How many hours per week do you spend reading your nursing books?

RNTutor, BSN, RN · Jun 22, 2010

Many more hours than is healthy :)

When I was in school, I typically studied at least 2 hours/day on weekdays (not much time for more if I wanted to sleep), and probably closer to 8/hours per day on weekends. I did more when I had an exam coming up, and less when we covered a topic I was very familiar with. I did not spend all my time reading, because it is extremely important to study in a way that gets you to learn the material in a deeper way. Simply reading is a superficial way to study, and you would have to spend waaay more time to learn the material if you are "just reading" versus if you are learning it more deeply.

Now that I tutor nursing students....well, let's just say it's slightly less most days, but I still spend quite a bit of time with my books!

itsmejuli · Jun 22, 2010

I skim the required reading material before lecture. During lecture I highlight or tab important information in the textbook as well as take notes. Then I rewrite my notes and include the page numbers of the text book for reference.

To study for exams I review my notes and do the questions from the appropriate section of the Saunders NCLEX review cd.

The time required to do this and make good grades depends on the individual. I can get away with 1-2 hours a day of studying.

This is how I got through LPN school last year.

I start RN in August, I got my Saunders RN NCLEX review book yesterday :)

choc0late · Jun 22, 2010

My teachers would recommend about 13 hours of study time per exam for an A. That usually seemed to be true.

Faith213 · Jun 22, 2010

We were told that to pass, we needed to be studying three hours per hour spent in the classroom/clinical site. This would have added up to 90 hours outside of class time. This was obviously impossible if you want any sleep or to keep your sanity, so I studied/read around four to five hours during the week (excluding Friday - this was my night away from nursing school and greatly reduced my anxiety) and around seven to eight hours a day on the weekend. All my final grades were 90% and up which came out to be two B's and three A's. I learned very quickly to let go of the mentality that I had to earn an A. I decided that my best was good enough, even if it was a B.

Don't let the instructors scare you with the 3 hr/1 hr in class rule. Looking back, I feel like it was more of a scare tactic for those who were coming into the program thinking it'd be easy. Now, with med/surg next semester, I might actually be following this rule. Everyone is different and some people take more/less time than others to learn the material. Find what works best for you. :twocents:

Good luck!

RNTutor, BSN, RN · Jun 22, 2010

I learned very quickly to let go of the mentality that I had to earn an A. I decided that my best was good enough, even if it was a B.

So true!! I really struggled with that myself, as I had always been an A student. I had to learn to swallow my pride a little and decide which was more important...spending time with my family (and preserving my sanity), or getting an A instead of a B. I decided that the most important thing was that I learn the material, not that I get an A in everything. And I used my extra time to invest in other areas of my life. Sometimes you have to make compromises like that to maintain balance in your life.

Sendana · Jun 23, 2010

20+ hours per week studying.

notmanydaysoff · Jun 23, 2010

see below

notmanydaysoff · Jun 23, 2010

Years ago, when I was an undergrad, I had a roommate who was one smart cookie. She was a nursing student in a 4-yr program. She partied, smoked dope, stayed out late, spent her weekends on the lake - while my other roommate and I studied, spent weekends in the library, and otherwise worked our butts off.

And I'll be darned if she didn't pull almost straight As. She just "got it" - which of course I was incredibly envious of!

I was not in nursing school then but I am in an accelerated program now - and once again am studying my butt off (school/clinicals are 5d/wk). But as an adult learner, find that I'm much more focused and able to concentrate on what I consider important.

Out of the 168 hrs in a wk, I probably average 30 hrs studying. I spend 3-6 hr/d plus about 6-8+ on Sundays. I really try to take Saturdays off from studying. It's a clinical day for me and when I get home, because it's at the end of my week, I'm exhausted, usually reward myself with a cocktail and take a nap for a couple hrs. I then get up, fix dinner, and spend a quiet evening at home w/DH. That is my only sanity time during the whole week.

I also am working (about 15-20 hr/wk), maintain a home (you know...housework, laundry, grocery shop, cook), don't have kids. This is my year of not having a life.

And I agree 100% about not feeling the need to get As all the time!

mom2rjns · Jun 27, 2010

I don't even read the book that we were assigned. It is too confusing and doesn't help at all. It is a horrible book!! I am fortunate to have teachers that give out power point presentations that pretty much skim from the book anyways. But, I agree with another comment that reading the material before you get to class is a must. This is how I survived my first semester in school. Every semester we are given a class schedule for the whole semester of test dates and material that is to be covered that day. Always get a head start on it before the semester even starts. That is key!

healthstar, BSN, RN · Jun 27, 2010

I spend more time reading about the class that I struggle the most. It depends what kind of reader you are. If I understand the topic in class, I read the chapter twice. If I am completely clueless about the topic, I read until I understand the chapters. I usually spend 3-5 hours for each class. When I have a test, I study for at least 8 hours. There are people who can read the chapter once and understand it; and also people who have to read it 3-5 times to really get it.