med surg reading

Nursing Students General Students

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:eek:

Hello! again! I have begun my reading for med&surg and Pharm

but can barely get thru all of it because there is so much. At times I get tired and restless, so I stop and pick up later on! According to my Syllabus I have read enough in in 1 book for 2 weeks, another for 3 weeks but for my med surg book only for the first week barely for the 2nd week. To me it does not sound like enough but I just become so overwhelmed that It tires me out! I begin class on Tuesday. I guess my 2 main concerns are How do the instrutors expect you to read so many chapters and within a 2 day time frame and expect you to remember it? second question how do you get thru reading so much material without getting restless and overwhelmed? any questions would greatly help? I hope this reduant question but I gues as you can see I am just over anxious :imbar :confused: :eek:

I get bored reading too. And boy do I have a lot of reading this semester... I'm taking philosophy, lit and chemistry... all online. So the prof will say "read chapters 1-3, then take quiz 1." It's so self-directed that you spend TONS of time just reading from the textbook. I'm one of those nerds who actually enjoys lecture. LOL

Anyway, I've always heard it's good advice that as you're reading to make sort of an outline of the chapter (some textbooks have them outlined already). I do pretty well to follow that outline, hit the high points/what seems important, and take my own notes. I use my PC to do this since I can type MUCH faster than I can write. Plus I'm pretty anal about my handwriting LOL

Sorry I don't have more advice, but I know some of the folks here who have BTDT with nursing school probably have some great study tips...

I am a quick reader so what works for me may not work for anyone else. I force myself to read the material the first time I say lightly which is to just read but then not try to memorize. Then the second time I read I either highlight the key points or do the study guide. Then before test time comes I spend several hours each night just reading all of the material maybe skipping over stuff that isnt on the objectives. I enjoy reading so this works for me. I have to read something like 5 times before the information really starts to gel in my brain. Some people in my class dont read which I dont understand they just look for the objectives. Then I go over the classroom notes and this seems to help me. The material in nursing school is overwhelming I agree I usually lock myself upstairs in the bedroom for a couple of hours each night before bed....

I get bored as hell reading as well.

So in order really to learn (if time allows with work, kids) I need to make a project out of every big reading assignment, i.e. type up notes, an outline, research more about it online, etc.

If I read in bed it puts me to sleep within 20-30 mins.

My Med Surg book is better than Ambien. I finally found that the only way I could slog through the chapter was to outline it as I read. The writing keeps me awake.

Kim

As far as getting restless - you should take a short (very short!) break at least once an hour - only 5 minutes or so max - Get up and just walk around for a minute or two if nothing else

Even if it has only been 30 minutes since the last break and I catch myself rereading the same paragraph for the 5th time and I still don't have a clue what I just read, that means it is time to get up and go get a drink of water or something - anything to just move around a bit - then back at it

Hi,

A few things that work for me are

1. Scan the chapter 1st flip through each page look at the headings get a good feel for whats going to be covered in the chapter.

2. Alot of nursing books are laid out with a review of anatomy and then follow the nursing process. Each section of the nursing process is a natural break to step back absorb what you just read.

3. Ignore all the text boxes, diagrams and charts until after you have read the chapter than go back and read all the charts, text boxes after you finished reading the chapter. This does two things it allows you to read more with out getting side tracked on topics that may not directly relate to what you are reading at the time and it also allows you to review sections that you may have missed the first time.

4. write notes in the margins and read the chapter summaries at the end of the chapters.

5. read to understand the first time you read the chapter, memorize later.

Hope these tips help!!! and like the post prior if it stops making sense take a break

Specializes in Community Health Nurse.

Ohhhhhhh the memories! All coming back to me now. What fun! :D I ate slept and dreamed my textbooks when in college. The reading was neverending. I went to bed with the books, woke up with the books, and carried an open textbook everywhere I went...........even to the bathroom. :)

I first would read the material without trying to memorize anything. Just simply read it.

Then I'd go through the material a second time highlighting the key sentences and their objectives.

Then, I listened intently to the professor or nursing instructor as if he/she were the only one that mattered in the classroom.

Next, I'd get to the clinical site and apply what I learned.

Taking the test was like applying what I actually got to do hands on with patients.

I wish you all the best in your studies! :nurse:

Buy an NCLEX review book, NOW! It will outline all the important stuff.

:rolleyes:

Thank You to all who have responded and gave me some great ideas. Some of them I use and some are new to me. I will apply them when I study. I found one that was very intresting and would like to know if they have found it to be beneficial. Some said read first then go back and reread the chapter. What if the first time you read and do get it? do you still stay on that specific area and read it until you understand it or just come back to it and proceed. I constantly find myself at times when I don't understand focusing my time on that particular subject for more then an hour trying to get it. Secondly someone stated to get a NCLEX-book and use it to study. We'll I have one but does it help?

As I searched through it many of the things that were stated in the text are more understandable and clearer. I guess my main question is ? Has anybody just read the material and then followed and took notes on your own that were most important form your NCLEX-book!

I know that I proably sound really dumb and crazy. Since I have not started and won't start my med&surg until Tuesday. But I just don't want to fail and will do whatever it takes to pass. Because I know that I will be a Good R.N. even my instructors have complimented me on this if it worth anything!

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