How to keep the balance?

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Mar 12, 2010

Are you getting enough sleep? You might be stressing yourself out so much and OVER studying. You still need to take time out for yourself. I went from doing great first semester to having a very bad first half of my second semester. I passed my class with NO points to spare. I also though was way stressed out, was getting no sleep, I was making really dumb errors on my exams, was getting the worse grades I ever made.

So my advice, take a step back, start yourself on a clean slate mentally. Make sure you are getting enough sleep. The 2 hours of sleep will be more useful the then extra 2 hours of studying, (unless your getting plenty). Study a little each day, see if your study habits are working for you. See if your school has a testing center where you can find how to study efficiently, you might studying all wrong for you. But take time out each week, even if it's only for a couple hours, and do something for you that you enjoy.

FA2Nurse · Mar 12, 2010

My question would be what are you taking and HOW are you studying?

My guess is that you are studying wrong for whatever you are taking.

Lsugal731 · Mar 12, 2010

Im not sleeping well at all. I actually almost fell asleep during the test today but I had to study and I had no time to study well this week b/c of clinicals or maybe I just have idea of what im doing and how to manage time. I feel like im always cramming studying only a couple days before but im just trying to survive day by day. Im taking health assessment and a lab for that. Foundations, lab for that and clinicals, pharm and patho as well. This is the normal schedule that we all take. Its alot I feel like my heads spinning. If theres a test theres also a lab practical and a case study in patho due. Im trying to balance everything out but its hard. Lately ive been just highlighting in my textbook and writing out stuff to learn it if i have time. I used to make flashcards to learn but I find myself having no time and spending all this time making them and then the day b4 the test comes and I got a huge pile of note cards to learn. I dont know what to do anymore.

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Mar 12, 2010

Im not sleeping well at all. I actually almost fell asleep during the test today but I had to study and I had no time to study well this week b/c of clinicals or maybe I just have idea of what im doing and how to manage time. I feel like im always cramming studying only a couple days before but im just trying to survive day by day. Im taking health assessment and a lab for that. Foundations, lab for that and clinicals, pharm and patho as well. This is the normal schedule that we all take. Its alot I feel like my heads spinning. If theres a test theres also a lab practical and a case study in patho due. Im trying to balance everything out but its hard. Lately ive been just highlighting in my textbook and writing out stuff to learn it if i have time. I used to make flashcards to learn but I find myself having no time and spending all this time making them and then the day b4 the test comes and I got a huge pile of note cards to learn. I dont know what to do anymore.

I would be willing to be the sleep is a good portion of the problem. At least it was for me because when I was getting good sleep I was more attentive in lecture and I absorbed more, I was more alert on my exams and I did well. But when I moved to the next class it was at the same time my husband was working out of state, he does that for the winter. I have trouble sleeping more when he is gone. I was getting maybe 2-4 hours of sleep a night, I got NO sleep before 2 tests (I got F's on those tests) and I got only 2 hours on another one and got an F on that one to.

I went into my final that was worth 125 points and I knew I couldn't miss more then 22 points. It was a lot of pressure. I tried to study a little each day. The night before at around 7 o clock I stopped, I decided I knew what I was going to know, I was going to watch a movie and go to bed and get a good nights sleep. I passed my test.

Do you record your lectures? can you record them and listen to them while you do other things, some people learn better this way.

This is why I say the first step is for you to figure out what TYPE of learner you are. When you know this you can find out what methods of studying work best for your learning type. Do that and start going off of that and start getting some more sleep and I would be truly shocked if you didn't start doing better. Go in and meet with your instructors and go over your tests with them and have them point out what they see you are doing wrong.

Most schools have a lot of resources to help students struggling, you just have to go in and ask.

DayDreamin ER CRNP · Mar 12, 2010

Sounds to me like you are over-studying and/or not studying the right stuff in the right ways. It also sounds like you are not getting enough sleep.

I am a decent student but I'm also a single parent. I find that i really have to manage my study time very well because getting enough sleep is KEY for me. I'd rather only study for 2 hours and get a good night's sleep than cram for hours and get no sleep before a test.

I find that if I take small bites of each chapter and relate topics I'm good to go. Knowing the patho of the diseases really does help me a lot!

I used to be a hard core flash card user. i still make them for some subjects but I find that you cannot study applications using flash cards. If you are wanting to continue to make and study with flash cards I highly recommend creating them in Excel. yep, Excel! It is so easy and doesn't take nearly the time and effort to make them.

To make flash cards in Excel, I format 2 columns to be 48 wide and the rows to 130. Every printer is different so you may have to adjust the sizes to fit them but if you know how to use Excel it isn't too hard. I set the page up to print the grid lines then I print them out. I have a paper cutter and just cut the cards on the horizontal grid lines and fold the strips in half and there you have a front and back to a flash card. It is SO easy.

