How many hours per week do you study?

Denverchick1983 · Mar 19, 2006

I will try to answer your question :) but it really depends on how you study and also what is going on that week in class. I am in a BSN program where you complete pre-reqs then 2 years of nursing school, I have gotten A's in all my nursing courses. I don't study anywhere close to 5 hours a day or even a week sometimes! When you are in clinicals you are able to apply alot of the knowledge you learn in class. In our program we took Health Assessment along with a 6 hour lab, and pathophysiology which was also 6 hours a week for 8 weeks. In lab you generally just practice skills and get tested on clinical skills. Then you will have Nursing Fundamentals with a lab that teaches things like suctioning, IVs, etc. I had to study a lot for pharmacology, but I mostly start studying a couple days before an exam, that is just how I have always studied, but it is not for everyone. Most exams are multiple choice because there are too many students to have essay questions. Med-Surg can be a difficult course and clinical because there is so much to learn. I would say the focus of nursing school so far has been learning the nursing diagnosis process and interventions for a patient. You need to assess your patient and based on your assessment and the pathophysiology of the illness you are going to have interventions as a nurse. If you have any other questions I'll try to help out- GOOD LUCK!!

Imafloat, BSN, RN · Mar 19, 2006

I am a 4.0 student in a BSN program and I don't study 5 hours a day either. I really worked my tail off in anatomy, physiology, assessment, and nursing process. That gave me a good foundation. We are kept super busy with two clincal classes at a time. I just write a list of assignments and when they are due in order of them being due and cross them off when they are each done. I usually start studying for a test 2 days before the test, two days before I start skimming the chapters with my notes to see what my professor was looking at, the next day I read over the power points, write down what I don't understand and keep going over them. The night before the test I do all the NCLEX questions that are on the CDROM that came with my book. Granted, my A's are low A's but they are A's nontheless. I am also an older student with a lot of life experience so I am luckier in that respect, I usually trust my gut instinct on questions I am confused about and about 80% of the time I get them right.

GrnHonu99, RN · Mar 19, 2006

tooooo many:) I dont think there is an average of how much I study....sometimes 0 hours sometimes 10 hours/day...depends if there is a test tommorrow:)

NephroBSN, BSN, RN · Mar 19, 2006

IMHO from a Poly Sci teacher I used to study each day. I'd put into each subject the same amount of study time as class time. 1 hour class time 1 hour study time. I never crammed. And I never read the text book.. Graduated at 45 with 3.8 GPA .. BSN minor in Poly Sci. If I hadn't done the Poly Sic probably would have been 4.0.. Mostly rewritting my notes from that day to "put" them into long term memory banks.

Just my way.. BTW I never did study groups. Too much chatter and wrong information .. IMHO again

EMTandNurse2B · Mar 19, 2006

I'm in an ADN program, getting A-, and I study about 20 or so hours a week. I really should study more, but there is NO time to study more. As it is, that 20 hours eats into my sleep time significantly. If I did study more, I would be getting better grades. I feel like I'm just barely scraping by with my assignments.

DaFreak71 · Mar 19, 2006

I study about 21 hours each week outside of class. I am not in a BSN program, I'm in an ADN program. I have a 4.0 GPA and I never use study group, although I have studied with one other person once or twice. I find the best way for me to study is this:

Prior to class I read the assigned reading. I make written notes as I'm reading, which I then type up and print out to take to class.

During class, I will follow along with my notes, adding or removing information from my notes as needed.

I come home and make the adjustments to my type-written notes and print those out. I spend a little time going over them again, then I restart the process for the next days class.

Prior to a test I read my notes again, usually just scan them. If there is information that I haven't memorized (like lab values, s/s, etc) I write them on notecards and quiz myself until they are memorized, usually just takes two or so passes through the cards to memorize them.

I keep my past notes in folders so I can refer back to them as needed.

RNinJune2007, RN · Mar 19, 2006

Well, I don't study enough. We'll leave it at that. That is something I'm working on. In my 5 semester accelerated program, most people study ALL the time. More than the 5 hours that your roommate med students are doing

Anyway,

Nursing is a health science. You have to be trained to think like a nurse, and focus on the needs of the client, and that is what will happen in nursing school.

It is important to know the A&P "why's" of everything, but we are especially tested in multiple choice format identical to NCLEX questions, pertaining to your nursing responsibility. We are also given term papers, and clinical stuff (like you said, IV's, injections, etc) that we must be checked off on before we can move on.

charlies · Mar 19, 2006

any free moment, still not enough. There is not enough time to read all of the assigned material. I am a fast reader...a tom clancy in about a week or less.

BoonersmomRN · Mar 19, 2006

On average I'd say 1.5 hours a day. Some days I study all day and other times I go a few days without studying at all. I have an A and so far it's working for me.

allthingsbright · Mar 20, 2006

Lets see, in science pre reqs about an hour a day to keep up, then 2-5 hrs a day in the week leading up to a test.

In a full load of nursing school classes I study 2-3 hrs a day and maybe a little more in the day or two leading up to a test. Now, I am an A student w/out a full time job, so I can manage this ok. It sucks, but I love it! LOL! (I feel liek I am one of those people that has to study a lot to get everything into my head--I just dont "learn" that easily.)

Oh, I wanted to add that this is in addition to the skills lab studies/check-offs/quizzes and computer NCLEX questions we have to go and do on our "own." That can take up about 2-3 hrs on any given day.

mom2michael, MSN, RN, NP · Mar 20, 2006

I make A's in my nursing classes (which in my program is a 94%) and I study anywhere from 0-10 hours per day, really depending on what is going on. Key is I never wait until right before the test to do the reading. I try and read a little every day for each of my classes and they day before the test is reserved for reviewing all the NCLEX questions I can find to review.