How often do you study/read up?

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in Walk-In, Urgent Care, Emergency Care.

I am a student but have a question for individuals who are already employed as a nurse.

Do you ever study at home about things your patients may be going through?

How often do you keep abreast with new research on diseases, treatment, etc.?

Is this just stuff you learn from being in the field?

Do you regularly (or occasionally) keep up out of your own curiosity?

I am asking because I find myself studying more than what my assignments require simply out of my own curiosity and don't see this changing once I'm actually in practice. But want to see if others experience this and ALSO find the time/have the energy for it!

Thanks for your time answering!

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If a patient has a disease I don't know much about or haven't heard of before I research. I also keep up with new info off of Medscape.

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Specializes in Inpatient Oncology/Public Health.

If I have time during a shift, I will research some. If not, I will on my own time. I learn something every time I work! I don't think that will ever change.

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I'm still pretty new (graduated in May, first job in psych for 3 months & now working LTC medical unit at the VA) but I've referred to my med-surg book quite a few times looking up diseases, drugs & stuff already. I also am subscribed to Nursing2013 (guess it's probably Nursing2014 now...) and Nursing Made Incredibly Easy magazines to keep up on different topics. I love learning, especially now that I'm not being tested on it! Lol.

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

Daily. Not at home (I'm too busy working on my MSN program at home), but at work, in down time and on breaks. Our facility subscribes to UpToDate, which has everything you ever wanted to know about every medical condition and drug. So whenever I'm unfamiliar about something, I read everything I can on UpToDate. Before starting my new job in an outpatient OB/Gyn facility, I didn't know a lot about different birth control methods and STIs. After six months, I have a pretty expert level knowledge on all the different BC options out there, and I have a fair working knowledge on various STIs. I try to become an expert at whatever it is I'm doing, so I'm always reading more about something when my knowledge level has gaps.

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All the time.

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I've been out of school for mumblemumble years (let's just say, " for more than 20" :) ) and I look up new information all the time in my field and in related fields. And I buy a fair number of new books, too, so I can just reach up over my desk and grab 'em.

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I'm still pretty new (graduated in May, first job in psych for 3 months & now working LTC medical unit at the VA) but I've referred to my med-surg book quite a few times looking up diseases, drugs & stuff already. I also am subscribed to Nursing2013 (guess it's probably Nursing2014 now...) and Nursing Made Incredibly Easy magazines to keep up on different topics. I love learning, especially now that I'm not being tested on it! Lol.

Ah, but you are being tested on it, every day you go to work. :)

I meant to mention subscriptions to professional periodicals-- great source of info.

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I usually look stuff up a few times a week on my own at home. If a pt. has something I'm unsure of I look it up at work. I also watch medical shows, attend monthly educational dinners, and ask doctors (if its not crazy) things I am unsure of. Plenty of docs like to educate.

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I love...."ed" to keep up with nursing education. In the old timey days there were these things called magazines. There were several specifically for nursing. I loved reading the articles, taking the quizzes. Just loved it. (I still get them, sadly much thinner than they used to be.

Fast forward mumble mumble years (more than GrnTea.) I really REALLY try on occasion to refresh my knowledge, look up a drug, study a procedure, etc. I takes notes, re-copy them, pretend I am giving an in service on the topic. (Nothing helps you learn a subject like having to teach it.)

Within two days I am lucky if I remember 1/8th of what I studied so diligently!

I can clearly remember my job and co-workers from mumble mumble years ago.....and keep calling my current co-workers by their wrong name!

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Specializes in Walk-In, Urgent Care, Emergency Care.

Thanks everyone for your responses! Wow there are some great suggestions in there, too.

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Specializes in ICU.

I read/study all the time. My brother and I grew up in a rural, isolated area, and our main form of entertainment was reading. It is just a life-long habit with me. My hospital subscribes to nothing, and now they have removed the internet from our computers! I have to look stuff up on my phone, which takes longer and is a pain.

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