Help! I just started nursing school!

I just started nursing school and I feel swamped. I feel like Im drowning I dont know where to start. There are so many chapters to read. Those of you who are in nursing school are are finished with nursing school, Do I read the chapters word for word or do I just skim and do the workbook pages? Did you read the chapters word for word? I have two small children I dont have time to study word for word. There are so many chapter Should I just read everything? Will I have enough time?

[Sillynicunurse]

Read the material..unless you have a very lax program skimming will get you in trouble. You need to schedule time to read. Do not get behind in your reading or you will again find yourself even more overwhelmed. I am one semester away from graduation and so far this semester we have had an average of 4-6 chapters per week to read and the only way to cope with that is to make a schedule and stick to it. I have missed out on quite a bit of fun in the last 18 months but it will be worth it in the end

i just started nursing school and i feel swamped. i feel like im drowning i dont know where to start. there are so many chapters to read. those of you who are in nursing school are are finished with nursing school, do i read the chapters word for word or do i just skim and do the workbook pages? did you read the chapters word for word? i have two small children i dont have time to study word for word. there are so many chapter should i just read everything? will i have enough time?

hi there lizzberry! this is what i do. when there are hundreds (literally) of pages to read-- i'll skim through it before i go to lecture. in the evening after lecture, i go into it more in depth. when there is a concept i'm having an especially hard time with, i take notes right out of the book and go to other books for resources.

i have a set study time; everynight; 8-10 pm. and on sundays, i run a study group from 5-8 pm.

as always, things happen. kids get sick, the dog runs away, etc, etc. in those times, i go to my saunders nclex book and overview what i should be reading (it has a condensed version of what we're learning, most of the time).

when you're feeling stressed, take one chapter at a time. cross it off on your syllabus as you go-- that way you'll feel as if you're accomplishing something.

and remember... you can do this!

I just started nursing school and I feel swamped. I feel like Im drowning I dont know where to start. There are so many chapters to read. Those of you who are in nursing school are are finished with nursing school, Do I read the chapters word for word or do I just skim and do the workbook pages? Did you read the chapters word for word? I have two small children I dont have time to study word for word. There are so many chapter Should I just read everything? Will I have enough time?

i didnt read everything word for word and when it came to the final i had to go back and reread the whole damn book practically....read it while u can...i have 4 small children so i know how hard it is....read when the kids are taking a bath, read when they are sleeping, my friend used to tape her notes and put her headphones on at night when she was sleeping and it would play til the tape was done...she said it helped but i never tried that....find ur way of studying and go from there....trust me it SUCKS when u realize at the end of the semester that u have to go back and read everything...im starting my senior year next week so i know how it feels...good luck

[bekindtokittens]

Danibanani, how awesome are you?!! I didn't know that the Saunders NCLEX book would offer information like a textbook; I thought it was just practice questions -- did admitting that make me look like an idiot? I'll use the "hey I'm new" excuse here... May I ask exactly which book you're using? I've looked up Saunders books on Amazon but there are so many, I don't know which one to get. I haven't been able to find them at the bookstore near me; it seemed like they had every study aid imaginable except ones for NCLEX-RN.

I plan on reading all my chapters, but to get more info from another source in a condensed form would be a great study tool. If I don't understand something in my textbook, maybe another book would better explain it in a way I would understand.

Anyway, my first semester of nursing school starts tomorrow and I've finished my 7 chapters of reading given at orientation...

[WDWpixieRN, RN]

I have to honestly say that I did a little of both...some reading, some skimming....sometimes, if I didn't have time to do the reading, I would go back over the subjects covered in class specifically to make sure I had some sort of grasp on the material that was obviously most important.

I really empathize with you; there is a ton of reading and not all of it fun and light, lol....do the best you can; take NS one day/week at a time or you will spend a lot of time feeling overwhelmed and stressed and believe me, it's not worth it, particularly when you have young ones and a hubby...no one will be loving this choice you've made!! You can do this!!

danibanani, how awesome are you?!! i didn't know that the saunders nclex book would offer information like a textbook; i thought it was just practice questions -- did admitting that make me look like an idiot? i'll use the "hey i'm new" excuse here... may i ask exactly which book you're using? i've looked up saunders books on amazon but there are so many, i don't know which one to get. i haven't been able to find them at the bookstore near me; it seemed like they had every study aid imaginable except ones for nclex-rn.

i plan on reading all my chapters, but to get more info from another source in a condensed form would be a great study tool. if i don't understand something in my textbook, maybe another book would better explain it in a way i would understand.

anyway, my first semester of nursing school starts tomorrow and i've finished my 7 chapters of reading given at orientation...

you are too darn cute! click here for the saunders book that i have.

i also use mosby's, but i prefer the saunders.

just do your best! heck, i didn't know what it entailed until i bought it-- so you are totally fine.

[bekindtokittens]

Thanks for the links!

And I forgot to say this in my last post...

I tried skimming chapters when I was running behind in studying, but I'd invariably miss something important that tied it all together and end up all confused in lecture. I still skim sometimes, but then go back and read the entire thing when I have more time.

Well it all depends. I am going into my last semester and the truth is my reading "time" gets less and less.

Back in the beginning I read every last thing becasue I needed to- this was all fresh to me.

Now, there is no need to do it all. They always tell us to read the parts that I aced back in A+P nd can recall...and even if I didn't "ace" it - a short skim and it's back.

