How many study hours per night (do you average?)

Cilantrophobe · Jan 19, 2009

I don't study daily. I go over my lecture notes for an hour or so the night before a test. I've never done the assigned reading. In lecture, they pick out the 'big stuff' & I make notes on anything they seem to put a big emphasis on.
As soon as I have a paper due, I sit right down and do it immediately. You never know what might come up later, so it's best to do it while you've got the time. I do my careplans the minute I get home from clinicals while the day is still fresh in my head.
Pre-reqs was a totally different story, however. Pre-req grades determined who'd get in to the program & who would'nt. For those classes, I did a lot of reading & studying everyday.
Once I was in the program, though, it felt like a vacation. I've got time on my hands now to do whatever I want. Kinda nice, because I know once I finish school & go back to work it'll be awhile before I get a vacation again.

You are not the first person I have heard say these kinds of things. Some things come very naturally to certain people. Good for you that you are one of them. School comes very natural to me so I hope to feel the way you do during nursing school. However, I always do the reading and homework assignments. I also do my papers as soon as they are given to me, that way I have tons of time to go back over them and perfect them.

NSALVADORE · Jan 19, 2009

I study daily, 3 ish a day and more on weekends! I read prior to the lecture, take notes during lecture, highlight in my book. Then I always write out definitions and write out the class objectives and "answer them" . I write out charts and note cards to take to the gym with me too!!

Good luck!

NurseOhLa · Jan 19, 2009

I am reading through all your study suggestion posts and I just cannot BELIEVE how much you guys get to study!! I just began a BSN program, and I am stressed out already. We don't have much due until mid-February, but I'm already stressing about these sample questions I've been finding and all this A&P stuff I completely forgot about for Pathophysiology.

I remember there was a great thread somewhere where one person outlined exactly how she/he studied successfully. I thought I had it saved, but I guess not.

I'm having trouble finding time to study with a 17 month old, very needy boy. Studying while he's awake is out of the question, so basically I have naptime and after his bedtime. By the time he goes to bed though, I'm so pooped that it's all I can do not to fall asleep, also. I think I'd benefit from posting this as an individual thread, so I might do so.

Do any mommies have any suggestions for me? How do you fit everything in with little ones craving perpetual attention? I never had this issue with pre-reqs...I got mostly all As in those. I guess I'm just so much more nervous b/c nursing school is a lot stricter regarding grading policies, such as getting kicked out if you get under a 75.

Nellifuturenurse2010 · Jan 19, 2009

My study plan is quite simple.

We have some students who record lectures and email the recordings to the rest of the class (we're all a team).

But on my own I do use the objectives to outline my notes for that particular lecture. I then type them up. (When we buy our books from the school they come with a cd with every book on it, so when I am reading instead of writing EVERYTHING by hand, I just copy portions from the cd and paste it in Word). This also comes in handy when you don't want to bring your books to school, you can just have them on your laptop. It also helps with research.

But I would say I study about 4 hours total a week. I don't study every day because I find that I need to do it in moderation or I will go crazy, lol. We usually have tests about 4 weeks apart in our theory courses, but lab is usually months apart so we have a nice amount of time to get notes together and understand the material. I am also a procrastinator and I am working on that! Kudos to those of you who can jump right on something right after a full day of class, thats where I want to be!

Kevin RN08 · Jan 19, 2009

I typically spend +/- 2 hours M-F doing "school stuff" pre-skimming, and re-reading post lecture, reviewing & cleaning up my notes on school days, short care plan/meds/patho before clinical. Then one weekend day to pull it all together, do NCLEX questions and additional studying if needed, Long careplan, etc. The other day (normally Sunday) is my day; family, football, TV and things not nursing are where my consentration is.

9livesRN, BSN, RN · Jan 20, 2009

1 hour before lecture, and sunday-thursday at work 8 hours, but are interrupted though by work issues and so on!

AZMOMO2 · Jan 20, 2009

Ok, everyone does their readings for at least an hour or more per day, but my question is, after reading page after page and chapter after chapter (sometimes up to 500 pages per week, I'm told) how do you retain it all in order to apply it to the exams? I start my very first nursing class on Sunday and I'm so nervous, I don't know what to do with myself:hpygrp:Is there something you guys do such as take notes from your readings, tape lectures, etc?

