How to get the most out of the readings

[simplyblissful]

I need HELP! I know being a nursing student means that there will be a large volume of assigned readings. How do you guys tackle this? Do you skim quickly, take notes or skip sections altogether? I find it difficult to stay engaged. I've tried taking notes while reading but it's too time consuming and I never end up getting through the whole reading. How do you guys do it?

Any advice or tips would be great.

[WNTfanM9]

I do a quick skim through the section and use a pencil to circle difficult areas or words I don't understand. Then I go back and cover those areas.

[feelsafewithanurse]

3rd Semester BSN student. When i study i skim the chapter taking higher interest in boxes and tables and then go through questions at the end of the chapter or go through my NCLEX book questions. I do this before class. I manly focus on my lecture notes when studying and make flash cards from the lecture for a quick review. After lecture i re-read my notes and try to make them more organized. It is very hard to keep up with the thousand of pages for an exam. For example 3 of my classes this semester only have two exams and a EBP research project as a grade. Could you imagine reading all of those chapters from the first half of the semester and retain the information, it is highly unlikely. The book is a good reference for clarification but nursing is more of application of knowledge into situations and not plain black and white. If the reading is to much just drop it, it will greatly reduce your stress so you can more focus your attention on the key concepts. Good Luck.

[Okami_CCRN, BSN, RN]

I encourage all nursing students to find out what kind of learner you are, there are online quizzes you can take that will tell you along with study tips that will help you.

VARK -- A Guide to Learning Styles

For example, I am an auditory/reading learner. I rarely take notes as that is not how I learn, instead I listen very carefully in lecture and read the text, skipping small details and learning broad topics. If you understand a broad concept it is easier for you to deduce the smaller details in exams. That's my strategy for nursing school and I average a B+/A-.

[flying_ace2]

I may be a complete psycho, but I read everything in the chapter, usually twice over. I read chapters at about 10 pages at a time. After finishing reading, I reread everything while going through the instructor's powerpoints on the chapter, paying special attention to anything that just isn't sticking in my head. I don't take notes, but I do try and do all the chapter practice questions, questions on line, in my NCLEX review book, etc. that all pertain to the subject I'm studying, just to make sure I have a good understanding of it.