I was looking over the first semester thread and noticed that a ton of people were talking about all the reading they had to do. Are most people actually reading?? In my class (just finishing 1st semester) just about everyone admits to not reading the texts but merely using them as a reference. I'm in that boat as well and have all As so far. There are a few that read and study ALL THE TIME and get worse grades.... It's almost like if you know just barely too little your critical thinking is improved.
So I got off subject but I'd love to know what the norms are regarding reading and studying in your programs.
I really do not think it is even feasible to read EVERYTHING assigned. During my first semester, it would have required me to read 300 - 500 pages WEEKLY. Unless you dovote every waking minute to studying, then perhaps you could do it. I tried to stay on top of my readings my first semester around and did it for about 8 weeks, but you burn out so quickly. Thus I have switched my focus to just studying the Power Points and reading information from my NCLEX review book and looking to the book for clarification.
But nursing school's purpose is not for students to study little tiny detail to get A's on exams, it should be for the student to UNDERSTAND concepts, diseases, etc. and apply to them. There are students in my class who have A's across the board but have no clue what they are doing in clinicals. And on the flip side there are students who are getting by with B's but can run circles around those A students while in clinicals.
sistermike, that is an excellent point and something I need to remember. I've always been an A student and while I do understand the concepts, I can see how it would be easy to become caught up in making the grade and focusing on the details rather than the concepts and applications.
I don't read everything that is assigned. It is pretty much impossible. The only books that I really try to read everything is patho and pharm. Even then I skim over some things that weren't covered in class.
I read, study and, when necessary, outline. I'm glad I kept up on my readings because there were quite a few questions on the final exam that weren't discussed in class, but were in the textbook. It does take alot of time- fortunately I work nights so I get lots of downtime to read when at work. I also do alot of independent reading and learning, because I find that the more variety of books I read, the better the information "sticks" in my brain.
This is how I learn best too, and I start reading early to familiarize myself with subjects, I am a huge reader regardless of school or not so this could be why I do better reading the book. I enjoy it )
sistermike, that is an excellent point and something I need to remember. I've always been an A student and while I do understand the concepts, I can see how it would be easy to become caught up in making the grade and focusing on the details rather than the concepts and applications.
Tiffany
Tiffany,
I was the same way before nursing school. I was maintaining a GPA near perfect and even the first part of my first semester was spent with me reading everything and trying to "ace" the exams.
I have since changed my ways. I now focus on learning concepts and learning as much as possible during clinicals. I also took on a nurse apprentice job so I can learn that way. I will be honest and say I barely study anymore. I only really study is the night before an exam I will look over my notes and the morning of my exams i will look over my notes. And I manage decent grades (this semester I received an A-, B+, & B.. good enough for me!). Classmates always ask me, "how are maintaining those kind of grades and not studying that often?". It is because everything has started "clicking" when I stopped focusing on trying to "ace" everything. I have started putting 2 and 2 together and started "critically thinking" about situations and applying all of the knowledge I have to that scenario. And so far it is working out great for me! :)
I KNOW that the majority of my students do not open the book. They will not admit to it, but when I joke about the doorstop in their bedrooms they laugh :)
Having said that, the ones I know do read tend to do better. Is there any correlation? I'm not touching that one with a ten foot pole :).
But there is one thing I have learned (and I hope most of you have figured this out by now). It is not about memorizing the material. You can read it all you want, know the info up and down, until you are blue in the face. You need to know what to do with that info in test questions.
I KNOW that the majority of my students do not open the book. They will not admit to it, but when I joke about the doorstop in their bedrooms they laugh :)
Having said that, the ones I know do read tend to do better. Is there any correlation? I'm not touching that one with a ten foot pole :).
But there is one thing I have learned (and I hope most of you have figured this out by now). It is not about memorizing the material. You can read it all you want, know the info up and down, until you are blue in the face. You need to know what to do with that info in test questions.
