Efficiently Reading Nursing Textbooks

[lmaezuber]

It's taking me 1 hour to get through 3 pages of my OB textbook, at this rate its going to take me 10 hours to finish the chapter. I most definitely will not be able to complete all my required reading before classes. Am I doing it wrong? Is there a way to read a nursing textbook that won't take me forever? I think if I go any faster I will not absorb the information properly. My nursing professor teaches with PowerPoint but she also wants us to read the chapters before we go to class.

[KarenMS]

Skim. Read headers, bolded vocab, pictures and diagrams....if you have access to the power points ahead of time, follow along with them while reading the chapter and pick out what will be covered in class. I know they WANT you to read the chapters before class but it's just not always feasible.

I always went over the chapters afterwards and concentrated on what was lectured on.

[KarenMS]

A lot of texts have summaries at the end of each chapter. They are very valuable.

[PurplePens, RN]

I'm only in my first semester of nursing school, but I never read the chapters before class. My professors also want us to read before we come, and I do skim sometimes, but what I've found to be more effective is underlining the points they make in class in the book. Since my professors teach straight from the text&ppt it's easier to pick out what they want me to know. If I'm not clear on the subject I'll continue to read through the section of the chapter until I am. Reading the text before class is just not always helpful, especially if I know nothing about it; I don't want to get confused and remember the information wrong. Hope that helps!

[wannabeny]

Tried that my first semester; didn't work for me. Gather your power points, modules, and reading list. That is the bulk of what your professor wants you to know.

I generally took those three items, went through my textbook and check marked any topic that was covered in those 3 things. Didn't go over anything that wasn't mentioned. Skipped any paragraphs that were just fluff, or information that was just being repeated. Looked at the chapter objectives and if I could answer the relevant questions, I was good.

like the PP's said, looking at the tables, diagrams helps too. Better to read the main points in the table then the page and a half of fluff they give you on that exact table.