Some classes have required more reading than others. My advice to you is to feel out each class. Read it all leading into test 1 and then see how test 1 is. In my experience I have been able to slice reading WAYYYYY down after seeing what they are really asking. A lot of the assigned reading starts to repeat itself. Use the text to supplement lecture and NOT vice versa ....unless after test 1 you can see you needed to read every last detail.

In my exp.......the later has been the exception.

If I don't understand something in my textbook, maybe another book would better explain it in a way I would understand.

The "Made Incredibly Easy" Series helps with this also. They have books for Fundamentals, Pharm, Assessments and many others. I love them, I have one(s) for Medical Spanish and Microbiology.

Another good NCLEX book that has info in it is Zerwekh and Claborn's Illustrated Study Guide for the NCLEX-RN Exam. It has some questions for each area, along with a good review. I have the Saunders as well, and both are helpful. Also, I agree with the "feel out each class" comment. Do what your instructor recommends. I had one last semester who kept saying, "READ, READ, READ!!" Well, I read every page for his class. Other instructors will tell you to focus on the lectures/powerpoints, and while you should still read the material, they probably won't pull test questions from the fine print that they didn't cover in class. Read what you can, and good luck!

[futurecnm]

I read everything. I take notes as I read. I then study my notes, class notes/powerpoints, and take online quizzes, the book quizzes, and the NCLEX quizzes in the few days before the test. It really helps to have all the reading done at least a few days before the test, then just study. Many times I will re-write a note sheet with important information and study that as well as the test gets closer. Like a condensed set of important notes. I find that people that don't read, miss many of the questions that were right from the book. I know people that passed not reading but they got C's. Some didn't pass but some did.

I just finished my ADN program in Aug. The most important thing I did was to schedule quiet study time every day. Usually 2-4 hours. Sometimes I would go to the library or just sit in my car in a parking lot. You need to be able to absorb what you read and you really do need to know what is in the chapters to be successful. Make sure to enjoy your school expeience because it will go by fast. Good luck!!!

I just started nursing school and I feel swamped. I feel like Im drowning I dont know where to start. There are so many chapters to read. Those of you who are in nursing school are are finished with nursing school, Do I read the chapters word for word or do I just skim and do the workbook pages? Did you read the chapters word for word? I have two small children I dont have time to study word for word. There are so many chapter Should I just read everything? Will I have enough time?

Hi Lizzyberry,

Can I just say, I know the feeling well. I am going into Nursing 3 in a few days and I am scared to death. I have 4 kids and I'm a single mom to boot. My fiance moved in with me last year before the start of Nursing 1 (I don't know if that helped or what, lol). Either way, I thank God he did because for the first semester I read everything word for word, studied every free second I had, took the outlines for the semester (which were HUGE) and answered all the objective and made these typed out 50 page notes, and the end result was I did great. I unfortunately went from being a 4.0 student to a B+ student, but even with all my efforts it was just that hard and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't pull an A, but you learn to get over that real fast and start saying, "phew! I'm still in!" with every test you get back. It is very overwhelming, no doubt!!!

The next semester, Nursing 2, the clinical assignments got more intense, the content was harder and there was more reading than ever. So, to save some time, I decided to drop the big notes I was making and started "skimming" as you put it. Well, I really regret that because although I still did okay, I fell from a B+ student to a B- student. So, I saw the difference and I am planning to do nothing but read and study this semester. So, that's just me, but I did my own little experiment and found that when I read all the chapters (and yes, that made for a lot of sleepless nights), and made my notes, I did much better!

Don't worry, you will pull through. We all felt overwhelmed when we started and as you can see, I am still overwhelmed and I'm going into my final year. With each semester you start thinking, "geez, and I thought last semester was hard, that was nothing compared to this one". You'll make it, just stay focused and get into a routine. That's my best advice to you! Take care and good luck!

Janet

GigglesRN2b, Where are you going to school? I am taking "Nursing I" in a few weeks and have a feeling that we're going to the same school. :) I also live in NH, but travel just "over the border" to school. :)

GigglesRN2b, Where are you going to school? I am taking "Nursing I" in a few weeks and have a feeling that we're going to the same school. :) I also live in NH, but travel just "over the border" to school. :)

I go to Northern Essex in Lawrence. Wouldn't that be a hoot if we are in the same school! Thanks for the compliments about being Nursing 3! Let me know where you go! If we're both at Northern Essex, I can give you a lot of pointers!! Good luck! You're going to do great!

Janet

I am a nursing student entering into my third semester. I do the followings:

1. Skim through the chapters before class

2. Record the lectures

3. The next day, I will rearrange my notes and fill in anything I may have missed during lecture with my recorder and the book

4. I use to book to review what the instructor stresses on and read to understand rather than memorizing. I pay attention to charts and diagrams. I do not use the workbook because it is more knowledge based rather than critical thinking. If you are studying for a quiz, perhaps you can use the workbook, but other wise, practice nclex questions instead.

5. After, I practice nclex questions from saunders review/lippincott/mosby (I only practice sections pertaining to the area covers in class)

6. I study for about 20-30 hours a week with a study group. We have a calendar in which we stick by.

I always go to class early, sit in the front and have my recorder ready. It is important to know the style of your instructor. It does not hurt to ask previous students. Also, introduce yourself to the instructor.

Giggles, TOO funny! That is where I am going!!! I'd LOVE some pointers! I've already read ahead in my Fundamentals book but I am shaking in my boots! I also live in NH!

ANY tips you can give me would be so much appreciated! I'm going to the Nursing Mentor reception next week but would love some pointers from recent students! I know of others starting nursing I with me but I don't know anyone who has been through the program before!

:)