Best organization tools for new students coming in?

pinkiepie_RN · Jun 14, 2008

For organization, a good day planner cannot be beat! I also have a dry erase calendar for a monthly view and it really keeps me on track. It's hard for me to be a procrastinator when I know that I've got so many tests across the span of a week or so.

As far as studying goes, it depends on how good the notes I get from lecture are. During my second semester, I invested in an audio recorder because I felt like my instructors talked so fast that I couldn't get all the important notes material down in time. Flashcards can be good for working on drugs and even for diseases, but make them ahead of time...not the week before an exam! Make sure you have time to go through them and don't spend too much time working on things that you're sure of. I recently discovered that highlighting my textbook worked wonders in helping me realize the important information and by drawing attention to these things visually, it was easier for me to then just skim the book if I had time. As you can tell, I'm a visual/auditory learner. I do well in study groups, but not all do. It's your responsibility to know how you learn best and take advantage of things like that. I know there's some links on here to take a test to discover your learning style...but I'm not sure where. :) Good luck this fall! A year ago, I was in your anxious shoes and now I'm trying to make sure no one worries too much. :loveya:

MagnesiuM · Jun 14, 2008

Thanks! those are good tips. in A&P i saw a classmate always taking notes on her laptop....wondered if this was more efficient than my way, which is to take "messy" notes and then re-write them in an organized fashion later on....it kind of helps me review the material and rethink it, but man is it hard on my wrists!

i also already got one of those clipboards that you can open and store pens/markers/etc inside....some of the nurses and students at the last hospital i worked at used them and i thought they were brilliant :-)

pinkiepie_RN · Jun 14, 2008

Thanks! those are good tips. in A&P i saw a classmate always taking notes on her laptop....wondered if this was more efficient than my way, which is to take "messy" notes and then re-write them in an organized fashion later on....it kind of helps me review the material and rethink it, but man is it hard on my wrists!
i also already got one of those clipboards that you can open and store pens/markers/etc inside....some of the nurses and students at the last hospital i worked at used them and i thought they were brilliant :-)

Oh I do the same thing with notes! Lots of paper, but it is helpful to do repetition.

Regarding the clipboard, check with your clinical instructor to make sure it's okay. First semester, I didn't need a clipboard as I wasn't doing much aside from a head-to-toe exam but with following nursing orders and needing a schedule for interventions and med passes second semester, a clipboard was invaluable. That said, I made out fine with just a regular clipboard and a pocket folder. If there's too many spaces to keep stuff in, I have issues remember where I put it, you know?

elsabelles · Jun 14, 2008

Microsoft OneNote is absolutely wonderful for keeping notes neat and organized. I just bring my laptop to class. No more messy papers to search through!

pinkiepie_RN · Jun 14, 2008

Microsoft OneNote is absolutely wonderful for keeping notes neat and organized. I just bring my laptop to class. No more messy papers to search through!

If I ever get a laptop, I'm considering OneNote. I was wondering though, can you take notes on PowerPoints and somehow associate them with OneNote?

Jilaweez, BSN, MSN, RN · Jun 14, 2008

I never used to do this, but I have started using one big binder with tab dividers for all my classes. I have found it's helpful to keep all my classes together. I am also big on making notecards, but it takes a long time. I find it helpful if I do them in question/answer format if possible. I also try to do any study guides and extra practice questions as possible, it really helps me understand the info better. Good luck to you!!

AOx1 · Jun 17, 2008

I recommend that my students consider either using and sharing notecards (or sites such as studystack), or forming a group that makes notecards and then copies them off for everyone (ex- one person would make drug cards for beta-blockers and the other for calcium channel blockers, and both make two copies, one for themselves, one for the other person.

I also recommend buying a palm pilot or similar PDA. You can put reminders in for yourself weeks in advance of a big project (ex- a reminder to start the outline of a paper a month before it's due).

Jamie2887 · Jun 17, 2008

I HIGHLY recommend getting either a Palm, PDA (such as dell) or I have a smart phone, so that I don't carry around 2 gadgets everywhere (the at&t tilt) then going to skyscape.com and purchasing the nursing constellation package (Davis's drug guide, a program with every lab value you can think of, and some more)

I also added Lippincotts manual of nursing practice and Tabors, some think these programs are expensive, but at my school the Tabors and davis drug guide are required, so I just bought the PDA version opposed to the book, and it came out about the same.

In clinical, if my teacher asks me to look up a drug or asks my group what a word means, I have it looked up while everyone else is still scrambling to find their books and flip through pages

dorselm · Jun 17, 2008

Try not to study at home unless you have a study room or a room without a computer, tv, phone or bed. If your home has dogs, kids, husband, computers, tv, bed, phone and other distractions like mine, you may want to go somewhere like Barnes and Nobles, the library or a coffeehouse to get some studying done. If you take the time to study for 2 hours each dayor at least one, and like the previous poster said, don't study stuff you already know, then you will do just fine. I never saw any mneumonic books for drugs but there are some neat mneumonic books out there for all kinds of nursing concepts, search for them on amazon. However, don't depend on mneumonics, you want to learn the disease process as well as the nursing process -Assessment, Diagnosis, Plan, Implement and Evaluate. I'm learning that this is crucial for caring for your patients. You'll see what I mean very shortly. Lastly, it really helps to take an interest in learning about the disease processes as well as the human body, you are more likely to retain the information when you want to learn it. Good Luck!

DelanaRN, MSN, APRN, NP · Jun 17, 2008

I start an LPN to RN Transition Course in July...something that helped me IMMENSELY in LPN School was to keep my planner with me during every class and jot things down as they were assigned and when due dates were. Also, when we got the syllabus at the beginning of each new class, it always had major paper and project due dates on the syllabus. I would write down all of these in my planner on the day they were due and would always keep a little "to do" list that was constantly evolving. Additionally, as I completed items, I would check them off, so I felt some sense of accomplishment. The syllabus would also have class dates with topics and chapters that were going to be discussed. I would write those in my planner as well, so that I could read (or at the very least go through the text and read the tables, boxes, and note the picture) the chapter we would be discussing so that it would make more sense. All of these things will help you, I PROMISE!!

2btmanrn · Jun 17, 2008

Get a notebook. Title it your journal. Add your daily agenda. Buy an NCLEX RN REVIEW book start correlating it with your tests.

So far, the Saunders 4th edition seems good. Read others opinion on this site. This site is a good tool to be informed. Learned lesson from me. Wish you luck.