Feel like I'm barely passing

IHeartPeds87 · Apr 21, 2015

One of the challenges of nursing school has been finding out what works best for me to truly understand the material. And honestly, it has varied by each course, material, and circumstance.

For me, my study method was this: I would record lectures and relisten to the lectures and take notes. This would take me a very long time because I would try to understand the material as I relistened, so it would take me about 45 mins-an hour to get through 15-20 minutes of the lecture. I would have the book open and would listen to the lecture and find where in the book it talked about that corresponding lecture part and SKIM it. I would use notecards only for the stuff that straight up needed memorizing (lab values, the gold star diagnostic test for something, etc).

I met with a study group every week and it was IMMENSELY helpful....no way I would have made it this far without them. It was the single most effective thing I could have done because we made sure we understood why and were not straight up memorizing. We made links and connections and things that really truly helped. I would highly advise this.

Everyone is different. You have to find out what works for you. A study group worked for me, but a friend can't learn that way- she learns better reading so for her, she learns most by reading.

I highly recommend going to your school's support center. Every college/university/community college has some version of a support center where you should be able to take a test to figure out what type of learner you are and suggestions from that.

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Apr 22, 2015

For me, reading and reviewing notes helped minimally. It was practicing questions that really made things sink in because it forced me to apply the information. If you have resources available, see if incorporating practice questions will help you.

This.

I used The Success Series Review Books throughout my nursing program to help with understanding how to choose the best answer, as well as test whether I can accurately choose the best answer.

I reviewed the questions and rationales; when I got to the exam I had a better grasp on identifying and applying the best answers. :yes:

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Apr 22, 2015

ï»¿Ladyfree28, please share your speed reading tips :)

Ah, my reading tips. :)

Read the objectives, the boxes, and then read the "nursing process" information; then organize notes in the form nursing process.

A lot of the books have the nursing process arraigned in the text; focus on those aspects in order to think like a nurse.

Natasha A., CNA, LVN · Apr 22, 2015

Ah, my reading tips. :)
Read the objectives, the boxes, and then read the "nursing process" information; then organize notes in the form nursing process.
A lot of the books have the nursing process arraigned in the text; focus on those aspects in order to think like a nurse.

Thank you!! I've been doing mediocre on my exam and I'm starting to see improvement on my grades by asking questions while I read such as "what if?" "why?", "how?" " any exceptions?" and focus on interventions /assessments which has helped me understand core concepts and not memorize. Also, ABC/Maslow cant do without :)

dinah77, ADN · Apr 22, 2015

You must figure out what type of learner you are.

For instance, I learn by reading and doing. So my particular needs are different from auditory learners.

Listening to a taped lecture would never help me- I need to read along, or do something active like take notes.

So, for example, that was part of what worked for me- I has a specific list of bullet points for diseases, and I would type and re-type those things over and over prior to a test.

When I am learning a new IV pump, for example, at work, I need to get my hands on it to understand it. All the explanation in the world does no good until I can try it myself

Here is a very basic type of learning style quiz I found

What's Your Learning Style? 20 Questions

lovinglife2015 · Apr 23, 2015

If you're a visual learner, check out Khan Academy.

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/health-and-medicine

https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/NCLEX-RN

Cruz.Cookie, BSN, RN · Apr 23, 2015

I think you should purchase an NCLEX book like Saunders. Not only does it contain comprehensive material but it also has critical thinking -NCLEX style questions in there as well. I also think you should try quizlet. I know there may be some groans, since quizlet is not 100% accurate all the time. However, I find it extremely helpful because it helps me understand the subject at hand and also helps me understand the critical thinking aspect of the question for the exams. Just google for example "Maternal/OB " quizlet and there are a bunch of practice questions with rationales beside each answer choice. The more practice the better!!

Also, I like to study this way. First, I listen to the lecture and type down the notes besides the PowerPoint. Then I print the PowerPoint with blank notes besides them ....that way I read what I typed and write it down on the PowerPoint notes. Then I read the PowerPoint and notes. This is reinforcement. I also like to engage in study groups to feed off what I know about the subject as well. Flash cards and YouTube are for when i need to remember specific little details I might quickly forget. You can also try concept mapping. Basically you write down the subject at hand and write down everything you know about it. Then look at the subject--did you miss something? No worries , just write down what you missed and voila you won't miss it again!! Good luck :)

Msmedic68w, MSN, RN · Apr 23, 2015

This was the story of my life when I took peds, God I hated it....

I am not a flashcard person, but I found outlining the information helped me. It wasn't enough to just read it...I had to write it. The next thing I am about to say may seem controversial to some but I don't care.....You need to know when to walk away from certain information. For example, lets say you're trying to study VSD...you have been going over it, studying it and you just don't get it and the exam is sneaking up on you and you have other material to cover....WALK AWAY. Move on and study the other areas and make up the points elsewhere. You need to be honest with yourself and ask yourself "If I don't know this now, will I know it by tomorrow?" The answer is probably not. Study the areas you do know, the areas that you are a little fuzzy and get the points there. And then when the exam is over and you have passed....then go back and try to learn it.

This gets a lot of people, they study something for hours and still don't get it and they ignore all the other areas where they could have made it up. If you have time to learn that difficult stuff then by all means, BUT if that exam is coming up fast and furious then you need to know when to say the hell with it, if you don't then you still won't understand AND you'll miss the easy or mildly difficult stuff you should have looked over.

Another good thing to do if you're having trouble understanding a concept is to ask the fellow nurses on this site. For the life of me I could not understand the difference between pathological jaundice and physiological jaundice. The book used way too much medical jargon and the definition was disgustingly convoluted. I come here and another nurse summed it up in about 2 sentences...IT MADE PERFECT SENSE! Why did the book have to be so confusing? And as a result....I got it right on the exam.