Any advice on how to study for NURSING SCHOOL???

Nursing Students General Students

Published

Hello, I am currently in my third year of nursing school. I am taking med-surg I and pediatrics. I have midterms coming up shortly and I have not been doing well in class. I find that I am trying so hard to memorize symptoms and definitions that I end up forgetting after each test anyways. I just feel so overwhelmed.... I am the first person in my family to go to college so it's hard to get advice, and I don't know any nurses. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on how to study for exams? Thank you

Signed,

Discouraged Nursing Student

Specializes in Cardiac ICU.

Thanks for the post! I love seeing all of the creative ideas and study strategies...!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hi OP congrats on making it so far. What I recommend is finding out what technique works for you. I am in my second semester and was struggling for the first half but now things are much much better because I found out what works best for me. I do not take notes in class or record lectures at all (unless instructor specifically says it will be on the exam) because I can never find the time to read and listen to them or even retain the info. I just simply pull up the power point and open up my book. The power point serves as a map to how I read the information in the book. I find every key point on the power point in the book and read around it while highlighting. Later on I try to recall the information I read. I usually recall until every key point is understood not memorized just understood. If something isn't popping back up in my head I just go back and try to reread in the book; by then it's already highlighted anyways. I do however strictly write my diagnostic procedures with indications, medications and diet recommendations on flashcard to study later. I also take pictures of boxes, charts and figures in the book and study those in detail right before bed (the brain retains it better this way) .And I recall it as soon as I wake up, while I shower or make breakfast. I have a question bank modeled on the books we are using so I do those the day before exam and literally cover every single chapter and read all rationals. Doing this has helped my grades just shoot up like a rocket. I am much more interested in the material and overall positive about school. It's better to do what works for you even if it's not the norm like taking notes during lecture. Hope this helps you out.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks for all the good ideas everyone! 😊

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Hi OP congrats on making it so far. What I recommend is finding out what technique works for you. I am in my second semester and was struggling for the first half but now things are much much better because I found out what works best for me. I do not take notes in class or record lectures at all (unless instructor specifically says it will be on the exam) because I can never find the time to read and listen to them or even retain the info. I just simply pull up the power point and open up my book. The power point serves as a map to how I read the information in the book. I find every key point on the power point in the book and read around it while highlighting. Later on I try to recall the information I read. I usually recall until every key point is understood not memorized just understood. If something isn't popping back up in my head I just go back and try to reread in the book; by then it's already highlighted anyways. I do however strictly write my diagnostic procedures with indications, medications and diet recommendations on flashcard to study later. I also take pictures of boxes, charts and figures in the book and study those in detail right before bed (the brain retains it better this way) .And I recall it as soon as I wake up, while I shower or make breakfast. I have a question bank modeled on the books we are using so I do those the day before exam and literally cover every single chapter and read all rationals. Doing this has helped my grades just shoot up like a rocket. I am much more interested in the material and overall positive about school. It's better to do what works for you even if it's not the norm like taking notes during lecture. Hope this helps you out.

Thank you! I appreciate it. Some days are harder than others, but I am still passionate about becoming a nurse. I will definitely utilize your strategies for the next test I study for! Thanks again :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psychiatry.

Try taking practice questions. I recommend lippincott Q & A, and saunders nclex review. The answers usually have a rationale. Read the rationales whether or not you go the question right because you may have guessed.

I have a hard time knowing what to focus on when studying because everything looks important.

Here's what I recommend though: Know what the nurse does for each disease process.

For example, in a patient with respiratory difficulties, you should know that the patient should not lay supine because it impairs ventilation so raise the head of the bed 30-40 degrees. It's not enough to memorize patho. Most interventions are pretty much the same so you can make a chart and compare and contrast and single out the differences in each disease process.

DO NOT MEMORIZE definitions because you won't get tested on that primarily; make room for interventions, not definitions.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

OP keep us updated on how these tips were useful. Which ones worked for you and which ones didn't. How are you doing with exams and understanding of the material?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
OP keep us updated on how these tips were useful. Which ones worked for you and which ones didn't. How are you doing with exams and understanding of the material?

Thank you, I appreciate it! I did not do too well on my midterm exam but it seems like everyone in my class struggled. So my professor set up a face to face meeting with us next week to discuss the results. But I have been utilizing everyone's tips. I will see how my next exam goes! :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment