HELP! My second time around in nursing school...

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I don't know how it works at other places, but @ my nursing school we have a test every week and if we don't pass we get to "remediate". Well, our program is 14 months and I was in it for 4 months and got dropped. My hardest part was studying.... I felt like my brain couldn't take it anymore. What are some study tips and ways that got many of the nurses here or many of you students through the course? This is my second time around and I really need to try my hardest.

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What works for me is:

1. Recording myself reading my notes. I listen to it when I'm cleaning. When i can follow along, i grab my notes. Seeing & hearing helps.

2. Flashcards. I learned as i wrote them & they were small enough to stick in my purse & study while rising in the car, waiting in line, etc.

3. It helps to go over concepts w/ classmates...explain things to each other, but i know that's not always possible.

4. Give yourself breaks during studying...i give myself a 15 min break every 1-1 1/2 h i study.

Good luck to you!

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I don't know how it works at other places, but @ my nursing school we have a test every week and if we don't pass we get to "remediate". Well, our program is 14 months and I was in it for 4 months and got dropped. My hardest part was studying.... I felt like my brain couldn't take it anymore. What are some study tips and ways that got many of the nurses here or many of you students through the course? This is my second time around and I really need to try my hardest.

Where do you think the problem is?

Do you allow enough time to study; are you absorbing the information. Do you understand the concepts/rationales behind the theory or are you just memorizing facts? Only you can determine where your strengths and weakness are. Once you know that, work on rectifyig the problem.

BTW do you underrstand how nursing questions are written. If not, do a google and see what info is online. There may be a book(s) that you can get that discusses how to read a nursing question to understand it and determine exactly what it is asking.

As far as studying, I also use some study guides for the subject (There are a number out there. I am not certain of the exact name but I like Get A's in ______ [put in the subject]. I also do all the questions on the subject from an RN NCLEX review book--as well as taking the tests and reviewing the rationales.

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do you know what kind of learner you are? there are several different types of learners, visual, auditory, read-write, and kinesthetic learners. because there are different types you have to approach your study habits based off of them. hope this helps ....

find out what kind of learning style you belong to and optimize your ability to learn and retain information.

some students sit through hours of lectures and retain all the information presented while others benefit more from hands-on lab classes. reason? students have different learning styles, which present both teachers and students with a problem when classes are taught in one set way that might only benefit one kind of learner. students can however, help themselves by finding out what kind of learner style they belong to and customize their study habits to that particular style.

there are three major groups of learners, which are kinesthetic, visual and auditory. these groups represent three very different kinds of students, who are all presented with difficulties during their education.

[h=3]visual learner[/h]the visual learner will often lose focus during long oral lectures, especially if these are not accompanied by drawings and illustrations. the visual learner takes mental pictures of information given, so in order for this kind of learner to retain information, oral or written, presentations of new information must contain diagrams and drawings, preferably in color. the visual learner can't concentrate with a lot of activity around him and will focus better and learn faster in a quiet study environment.

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visual learners are often:

  • good spellers
  • fast readers
  • great at seeing the big picture but often forgets smaller details
  • good at remembering faces but has a hard time remembering names

the visual learner will benefit from:

  • color-coded notes
  • using drawings to illustrate
  • outlining information
  • using mind maps and flash cards

[h=3]kinesthetic learner[/h]kinesthetic learners are described as the students in the classroom, who have problems sitting still and who often bounce their legs while tapping their fingers on the desks. they are often referred to as hyperactive students with concentration issues.

