Are study groups necessary to help me succeed in nursing program?

PurpleLover · May 5, 2014

I have not used one.

springchick1, ADN, RN · May 5, 2014

I study better in a group. It's just me and 2 other people and we stay in topic. If one of us era f track, another one will say something to get us back on. My grades are the best when I study with my group.

vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN · May 5, 2014

Having study buddies has always helped me. In nursing school specifically, we helped eachother by reminding eachother of last minute changes---which were rampant in my program.

Plus, some friends understand certain things better than I do.. Especially complicated concepts such as PR/INR levels and PTT and their antidotes.

It was also beneficial for me to have a study buddy with the same schedule as mine because we would meet at specific times to go over material. I recall one lady and I both had a gap in our schedule at the same tine and we'd meet in the library to study during that time.

For me, nursing school wasn't a solo sport, lol! Im a good student, but I wouldn't have made it without the moral and practical support of the friends I made in nursing school!

When it cane time to take the NCLEX, we passed tips along to each other.

When we started working, we still helped eachother navigate the world of being a new nurse. I can call my friends and ask questions about how they manage their patient load, or we teach eachother about the things not covered in nursing school.

SilleLu · May 5, 2014

I'd say it's a try it and see situation, many students need them, I personally find them distracting and not helpful. However, don't discount the need to have some people in class you can count on, so if that means going to a few study groups even if you don't find them helpful, it may be worth it anyway.

AmyRN303, BSN, RN · May 5, 2014

I study best alone, but as PP said, it's always good to have a few friends rowing the same boat. We may not have studied together, but I made a few close friends in my program with whom I still chat several times a week. We had a lot in common and it was always a comfort to have my girls (and guy) to talk through things with.

Lola Lou, BSN · May 5, 2014

I found small study groups of 2 or 3 people to be very helpful for courses that I thought were challenging, such as microbiology and pharmacology. I would study all material and make myself as familiar with it as possible before each study group session. I would prepare questions on the topics that were still unclear to me. At the study group I could explain the topics that I understood to help the other group members and in return they would explain their understanding of information to me. Bouncing ideas off of other people allowed me to see how they processed the information. It is a great way to get a different perspective when all the words in a textbook just seem to run together. The trick with study groups is that the people participating need to be focused and prepared before the group meeting. That is why I highly suggest keeping the groups small.

Mewsin · May 5, 2014

No. I like texts when we're studying. We will quiz each other via text. There are 12 in my class and we don't have a study group.

RubberDuckieLove · May 5, 2014

Nope. I don't participate in study groups and my grades are very good. It all depends on the way you learn best!

mharzi · May 8, 2014

Thank you all for your response. :) :up:

ocjulia · May 9, 2014

I'm in my final semester of nursing school and I don't attend study groups. The ones I have attended turned more into a social group than anything, and I just didn't feel like I was learning anything. Or they were super-competetive and just made me uncomfortable. Occasionally, I've gotten together with one other student and we've answered NCLEX style questions (relevant to the material) together. I'm kind of an introvert, though.

If your grades are good and you're happy with your grades, I don't see a problem with studying on your own.

Isis Phoenix · May 9, 2014

Everybody has different learning styles, but definitely group study can enhance learning as each person contributes some aspect of the subject, or topic that others may overlook.

SENSUALBLISSINFL, BSN, RN · May 14, 2014

I second what Vintagemother stated. Just make the group VERY small and make sure their schedules link with yours. One student and I had the exam same schedule, we would meet at Barnes & Nobles every Sunday, have coffee and study our tooshies off. We would meet in school in one of the hallways and do our 30 minutes crash sessions.

A group enhances learning, if one gets it and you do not, you have someone to explain it to you or vice versa. Someone can miss something in class and one clarifies it. A group does not hurt, as long as it is kept small, it ensures that it is kept on task.

It has been my experience that those (just stating what I found), that study alone, find their way prior to test day to approach one of the study groups and ask to sit in the group, this can be distracting to the group as the student will often stop the flow to ask a question when the group already has it packed down and has moved on to the next topic that needs to studied. Even if they do not, they are by de facto joining a group.

I am sure some find it better studying alone, but I found at least in my group, we would cheer each other, help each other throughout the program and boards. We would also console one another when we may have not gotten the grade we studied so hard for. The camaderie you develop with these selected few students is not the same shared by the whole class, so it has its benefits.

Now that I am in my BSN, I have paired up with two other students, and we proof read each other's papers, we help each other come up with topics if we are stuck, etc. I have found it great.

Wishing you much success in nursing school.

Having study buddies has always helped me. In nursing school specifically, we helped eachother by reminding eachother of last minute changes---which were rampant in my program.
Plus, some friends understand certain things better than I do.. Especially complicated concepts such as PR/INR levels and PTT and their antidotes.
It was also beneficial for me to have a study buddy with the same schedule as mine because we would meet at specific times to go over material. I recall one lady and I both had a gap in our schedule at the same tine and we'd meet in the library to study during that time.
For me, nursing school wasn't a solo sport, lol! Im a good student, but I wouldn't have made it without the moral and practical support of the friends I made in nursing school!
When it cane time to take the NCLEX, we passed tips along to each other.
When we started working, we still helped eachother navigate the world of being a new nurse. I can call my friends and ask questions about how they manage their patient load, or we teach eachother about the things not covered in nursing school.