Tips on how to study throughout nursing school?

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Hey All!

I am finishing up my pre reqs and start my ADN program in June. I've done excellent with my pre reqs since they were online courses and open book. I know that nursing school is WAY different and before online classes, I was never a good student. I need help on how to study efficiently. What do you do to study to the best of your abilities? What is your technique? DO you tape record and play back on your way home? do you re write your notes? Flash cards? Study before bed? I need to find a routine to help me retain all the info I can. Any tips will help big time! Thank you!!

Background note - mom of 3 kids under the age of 4, plan on leaving my job to go to school full time. Just to keep in mind that I do have other responsibilities to attend to so studying for 6 hours straight wouldn't work best in my scenario.

THanks in advance to anyone who will put their 2 cents in ;)

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Specializes in Cardiac, ER, Pediatrics, Corrections.

Hello!! :) Congrats on getting into the program! I have 2 weeks left of my BSN program and boy am I excited. How I study is reading the chapter. For example with Med Surg..I type my notes. I make headers of a disease or illness. I make bullets of 1.) patho. 2.) manifestations. 3.) treatments/meds 4.) nursing considerations. This helps me break things down. Just pull the important stuff because books are a lot of extra "fluff." It's a good idea to review your notes or powerpoints everyday. The day before an exam, I set aside about 4 hours to solely focus on the test material. I always do a last minute review the morning of a test. evolve also has great resources for your textbooks, like mini-tests and note taking guides.

HOPE THIS HELPS! :)

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Specializes in Cardiac, ER, Pediatrics, Corrections.

But with kids, the four hours does not have to be consecutive!! ;) I know they are time consuming little cutie pies!

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Specializes in Cardiac, ER, Pediatrics, Corrections.

Also, remember ABC's when test taking. Priority is something I wish I'd learned sooner.

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Laura, you were so helpful.. thank you! Yes, I agree, I think if I take down notes, type it up and review it, it will allow me to remember it more. More times viewing it! Thanks sooo much!!!

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bump!!

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Specializes in ER.

Try to study at school if possible and set aside at least one hour a day. Study in the library with your book and read the book then create outlines of the chapters after you have read them. Then see if there are outlines available such as powerpoints and read through those. Practice NCLEX style questions as a lot of people struggle with those. I would consider getting a comprehensive study guide to read along with whatever you are studying.

Since you have children, studying at school for a minimum of one hour a day may benefit you more than trying to study at home. Do it in the library and nowhere near a computer. This way you will study and not go do something like laundry or play with your kids. You may feel like you may neglect your children a bit, but keep in mind that you will provide them with a better life if you can complete nursing school.

Tape lectures only if school is okay with it. Then replay them as you drive to work.

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Specializes in Hospice.

My school records the lectures and I have yet to listen to one. But I don't miss class either. They tried this new thing this semester where they post a taped narrated power point that we sometimes had to watch before lecture, called "flipping the classroom". Not my favorite thing. To study I hand write the power points, and do literally thousands of the practice quiz questions with the software code that came with our medsurg book.

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bump!

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Really concentrate on the nursing interventions. I'm not saying that you shouldn't know the patho stuff, but knowing how to act on things in a nursing way was the hardest thing for me to adapt to.

Also, I highly recommend doing as many NCLEX questions with rationales as possible. Pay special attention to how to take a nursing test, how to frame the question and identify relevant parts of the stem, how to eliminate answers. There are a couple of NCLEX prep books out there you can choose from, so pick on and use it as well.

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These are great tips! I think my problem is knowing what is important and what's not. I mean, when I read I think it all is important. Any advice on that? The Med Surg advice is awesome! I will be taking that next.

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