This is so very true....I have studied hard for nsg tests and have sat in front of the computer and I am like "Where did this question come from??". I have one semester left in the nsg program...I have found that memorization will get you through almost any academic class prior to the nsg program....but in nsg school you take the knowledge that you have and apply it to that situtation. It is all about critical thinking, application, and analysis in order to be sucessful w/ nsg exams/nsg school. Study hard: YES; Read: YES (as much as possible)...it's not like they ask you "What is the normal BUN or creatinine level?" or "What is the definition of dyspnea or erythema?" If that were the case we would ALL ACE our way through nsg school....they expect you to already know the norms/abnormal, definitions, and general concepts....and once we gain that knowledge it is all up to prioritizing and critically thinking the scenerio given in order to come up w/ the best answer.
This is so very true....I have studied hard for nsg tests and have sat in front of the computer and I am like "Where did this question come from??". I have one semester left in the nsg program...I have found that memorization will get you through almost any academic class prior to the nsg program....but in nsg school you take the knowledge that you have and apply it to that situtation. It is all about critical thinking, application, and analysis in order to be sucessful w/ nsg exams/nsg school. Study hard: YES; Read: YES (as much as possible)...it's not like they ask you "What is the normal BUN or creatinine level?" or "What is the definition of dyspnea or erythema?" If that were the case we would ALL ACE our way through nsg school....they expect you to already know the norms/abnormal, definitions, and general concepts....and once we gain that knowledge it is all up to prioritizing and critically thinking the scenerio given in order to come up w/ the best answer.
Reading seems to clarify the material. I usually look at my notes and then I read the pages in the text book that correspond to powerpoint/classnotes. I've noticed that in the exams that are given there are always one or two questions that were not covered in the notes/class , questions that u would only know if you had read the chapter in the textbook. So reading has helped me garner those xtra points on the exam.
i will be honest and say i barely study anymore. i only really study is the night before an exam i will look over my notes and the morning of my exams i will look over my notes. and i manage decent grades (this semester i received an a-, b+, & b.. good enough for me!). classmates always ask me, "how are maintaining those kind of grades and not studying that often?". it is because everything has started "clicking" when i stopped focusing on trying to "ace" everything. i have started putting 2 and 2 together and started "critically thinking" about situations and applying all of the knowledge i have to that scenario. and so far it is working out great for me! :)
that's totally me too. i just get it. it was the same in prerequisites too. and somehow i've kept a 4.0. it must help that i think about it all the time and talk about it all the time, like down to the chemical level. i drive my family and non nursing friends crazy! maybe that's just how i study.... but like you said, i really don't sit down and purposely read or "study".
We so far have gotten a very generalized study guide before each exam, and I use that to determine what specifically needs to be read from the book. I also read all the chapter boxes, try to know all the boldfaced words, and I do the chapter questions that are on the CD that came with the book.
There are a group of us in my class that care about getting high grades (vanity, I know), and we got together and collectively came up with a study plan that has been effective for all of us. Incidentally, all members of this group are fantastic in clinicals, too. A couple of them came in as EMTs or OR techs, so they had the confidence that some of us newbies lacked.
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MikeyJ, RN
1,124 Posts
I really do not think it is even feasible to read EVERYTHING assigned. During my first semester, it would have required me to read 300 - 500 pages WEEKLY. Unless you dovote every waking minute to studying, then perhaps you could do it. I tried to stay on top of my readings my first semester around and did it for about 8 weeks, but you burn out so quickly. Thus I have switched my focus to just studying the Power Points and reading information from my NCLEX review book and looking to the book for clarification.
But nursing school's purpose is not for students to study little tiny detail to get A's on exams, it should be for the student to UNDERSTAND concepts, diseases, etc. and apply to them. There are students in my class who have A's across the board but have no clue what they are doing in clinicals. And on the flip side there are students who are getting by with B's but can run circles around those A students while in clinicals.