How do I manage all of this reading????

[Valasca]

Hi all! So I recently started an ADN program and I am like "whoa!". There is so much reading to do! I have been trying to keep pace but I am running into a problem that I do not know how to manuver around. My wee little brain cannot retain the massive amounts of information that I am trying to shove into it. I have to have long breaks (like an hour) in between reading new capters so that I can retain the information. On top of that it takes me about an hour to read a chapter (if I want to comprehend it). This really reduces the amount of time I can devote to reading. Oh and I have the hardest time cracking open a textbook right after I get out of class. My brain needs a break from class too......

Right now we do not have any clinical stuff to do (that will be chaning in a week or two) and already I am finding it very hard to manage all the reading. I know once clinicals start I am not going to be able to read 30+ chapters a week. My mental stamina is not very good I guess......

So my question is how do I get around this problem? Are the chapter summaries sufficient enough that I can get by with reading those instead? Should I just trust that lecture will provide the necessary information and forget about the reading? Should I just give up now?

I am really starting to freak out now that it has become obvious to me that realistically, I am not going to be able to read all (or even most) of the chapters and do all the other things we have to do. If I could pause time and do all my reading assignments I would....trust me I really want to learn as much as I can......

Anyway, your assistance is needed and greatly appreciated. :heartbeat

[Natingale, EdD, RN]

seriously dude youre not alone..ive been wondering the same thing. I dont mind the papers, skills, and so far so good on the nursing process ..my main pet peeve is reading, and retaining the information when we learn so many new things everyday

sorry i didnt mean to take over your thread ..just know you are SOOO not alone.

edited to add:

I started doing practice questions after i read, then highlighting questions i got wrong so i can go over that information again and again ...i would suggest a fundamentals supplement book with questions and rationales...read the rationale for the correct answer and read the rationale for the answer you choose so you know where you went wrong. Just keep practicing the questions till your comfortable enough with that topic

[RadfordSN]

Like Natingale said, you're not alone.

I hear everyone complaining about how much reading there is to do and how behind they are. Honestly, I don't read. That's not how I learn; I have to do hands-on if I'm going to understand something. However, doing the review questions at the end of chapters and understanding rationale is very helpful in making sure you're retaining information (great suggestion Natingale).

You might also want to get together with fellow students and discuss the readings. It may be easier for you to get the information that way.

Good luck!

[msjack]

Hi all-I'm in the same boat as everyone else. I just can't/don't have time to read all the chapters. I've found if I do the review questions that come on the CD for the textbook and also on the CD for the NCLEX review book it helps a lot. Also, the reviews and rationales books are great. They outline the most important stuff in a chapter and they have CD's with the review questions.

I've learned though over time to focus on the nursing interventions and what would you do FIRST in X situation. Also, learn the meds the instructors talk about in lecture. Good luck!

[groovy jeff, RN]

This is how I do it:

It really helps if you do the reading before the lecture.

First go over the chapter summaries just to get an idea of what is coming. Next read the first sentence of every paragraph; most of the time you can get what you need out of the first sentence. If it is a little tough to understand than peruse the whole paragraph. Be on the lookout for bolded or italicized words and look up all of the terms you do not understand.

You will not be able to remember every detail; what is important is that you get the concept. Soon they will be giving you NCLEX type questions where you have to think the whole thing through; if you don't have the concept, your all done.

After the lecture, take a few minutes to look through it all again, especially stuff in the 'block' etc to see if it applies.

Just work at getting the concepts and you will be OK.

[MB37]

Don't know if this is helpful or not, but I found it helpful to split up my study periods. I'd read a chapter of Fundamentals, then do my discussion board assignment for Research, then read for Assessment, then do a section of a care plan writeup. Then maybe I'd do 100 review questions, or type up yesterday's class notes. Then I'd go back to Fundamentals. This way I could study for several hours without getting burned out on one subject, and it got so that every semester I'd use my "favorite" classes as a reward for reading the boring stuff.