Can anyone help me with memory skills?

Nurses General Nursing

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This is my first year of nursing school. I am having some difficulty in my Fundamental of Nursing class. Does anyone have any techniques they used or are still using that can possibly help me?

Specializes in Critical Care/ICU.

Flashcards! Flashcards for everything!!

That's what I did in nursing school. Finding the information and simply writing it down reinforced stuff for me. I had thousands of flashcards!!

Nursing school is difficult because so much of it is NOT memorization, it's more having a true understanding of what you are studying. It's why nurses are such great critical thinkers.

Specializes in PCU, ICU, PACU.

My instructors and fellow students recommend a book called "You're Smarter than You Think" They say it teaches you to study for your learning style, ect.

Make your own self-tests.

For each term, instead of noting - change to asking.

Force yourself to see the word and ask yourself to define it, as well as explain its characteristics, causes, normal and abnormal aspects, etc. Takes time, but it works.

Or try mnemonics - make up a one meaningful word that represents all the things you were trying to remember about the topic.

Or a create a visual image that makes up a story related to the topic.

Lists, read & understand, reheorifice, or explain them to someone willing to listen.

I took pills -choline- I think it was an amino acid vitamin and It helped my memory a great deal. :)

One of the hardest things in nursing school is coming to the conclusion that memorization is not possible. With all of the information that you will be expected to absorb, it is good to try to first understand what it is you are studying. We cannot all memorize 300 pages of information. My recommendation to you is to get a study group together. Make it small and bounce things off of one another. Also, writing down small bits of information on index cards or a notebook will reinforce the material. Some instructors will even let you tape their lectures. Although, few of mine would without a significant learning need. Look, we are nurses not robots, Do you really think we memorize the PDR and know every sign and symptom of every disease process. So much of what you are learning overlaps. It is confusing now, but by your last year of this you'll be going uh hahhh. That is what this was for. Just keep plugging away. Trust me it all gets better in the end. Good luck! :rolleyes:

http://www.iss.stthomas.edu/studyguides/selfassessment.htm

This site helps you discern your own learning style and gives advice on how to maximize your style.

I also recommend a study group to motivate you to learn. When you have to explain a concept to someone else you tend to learn it more thoroughly. Good luck!

Specializes in Behavioral Health.

Flashcards and catch pneumonics helped me!!!!

Good luck!

pneumonics work great...and I heard this trick... after class go home look at your notes....then look again within 24 hours...then study before the exam...then you'll be fine... ME, I just study 3 days before the exam while my g/f takes notes in class and I read news on my palm :) (but dont go by my syle unless you have a g/f in nursing school with you):chuckle

pneumonics work great...and I heard this trick... after class go home look at your notes....then look again within 24 hours...then study before the exam...then you'll be fine... ME, I just study 3 days before the exam while my g/f takes notes in class and I read news on my palm :) (but dont go by my syle unless you have a g/f in nursing school with you):chuckle

Specializes in Critical Care/ICU.
My recommendation to you is to get a study group together.

This is the BEST idea of them all.

I belonged to a study group consisting of 5 people. We helped each other tremendously and ended up becoming life-long friends (bonus!)

Specializes in Critical Care/ICU.
My recommendation to you is to get a study group together.

This is the BEST idea of them all.

I belonged to a study group consisting of 5 people. We helped each other tremendously and ended up becoming life-long friends (bonus!)

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