I tape the lectures, then transcribe them into written notes. Re-Listening and writing helps the info to sink in. I read and outline the chapters at the same time. (I just found out that we can download our textbooks on to our computers and there are many great features on there to get very good notes, and save the hand from writer's cramp. ) I then go through the notes I took while reading and outlining and highlight the aspects of them she goes over in lecture. I figure if its important enough for her to talk about in lecture, it'll def be on the test too. So far that has worked well. Of course with that being said I spent about 4-6 hours each day this weekend going over the 10 chapters that were assigned for us to read and review before tomorrows class. Since we get a ton of pop quizzes, this is a MUST.

Equinox_93 · Jan 20, 2009

I'm having trouble finding time to study with a 17 month old, very needy boy. Studying while he's awake is out of the question, so basically I have naptime and after his bedtime. By the time he goes to bed though, I'm so pooped that it's all I can do not to fall asleep, also. ......Do any mommies have any suggestions for me? How do you fit everything in with little ones craving perpetual attention?

Have someone else watch him while you go out to a cafe with a laptop or just your books/notebooks and study. Treat yourself to a coffee, bring along some soothing music on an ipod and get to work :)

STL2008, RN · Jan 20, 2009

I tape the lectures, then transcribe them into written notes. Re-Listening and writing helps the info to sink in. I read and outline the chapters at the same time. (I just found out that we can download our textbooks on to our computers and there are many great features on there to get very good notes, and save the hand from writer's cramp. ) I then go through the notes I took while reading and outlining and highlight the aspects of them she goes over in lecture. I figure if its important enough for her to talk about in lecture, it'll def be on the test too. So far that has worked well. Of course with that being said I spent about 4-6 hours each day this weekend going over the 10 chapters that were assigned for us to read and review before tomorrows class. Since we get a ton of pop quizzes, this is a MUST.

What textbook are you using that you can download onto your computer? Im using Perry and Potter 7th edition Nursing Fundamentals and was wondering if that could be downloaded to the computer also.

Skeletor · Jan 20, 2009

If you are fortunate enough to treat studying as you would a part of a typical workday, you'll not be overwhelmed as much.

Make a weekly calendar with each day beginning with the hour you'll wake up and begin your "workday." End it with the hour you will end your "workday."

It's like the old dilemma of how do you deal with family/friends who don't understand why you are always studying when they "need you." Just say "I'm working from 0800-1600. I'll be home from work then and we can catch up etc."

Good luck everyone...

CardioNRS~DAWN · Jan 20, 2009

For me it's 4-5 hours a day. I spend four hours reviewing theory and the other hour going over my skills for the week.

Kevin RN08 · Jan 20, 2009

If you are fortunate enough to treat studying as you would a part of a typical workday, you'll not be overwhelmed as much.
Make a weekly calendar with each day beginning with the hour you'll wake up and begin your "workday." End it with the hour you will end your "workday."
It's like the old dilemma of how do you deal with family/friends who don't understand why you are always studying when they "need you." Just say "I'm working from 0800-1600. I'll be home from work then and we can catch up etc."
Good luck everyone...

While I can appreciate this idea, it doesn't work for all and none of these answers/suggestions are "one size fits all". You have to find an approach that works for you individually.

The problem with this approach (for me) is/was 40-50 hours of studying is too much, it creates a tendency to over study, concentrate on information that's not on the syllabus, suffer information overload, and subsequent angst during testing.

IMO, the key to NS is attendance (physically and mentally) and sticking to the syllabus. Along with using Saunders or another NCLEX review book/CD, especially the rationales (even if you got the question correct). Last and certainly not least: RELAX!, look around at clinical (maybe even your instructors) there are some very good nurses that are not the sharpest knife in the set.

Other things that work for me, I try to not do any heavy studying the day before and definitely not the morning of a test. If that means I trade my "day off" from Sunday to Tuesday for a Wednesday test so be it. I may do a light review of questions that come to mind or known problem areas throughout the day, or maybe memorization stuff (values in Hematology). The day of the test I leave my books in my bag and go about my normal routine (except for no coffee/caffiene one hour before class), get to school 15-20 minutes before class read my "test taking strategies" in the parking lot, listen to calm music, and walk in at 0859 for a 0900 class take my seat and close my eyes and ears until the test is on my desk.