[h=2][/h]


kinesthetic learners are often:

  • gifted performers
  • naturally athletic

to get the most of an education the kinesthetic learner can:

  • choose classes with hands-on labs
  • study with (loud) music in the background
  • use memory and flash cards
  • study in small groups
  • take breaks often during study

[h=3]auditory learner[/h]for the auditory learner, oral presentations are crucial for understanding a subject, as this kind of learner has the ability to remember speeches and lectures in detail but has a hard time with written text. having to read long texts is pointless and will not be retained by the auditory learner unless it is read aloud.

the auditory learner often has:

  • strong language skills
  • a well-developed vocabulary
  • the ability to follow spoken directions well
  • a hard time remembering faces but easily remembers names

for the auditory learner to get the most out of classes it can be helpful to:

  • record lectures
  • use word associations
  • listen to audiotapes
  • read notes aloud
  • sit in the front of the class where the teacher can easily be seen and heard.
  • study and discuss subjects with other students

read more at suite101: identify your learning style: kinesthetic, visual and auditory are different ways to learn | suite101.com identify your learning style: kinesthetic, visual and auditory are different ways to learn | suite101.com

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Blak has a good point. There are many different learning styles and what works best for me may not work best for you. A way to see if your study habit worked is to test yourself on the material. Use ATI practice tests if you have them, use the book resources specifically the case study questions and end of chapter reviews.

A couple things I have noticed that may be helpful regardless:

Learn what your professor wants and how they do things.

When they lecture did they go in depth on a particular subject? Do they give you non-graded assignments or prompts to go look something up in the book? Do they test on a subject you swear you didn't learn and was buried somewhere on page 525 in the book? Basically what is their style? Usually you know after the first test or quiz or you can preemptively ask them and say you are worried about the test and ask for tips.

Give yourself enough time

I wouldn't recommend trying to cram an entire test's worth of studying into two days. It doesn't work you read the info, but it just doesn't seem to stick and you stress yourself out. I usually need at least four days minimum and usually that's all I get recently (back to back testing ugh). Spread out the material. Say I want to cover x amount of material and understand it today and then go at it for a bit. Take breaks when you feel fatigued and feel like you can't take any more info then come back and mentally recite the concepts before continuing or if you can't continue just recite the concepts and call it until you feel like you can. The last day save for review of the material as a whole and putting it together and make sure you get a good night's sleep.

Chunk it and KISS

Break the concepts down into smaller portions. An example would be the endocrine system. Don't try to tackle he whole thing head on. Look at the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland and just learn what hormones it secretes/makes/stores and what the target organ is. You don't even have to learn what they do yet, just what the letters stand for, where it comes from, and where it goes. Keep it simple until you are ready for the next bit then tackle maybe 1-2 hormones at a time and learn what they do.

Ask for rationale

Making a mistake is sometimes sad, but it is also a great opportunity to learn. Explain to them why you chose the answer you did and ask why it wasn't that and keep doing that. It can help you learn to get the right answers.

Find the wrong answers

There are usually key words in the question that tell you what it the question is asking that will help you to answer it, but if the right answer doesn't jump out at you narrow it down some. Start with the most obviously wrong answer and cross it out and keep going until you can't find anything else wrong then choose the answer that is the closest to the best possible answer you could ever give (sometimes there are multiple right answers, but you have to find the most right and sometimes you have all bad answers and you have to pick which one is the best out of them).

Good luck and sorry for the long windedness

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I tried to break the reading and studying down into manageable chunks. For instance read/study for 30 minutes then take a break and pick up again later. If I knew my mind was preoccupied and I wasn't paying attention I would stop early. Luckily, I have a good memory but only when I am concentrating to my fullest. I would also make time each day to read/study. Truth be told my life in nursing school pretty much sucked - all I did was work, concentrate on classes, and sleep. I had to buckle down on going out with friends and family and cut back on the time spent with my boyfriend. I explained to everyone how important nursing school was and luckily they stood by me and put up with my absence. Nursing school is just plain tough but on the positive side you will have a life again when it is complete. Good luck.

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I understand what you are going through and I'm going to try some of these tips that everyone has posted. I'm struggling right now in my class and need 93% on my next test and final. I study close to 3-4 hours everyday usually with 10-15 minute breaks on the hour. I have never had to study so hard in my life, even when I took boards for radiology. Hopefully you and I can find our way through it and do well! :)

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Here is a tip about studying. Study for only 45 minutes at a time. Stop and take a break, exercise, get something to drink and rest your mind. Then, after 15 minutes, go back to studying. There is a reason why most classes take a break from 45-60 minutes. After that time, the mind needs a little break.

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Specializes in CMSRN.

