Be honest - do you do all your required reading?

[klone]

It seems like our lectures are just sort of repeats/recaps of what we were supposed to read. Between lecture and skills lab, there are often 100-150 pages to read a day. During a prereq course that was taught by one of our nursing instructors, we were asking her questions about nursing school, and we asked if we had to bring our books to school every day. Her response is "Hey, we'll be glad if you actually just do the READING." - implying that many students don't.

Anyway, just wondering what YOU do. Do you read every page? Skim the pages and try to pick out the main points so you have an idea of what's going on? Rely solely on the lecture? I think I need to find a happy medium in there somewhere.

[NurseyBaby'05, BSN, RN]

I usually spend the last few days before the test doing the reading. I tried to read ahead of time and found myself focusing on things that aren't emphasized in class and it would sidetrack me on the tests. Listening and notetaking about a particular topic lets me know what to concentrate on when I read the assignments. I also use the readings to supplement my lecture notes rather than the other way around. Now, I'm in my Psych rotation and it's only three weeks long. She already told us that there are going to be test questions right from the reading b/c there is just too much content that we need to know to fit it all into six lecture periods of lecture. She tries to direct us in what she wants to concentrate on. As in " . . . .You might want to go over the material on _________ carefully when you do your reading and try to concentrate on the physiology." That's a pretty in your face hint, I would say. We'll see how it works.

[DeanG]

I read all that is required. All of our quizes are unannounced.

[abundantjoy07, RN]

I do read as much as I most possibly can. It is a heck of a lot of reading though. I usually read a little of this and a lot of that. Instructors powerpoints, lab books, textbooks, and handouts are a part of my reading. After I've read it I can complie it into one big glob of info. The good thing is that I have no classes on Monday and 3 hours on Fridays, so I have Fri, Sat, Sun, and Mon to really concentrate and study.

[rpbear]

I made it through nursing school barely rading any of the assigned material. I would study strickly from notes and lecture material. I used the books to look up things and clarify anything I didn't fully understand. You have to figure out your instructors, ours made test questions from the lecture material, not the reading (to make sure you came to class, not just do the reading at home a show up for exams)

[RNinRubySlippers, BSN, RN]

I do all of my reading before class and then attend all of my classes, however boring they may be. That is how I manage to maintain 4.0. It's a lot of reading sometimes, but it has to be done. I'd hate to think that someone looking after me didn't do the reading they were assigned.

never mind.

[Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN]

I gave up on being able to do the reading two months into the first semester of my RN program.

In fact, I never read the assigned reading again. I purchased my own books- Such as several volumes of the Springhouse Notes A+ series, and Nursing Made Incredibly Easy series.

These books are much more concise and to the point than text books are. I was able to comprehend and recall the material much better w/ these books, because I was able to read them cover to cover, and was not overwhelmed with material.

For the next three semesters, I did not purchase all of the required books, so I actually never even read a single chapter from them.

I began looking up info on the web on university sites, and that helped a lot. Another thing that really helped me was taping lectures. I listened to the tapes w/ headphones on, with my Springhouse Notes and Nursing Made Incredibly Easy books on whichever topic the lecture was about. I would pause the tape to look up specific points in my little books, and read. If I needed additional info on something, I'd use my texts as a reference, and just look up the subject in the index, and find the specific pages that had what I needed.

For example- when we were studying maternal-neonatal nursing, I recorded the lectures, and looked up each topic from my lecture tapes in my Springhouse books. It really helps to be able to stop the tape, and take time to look something up before going on, or rewind and replay a specific portion of the tape. Let's say that day's lecture was on PIH, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. I'd read those entire sections in my little books, and then look up the specific topics in my text, and read a few paragraphs. I'd make notes of causes, s/s, NDX, nursing interventions, medical tx and basic meds, etc. for each condition.

I would listen to the tapes again on my Walkman, when doing housework. To me, this was the audio version of reviewing my notes.

When I was having trouble understanding dosage calculations, instead of studying the book, I searched the web and found interactive dosage calculations tutorials. I think the tutorials were a lot more interesting, stimulating and easier to understand than our book was.

These methods worked very well for me. The reading and workload were managable, and I was able to improve my comprehention and retention of the material.

Four years ago, I graduated as valedictorian of my nursing class. I don't think I could have done nearly as well if I had continued to try and wade through the enormous amount of assigned readings. Everyone learns differently. The traditional way just wasn't working for me.

[jschut, BSN, RN]

I work really hard to read all of my assigned material. That way, I don't miss a thing. And I try to read before lecture, so I can highlight the main points the instructor goes over as we are listening to lecture.

Whatever works for you is how it should be done!

Me, personally? I have to go over every word, as boring as it may be! Haha! :chuckle

[wonderbee, BSN, RN]

So you're not actually sitting down and reading every single word on the page as you would with a novel? It sounds like you know what to look for as far as main ideas and important points? That's kind of what I was looking for as far as how I should be approaching the assigned reading.

Well, I look for the objectives in the syllabus for the main idea of what I'm supposed to be looking for. So, I guess I do know what I'm looking for. When I hit on those ideas, I do read word for word, highlight and make notes on a study sheet.

[Sheri257]

I read all that is required. All of our quizzes are unannounced.

Yeah. We have pop quizzes on the reading too.

[maire, ASN, RN]

I do read it all, but then I have a week to do it, not a daily "read 150 pages for tomorrow's class." We have weekly quizzes and the questions are pulled straight from the textbook. Many times it is really tedious, and I have fallen asleep more times than I care to count while doing so, but I get it done.

[JudithL_in_NH]

I virtually never read prior to lectures; we can be assigned hundreds of pages, and I find it's hard to target what's really important until I've heard the lecturer's take on things. I read after the lectures, and take notes on top of my lecture notes (I take notes during lecture on only one side of the page, and leave space so I have room to add plenty).

I also will xerox or scan important figures or tables and add them right into my notes. That way, once I'm done reading, I have my notes to study from and don't need to schlep around the texts, too. I have two large volumes (5" binders) of my notes from first year, separated by body system, that I think will be invaluable when I review for boards. Prior to finals, I also prepare a "Greatest Hits" list for each topic we've covered--points that are especially important, things I've had a hard time wrapping my brain around--which goes in the front of that section.

I do,at a minimum, skim all the reading the same week as lecture, even if the lecture content focuses me in certain directions. We have a couple of profs who delight in asking the occasional TRULY obscure question from the reading--something that in no way is going to inform our practice--just to "encourage" us to read everything. Luckily I have a very good memory for quirky facts and tend to get these right!

I do a fair amount of collateral reading from books like the "Made Incredibly Easy" series, or a quick web search, and I've just discovered a series called "Recall" (e.g., "OB/GYN Recall" "Pede Recal") by Lippincott that is excellent both for studying specific points and to bring along to clinical.

We also have a couple of profs who will hand out an additional 50+ page handout in lecture in addition to the readings--and those I pay a great deal of attention to while studying.

In our program, it's the lecture content that provides 98% of the material we're tested on, so it just plain makes sense to focus on that. Our profs also claim they are focusing on what we will find on the boards, so hopefully it will be advantageous all around.

[jenrninmi, MSN, RN]

No, and I'm still a very good student. Although I've noticed on my syllabus that they are going to be giving quizzes this semester before they cover the material in class. A sneaky way to make sure we did our reading. :stone