How do I study this?

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I just started first semester clinicals and I'm beyond excited that I finally got in after 3 long years on the wait list. This semester I have Nursing Fundamentals. Our instructor has the syllabus posted and the first test is Jan 29. It's covering 12 chapters of our Nursing Fundamentals book and I haven't even counted how many chapters of the ATI book. I've been out of school for a long time (most of my credits transferred from my degree I got right after high school so I did my science classes one class at a time as each was a pre-req for the next). Now with 4 classes and the first test being on that much material, I'm at a loss as to how to study for this, what's important, what's not.

Normally I use the study guide workbook for the class and do them again and again until I've pounded it all into my brain. Or if they have lectures online I listen to those again and again until I can repeat them word for word. 12 chapters though has me thrown for a loop. I can't do that with that much material. I didn't have any questions after the lecture last week, it seemed pretty easy. But I'm stressing big time over this. HELP! How do I study all of this? How do I know what to study or what's important?

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Specializes in Trauma Surgical ICU.

ahh the joys of nursing school. Plan on every test to cover that much material. You are responsible for knowing it all, even info not mentioned in class. If its in the chapters its needed information. You will learn how to take nursing exams which is hard for a lot of people at first. It is not as simple as memorizing the info and regurgitate it back. You take the information from the books and lecture and you apply it in a scenario type questions. For fundamentals it will be a lot of basic stuff and safety at first. It is near impossible to read all 12 chapters word for word but in each chapter their are key elements and boxes, know those, read over the information after each chapter. Look up terms and bold words and know them.

As you go along you will find what works for you, taking notes, knowing the syllabus; it is an outline of what you are expected to know and cover and organize you time as much as possible. Take notes from the book and lecture. Highlighters come in handy too. Before each class try to do as much of the reading as possible. When the lecture comes re what you read you can ask questions or clarification.

Don't be afraid to go to your instructor for tips.

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Don't be afraid to go to your instructor for tips.

^THIS.

Hard for many folks to believe, but nursing instructors really do want you to succeed in nursing school. Success is measured by learning and applying learned information and attitudes in the critical thinking process.

Do, indeed, have a good relationship with your faculty. Use them. Pick their brains. Ask why we care about things.

A cautionary haiku my professor daughter used to have up in her office:

Office hours.

No one comes in.

Perhaps they will all fail.

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Good luck Danny girl.

I am on a waitlist as well and waiting to see if I make it for the spring quarter at my school. I have not started yet but I keep hearing as mentioned by one of the members here. Don't study to memorize. Study to understand the material that is brewing presented and do lots of practice questions from your ATI book. Good luck. I am in your same shoes with my previous college years far behind me and taking sciences one at a time. I am done with them all and waiting to start program. Keep us posted on how it goes. Best of luck. I bet you will do great!

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Specializes in LTC, Med-surg.

Good supplement for test questions:

Fundamentals Success (text only) 2nd(Second) edition by Dr P. Nugent, B. Vitale: B. Vitale Dr P. Nugent: Amazon.com: Books

Almost like a nursing school cliff notes:

Amazon.com: Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN® Examination, 5e (Saunders Comprehensive Review for Nclex-Rn) (9781437708257): Linda Anne Silvestri: Books

Other helpful supplement to fundamentals nursing:

Prentice Hall Reviews & Rationales: Nursing Fundamentals (2nd Edition): MaryAnn Hogan, Mary Jean Je Ricci MSN RN, Donna Taliaferro PhD, Sara Bolten RN MSN: 9780132240789: Amazon.com: Books

buy all of them and you will pass the class. Don't bother with reading your thick heavy textbook unless you want to be study INefficient, skim your textbook but READ the supplemental material because they outline what you need to know for the NCLEX which is

what your program is trying to teach you to pass

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I'm having the same problem with my second semester. Seems like there is just too much. I'm doing mental health and Med-surg.

For me it seems like answering as many nclex style questions as I can related to the topic seemed to help.

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To put it bluntly... get used to it. The info is only going to get harder. With that said, use the advice that others have mentioned. Speak to your instructors. Don't memorize, understand the information. If your book has a CD/Website that you can sign up for, use it (lots of NCLEX-style questions and resources on those websites). I found a highlighter helpful. You don't need to read every single word. Skim the topics that you know and spend more time on the topics you don't know. Make sure you look at the tables/figures/charts in the book...very helpful. If you're stuck on a topic, google it and find a credible source. Many professors nationwide put videos on YouTube, subscribe to those professors' pages. Use notecards. Make concept maps. Overall, use this time to figure out what will work for you in terms of studying. Good luck.

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