Does anyone actually read all the reading assignments?

vettechtoRN · Jun 27, 2014

Oh believe me I am by no means looking for an easy way out! Lol! I just want to know what the expectation for myself should be. I am also a reader but I don't want to get needlessly frustrated if I can't keep up. If I know other students indeed where able to read everything then I know it is a realistic goal for me:)

allnurses Guide · Jun 27, 2014

I always tell my students (grad students) that in the end you are responsible for all the material/reading.

It may come up on your exam I school.

More importantly it may come up on the NCLEX.

Even more importantly it may come up when you are in a critical situation with a patient where your knowledge of the topic has real-life implications for that individual and their family.

RNbygrace13 · Jun 27, 2014

I didn't even buy textbooks my last couple semesters of ASN. I studied my nclex review sections for whatever topic and used online resources for the other info. My lowest grade was a B and I rocked the nclex the first time.

DisneyNurseGal, BSN, RN · Jun 28, 2014

I did NOT read every word of every page; I did however skim every section to get the main idea and I did read every picture, graphic, chart or table (I am a visual learner, who does not learn by reading). I did however take concepts that we were covering and do active learning on that subject, find youtube videos (or Khan Academy). I would answer, in written form, chapter objectives and find other ways to study a topic.

If you don't read you need to learn to study the topics a different way.

stippie09, ASN, RN · Jun 28, 2014

I did not always read everything bc I had, on average, 7 chapters per class per week. What helped me was to read the main part about a disease/problem and write down your nusing process for that disease process. Also, when you have many diseases that are similar, find what makes that disease different from the rest. Having a good a&p and pathophysiology foundation will really help as well

dee789 · Jun 28, 2014

I guess I am the voice of dissent in saying that honestly, I am only 5 weeks in.. But I have not opened my books since day 1 (I did the pre-reading assignments) and I just finished my first summer term with a 3.8. Nor have I spoken to anyone else in my program who has done the reading -- it's a little ridiculous when we had, most weeks, 3 exams, a quiz, papers and presentations due! And on top of that the assigned reading is around 5 chapters per class but I really doubt our profs think we do most of the reading, it's just not realistic. This may be different because we are in an accelerated program.

I studied by going over the PowerPoints, taking notes, taking quizzes online, and writing up the material on my own in a Word document. My roommate did some skim some chapters for one class, when she had a hard time understanding something. I usually use Google and watch videos online, like Khan. I am a reader and love to read in general but there is just no way! I was unwilling to stay up til 2am every day reading and I would suggest you do the same.. if you find yourself struggling then maybe you could try and do more of the reading.

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Jun 28, 2014

I guess I am the voice of dissent in saying that honestly, I am only 5 weeks in.. But I have not opened my books since day 1 (I did the pre-reading assignments) and I just finished my first summer term with a 3.8. Nor have I spoken to anyone else in my program who has done the reading -- it's a little ridiculous when we had, most weeks, 3 exams, a quiz, papers and presentations due! And on top of that the assigned reading is around 5 chapters per class but I really doubt our profs think we do most of the reading, it's just not realistic. This may be different because we are in an accelerated program.
I studied by going over the PowerPoints, taking notes, taking quizzes online, and writing up the material on my own in a Word document. My roommate did some skim some chapters for one class, when she had a hard time understanding something. I usually use Google and watch videos online, like Khan. I am a reader and love to read in general but there is just no way! I was unwilling to stay up til 2am every day reading and I would suggest you do the same.. if you find yourself struggling then maybe you could try and do more of the reading.

I don't find this the voice of dissent and I'm one who read everything AND used supplemental resources. I think you found the key to learning...you discovered the study method that works for you.

HelloWish, ADN, BSN · Jun 28, 2014

I am starting nursing school in the Fall. I had always read all my assignments until my last pre-req which was A&P II. In my opinion it really depends on the class or instructor. When I was taking online classes, I needed to read the material. In my traditional A&P II class, my instructor tested off lecture notes exclusively! So, I didn't read anything except I had to know my notes backwards and forwards and practically be able to rewrite them...made an A.

In nursing school, my plan is to skim read, read headings, work questions, etc. I also plan to do a lot of practicing NCLEX questions. Finally, I know I will focus on the study objectives my instructors give me. I may start out reading all the material until I get into my groove and figure out what the instructors want! I am an A student so far, so it is not necessarily important to read everything. That may change in nursing school, I really don't know... In my opinion, you have to understand and reading doesn't always make for understanding. Knowing what your instructor wants and figuring out what they test is important. I learned that way and feel like I was able to retain far more info in A&P II by not reading so many details! But like I said, nursing school could be a whole different ball game!

If I need to read all the material to become a good nurse, that is what I will do! However, I have feeling that will be impossible.

la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN · Jun 28, 2014

While in the ideal world it should be possible to read 20+ chapters a week straight through and outline them. However, this is the real world with real time constraints and things that come up that will inevitably make this a poor strategy. I don't think I have ever read a complete chapter in any of my texts in nursing (outside of pharmacology, that is -- reading and outlining difficult chapters was the only way I could retain the info -- note that I said difficult chapters, not ALL chapters). What I do is follow along with our slides during lecture (we have to have eBooks so this was tenable as we weren't dragging giant patho books around all day) and note anything that was difficult for me to understand. Those are the things I read through in the books in detail and take notes on. But nothing else. I am otherwise preoccupied with writing care plans and detailed pathophysiologies that gave me more than ample exposure and understanding of the materials covered in lecture. This isn't to say I never read/use my books. I use them constantly. I'm just not going to go from cover to cover trying to read over every single thing. It's very inefficient use of time.

TrevyRN, BSN, RN · Jun 29, 2014

When it comes to studying in nursing school, I stuck with the habits that helped me succeed in other courses.

What does the teacher emphasize? Are the tests and assignments out of the book, the power point, the lecture, or practice test questions from a test data bank?

I would skim books, including boxes and diagrams to make sure I understood key concepts. If I had major holes in learning, I tried to fix them then and there.

Some people are social when it comes to studying. I am happy locked alone in a room with a book or computer - but others thrive by bouncing ideas off each other.

Do what works for you.

3peas · Jul 1, 2014

Never! But there are some classes that you have to. The key is to figure out which classes are detailed and the professors pull from the text. It's a guessing at the beginning of class. Get to know older students who have been there and done that. Best of luck!

Stitch3296 · Jul 1, 2014

Yes and no. Depends on the material and how well it is lectured on. I try and lay eyes on every page and most times I do manage to complete all the reading. Sometimes however I find it more beneficial to read chapter summaries, highlighted boxes & find the answers to study guide questions. The biggest thing for me is if I don't understand a concept or disease process is to be sure to figure out how to understand how each thing is affected. Not knowing this can really be a stumbling block on tests and more importantly in clinical.