I am finding that now I'm making charts these days. For example, when we were studying F&E balance I would take a blank sheet of copy paper and make a 2x2 grid and do like hyponatremia on the left and hypernatremia on the right in the top two blocks and do two other hypo/hyper on the bottom. I do each one in a different color but I list the features of each one: Normal values, cause, signs and symptoms, treatments, etc for each one. I am very visual so seeing those in a color helps me to recall the info on a test.

I have also found that some of the study guides are a great way to study. The best ones have the rationales for the correct AND the wrong answers. A lot of the NCLEX study guide books are a great way to study too if you find one that is broken down by subject. I have also found that some of my instructors take their test questions straight from some of these books.

I would also suggest you talk to your teachers. As much as I don't like some of my teachers sometimes, they are usually pretty helpful on a one-on-one basis and when you go to them they open WORLDS of info to you. I also found that talking to my clinical teachers is a great way to navigate through school.

Do you have a group to study with? I am not very good at studying by myself sometimes but I found a fantastic study group while doing my pre-reqs and I have learned a lot studying with my group. We all make about the same grades and I would suggest finding a group that makes better grades than you do right now and see what is working for them. We each take a section of our books and teach each other. It really works for us. Especially if our teachers give study guides. Do your teachers give study guides? If so, just work those from start to finish then teach someone about it.

good luck, and try to get some sleep and some exercise if you can. It can do wonders for your mental health!

meredith

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Mar 12, 2010

I have found the Success series of books to be great. They have Fundamentals Success, Med/Surge Success, A pediatric success that comes out in a couple weeks and many more.

I really like how these books are broken down into the subjects and then diseases and for each question when you go to the answers it lists why the one was right, why the others were wrong and EACH question will provide a test taking tip.

I have TONS of different NCLEX books or study books and I would say total package, this set has been my favorite. I am bummed they don't have the peds one out yet since I am in beds right now.

Find someone you can "teach" the material too. Studies have shown this method of studying works great, if you can teach it to someone else you know it pretty well and when teaching it encourage them to ask you a lot of questions so you have to elaborate more.

DayDreamin ER CRNP · Mar 12, 2010

I have found the Success series of books to be great. They have Fundamentals Success, Med/Surge Success, A pediatric success that comes out in a couple weeks and many more.

These are the EXACT books I'm talking about! I think they are a great study tool because they give rationales for the correct and wrong answers. I use these books regularly and I think they are well worth the money! You can find them on half.com pretty inexpensively too.

m

FA2Nurse · Mar 12, 2010

I typically do what KeeperMom does. I'm visual/tactile as well except for I hate flashcards and go with the "magic notebook" idea.

Any reading, powerpoints (I re-write them in my own handwriting), lecture notes go into the magic notebook with different colors and that's what I review all quarter. It's organized and easy and I carry it with me wherever I go.

FIgure out HOW you learn then ORGANIZE.

Taking all those classes at once REQUIRES organization.

and also. go to sleep or you'll go nuts. the end.

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Mar 12, 2010

These are the EXACT books I'm talking about! I think they are a great study tool because they give rationales for the correct and wrong answers. I use these books regularly and I think they are well worth the money! You can find them on half.com pretty inexpensively too.
m

Yeah they are my favorite ones by far. There are a lot of good ones, but this particular series is just really good, Got the NCLEX_RN questions and answers made incredibly easy book to and liked this one as well but not as much as the other one.

I typically do what KeeperMom does. I'm visual/tactile as well except for I hate flashcards and go with the "magic notebook" idea.
Any reading, powerpoints (I re-write them in my own handwriting), lecture notes go into the magic notebook with different colors and that's what I review all quarter. It's organized and easy and I carry it with me wherever I go.
FIgure out HOW you learn then ORGANIZE.
Taking all those classes at once REQUIRES organization.
and also. go to sleep or you'll go nuts. the end.

I found out I am a kinetic and auditory learner then visual came after that. So for me I need to be moving, reading aloud if I read, but recording lectures and listening to them while walking on a treadmill or now that the weather is nicer, outside has worked really well too. Stress balls while studying, chewing gum but also doing that while I am taking my test. I got tons of ideas from the testing center when I went to go get tested on what learning style fits me.

It really can make a HUGE difference when you are studying EFFICIENTLY because you are studying what works for you. Also don't study the stuff know well, may sound dumb but how often do you study something that you got down pat because it makes you feel good. BUT you already know it, so work on stuff you have harder time with. That and sleep can make you or break you. Can't stress that enough.

itsmejuli · Mar 12, 2010

Maybe you're suffering from a time management problem.

Take a few days and keep track of what you are doing when not in class or clinicals. How are you spending your time?

Plan out your schedule for studying, use a calendar and write down exams, assignments etc. Then plan out when you are going to study for each exam and when you will do the assignments.

I like to use a Saunders NCLEX book to review before exams, this may help you.

Good luck!