Help Me Please!

[J3w3lz88]

Hi everyone thank you in advance for trying to help me out here. I am in serious need of any tips or advice, I finished my 1st semester of Nursing School (Thank God!) and I start my 2nd semester on the 24th of August, but I just cannot get myself to read the chapters required. Not even a little it's a miracle I passed the 1st semester without reading, but I know that in order to pass this 2nd semester I am going to buckle down and read. Before starting I always told myself just sit down open the book and read, but I swear I can't even surpass one single page! Please any tips or advice you guys might have that can help me out, I would greatly appreciate. Has anyone else had this problem?

[TexRN, BSN, RN]

That's how I am too. I have started to read my nursing books because we have assigned chapters before we start the first semester. My eyes glazed over reading my patho book about cellular biology, but most of that is a review for me, why? Because of repetition, what some people have called "redundant"... Repetition is what makes the information stick, the reading, lectures, taking notes, review.. Its all helping to solidify the information in your head. I have learned on this forum that reading through will help things stick more than reading and taking notes. I find this true for certain things. Other times I like to read through and write down the new information, that way I'm not taking notes on everything, just stuff that is new to me. I also second setting time limits while reading. I think 25 minutes is the magic number, then take a break and start again. I know I am one of those people addicted to the cell phone so I plan to keep it in my car and study in the library at school to help minimize distractions. Hopefully this is the beginning of the end of my phone addiction. Good luck! Grin and bear it, its only temporary.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Hi, Thanks yea see if I get good lectures then I really don't even worry about the readings, but like I had said in my other post my 1st semester lectures were a joke... Hopefully 2nd semester teachers will be more prepared and give us better lectures (One can only HOPE!) Thanks for the advice and motivation.

just so you know, though, lectures will not include everything you will have to learn, especially as you go along. "Better lectures" or lack thereof are not the answer to or excuse for your problem. What many students fail to understand is that a good part of nursing school learning is not, in fact, all your faculty's responsibility. Read that again: their preparation and lecturing skill is their job, certainly, but it is not the only way you must learn to learn. And there will be many times where your assignment will be, "Read chapters 2-6" and some of that material will never leave an instructor's lips. But you will be responsible for having learned it because other concepts will build on it. "I never heard that in lecture/got a PowerPoint on that" will get you nothing but eye rolls.

That, and, "Hope is not a plan." One had better do more than HOPE. :)

[MandieDandy]

I'm a student too and a workaround I've found is to constantly quiz myself. I use every APP and website I can find that tests me (quizlet is great). I love to read for leisure, but nursing textbooks, not so much (and I am fascinated by all things medical). I do have ADD, so my issue may be more pronounced. When I do poorly on something, I read about it. I do attend EVERY lecture and I record them. I listen to them any time I'm in the car. But, quizzing myself has worked the best, hands down. And I spend the money for the good APPs, sometimes $100, but it's worth it.

Best of luck to you!!