I totally agree about breaking up the study time. Anything more than an hour is overwhelming and makes it easy to space out. I like the idea of only 45 minutes at a time. Schedule it so you can do that and then do something totally different like exercise or work on housework or ANYTHING besides studying. You have to clear your mind and absorb before trying to take more in. I know it's not easy but I hope you're able to find your groove this time around!

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I totally agree about breaking up the study time. Anything more than an hour is overwhelming and makes it easy to space out. I like the idea of only 45 minutes at a time. Schedule it so you can do that and then do something totally different like exercise or work on housework or ANYTHING besides studying. You have to clear your mind and absorb before trying to take more in. I know it's not easy but I hope you're able to find your groove this time around!

I had to laugh. I started a garden in between stuying. During the summer, I had the nicest fruits and veggies!!

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Specializes in Med-Surg/urology.
do you know what kind of learner you are? there are several different types of learners, visual, auditory, read-write, and kinesthetic learners. because there are different types you have to approach your study habits based off of them. hope this helps ....

find out what kind of learning style you belong to and optimize your ability to learn and retain information.

some students sit through hours of lectures and retain all the information presented while others benefit more from hands-on lab classes. reason? students have different learning styles, which present both teachers and students with a problem when classes are taught in one set way that might only benefit one kind of learner. students can however, help themselves by finding out what kind of learner style they belong to and customize their study habits to that particular style.

there are three major groups of learners, which are kinesthetic, visual and auditory. these groups represent three very different kinds of students, who are all presented with difficulties during their education.

[h=3]visual learner[/h]the visual learner will often lose focus during long oral lectures, especially if these are not accompanied by drawings and illustrations. the visual learner takes mental pictures of information given, so in order for this kind of learner to retain information, oral or written, presentations of new information must contain diagrams and drawings, preferably in color. the visual learner can't concentrate with a lot of activity around him and will focus better and learn faster in a quiet study environment.

ads by google

visual learners are often:

  • good spellers
  • fast readers
  • great at seeing the big picture but often forgets smaller details
  • good at remembering faces but has a hard time remembering names

the visual learner will benefit from:

  • color-coded notes
  • using drawings to illustrate
  • outlining information
  • using mind maps and flash cards

[h=3]kinesthetic learner[/h]kinesthetic learners are described as the students in the classroom, who have problems sitting still and who often bounce their legs while tapping their fingers on the desks. they are often referred to as hyperactive students with concentration issues.

[h=2][/h]


kinesthetic learners are often:

  • gifted performers
  • naturally athletic

to get the most of an education the kinesthetic learner can:

  • choose classes with hands-on labs
  • study with (loud) music in the background
  • use memory and flash cards
  • study in small groups
  • take breaks often during study

[h=3]auditory learner[/h]for the auditory learner, oral presentations are crucial for understanding a subject, as this kind of learner has the ability to remember speeches and lectures in detail but has a hard time with written text. having to read long texts is pointless and will not be retained by the auditory learner unless it is read aloud.

the auditory learner often has:

  • strong language skills
  • a well-developed vocabulary
  • the ability to follow spoken directions well
  • a hard time remembering faces but easily remembers names

for the auditory learner to get the most out of classes it can be helpful to:

  • record lectures
  • use word associations
  • listen to audiotapes
  • read notes aloud
  • sit in the front of the class where the teacher can easily be seen and heard.
  • study and discuss subjects with other students

read more at suite101: identify your learning style: kinesthetic, visual and auditory are different ways to learn | suite101.com identify your learning style: kinesthetic, visual and auditory are different ways to learn | suite101.com

thanks for this detailed post! i really believe that when people ask for study tips, they should first take a quiz to determine how they study. i'm more of a visual& auditory learner myself. but everyone's study style is unique.

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no problem...i myself is also a visual learner..i didnt realize it until i was making all a's on my a & p practicals but the lecture exams were b's and c's...then i realized i can remember a picture after looking at it for 10 mins but i would also read for hours and only remeber 25% of what i read and couldnt understand why...then i started writing things down over and over, using flash cards to try to help....

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