carry a revolver when I do as sometimes I can harvest a deer or dispatch a coyote.44 mag,7.5" barrel.But that's me, I have been carrying before it became legal and I have been hunting a lot longer than that.

The only other thing I can suggest is maintaining what appears to be a good attitude and make friends with someone who is smart and become partners and look out for one another. Never forget that all you want to do is pass the class and move on. Good luck.

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Most of these replies hit on some of the important stuff like scheduling your time wisely, brushing up on certain study topics like anatomy etc,

but --

They're leaving out one huge study tip.

How about - take regular breaks! I'm serious. After about an hour of intense study you're not retaining any thing. Even on a decent caffeine buzz. Take a break every 45 minutes, even if it's for 10 minutes to go walk around out side. I've always found that fresh air for a couple of minutes beats sitting on the couch for 25.

I've read a bunch of stuff about effective study from sites like tipsfortesting.com and others. Check 'em out, theres good stuff out there.

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I am starting my last semester in Nursing school and here is what I do. I have a room dedicated to me. It consists of a lazyboy recliner and a sturdy table adjacent to it. I have a 18" 2*4 bolted to the corner that swings in or out at the distal end I have attached a 19" monitor. I have 2 lights behind me, and shelves beside me. As I type this response I am sittin quite comfortably in my recliner with my monitor directly in front of me.

I have the bulk of my books for class downloaded on my PC. I have several Nclex CD's downloaded on my PC, and naturally I have high speed internet.

When I study I will have several windows open, my book, Nclex CD questions[saunders], and my browser for googling words or terms or whatever it might be I do not know.It works for me.

The downside is staying in a chair for so long, sometimes I fall asleep in this chair. Everyday whether I like it or not, I walk 20 minutes down the road at a fast pace and back. I carry a revolver when I do as sometimes I can harvest a deer or dispatch a coyote.44 mag,7.5" barrel.But that's me, I have been carrying before it became legal and I have been hunting a lot longer than that.

The only other thing I can suggest is maintaining what appears to be a good attitude and make friends with someone who is smart and become partners and look out for one another. Never forget that all you want to do is pass the class and move on. Good luck.

How many hours a day do you put into studying? I'm expecting it to consume my entire life until I'm done. If that is the case, I'm prepared to do what it takes. I just want to get an idea of what I'm in for.

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I am a first-semester nursing student and will turn 43 next week (so I'm older than whoever was concerned about being 41). There is so much info that you could study all day, every day and still not know everything in order to make an A on a test. By the time the test is over, you're just happy to have passed (and you sometimes don't). I spend 6 to 7 days/week studying (occasionally take a whole day off), and there are tests that I've barely passed. Passing is 75% for us. I read my textbooks, though sometimes there's so much I have to force myself to skim. There are some in my class who I know do not read the book, do not study every day, and I think they're barely passing, if at all. Some are comfortable with not worrying about reading everything and trying their luck on the multiple-choice NCLEX-style tests which have more than one good answer and believing that in the end they will pass the class; others, like me, want to ensure they're doing everything they can to at least pass the test. I have 3 kids (18, 13, 9), and I pretty much am in class, studying, cooking dinner (which does not get done every day) or doing laundry. House is a mess; kids don't get a lot of my attention, although I am trying to make sure I give them at least a few minutes of "face time" most days and at least a few hours of quality time on the weekend. (They're not complaining; it's the mother's guilt thing.) But I'm still glad I'm here and hopeful that I will love this job when I'm done with school and become an RN.

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.
How many hours a day do you put into studying? I'm expecting it to consume my entire life until I'm done. If that is the case, I'm prepared to do what it takes. I just want to get an idea of what I'm in for.

I'm sure everyone is different but I don't let school consume my life by any means. It tries sometimes lol. I still have time for other things and I never study nights after I've been at the hospital for 10 hours. I study an hour or two probably 4-5 days a week give or take. I mean theres weeks where its far less and right now its been pretty busy and will continue to until it ends in a few weeks. Nursing school is a lot of work but you get used to it and you learn to how to complete faster and better as you go.

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