I seriously need some advise from fellow pre-nursing students...

hearts895, RN BSN · Jan 12, 2010

I'm so sorry about the sciences. They are tough for almost all of us. I myself enjoy Bio., but I don't like Chem. much at all! Honestly, yes it is pretty important to do well with the sciences - mainly because Nursing programs are so, so competitive these days, and they tend to look at your science pre-req grades the most (A&P, Microbio, Chem etc.). Also, nursing deals with pathophysiology (obviously lol) so its good to have an understanding of A&P etc. However, I have heard of plenty of nurses who struggled with their pre-reqs and ended up being awesome nurses with great clinical/real world skills. I am happy to say I have ended up with good grades in my science pre-reqs, but to be honest (haven't started nursing school yet) who knows - I could fall flat on my face with arguably the most important part of nursing school, the clinicals. Just cause someone has a tough time with the some of the "book learning" doesn't mean that they won't be an awesome nursing student who aces the clinicals. Besides, we all end up forgetting this stuff to some degree - by now I couldn't tell you the specific type of protein the a makes up the envelope of an enveloped virus even though I got an A in Microbio. last Spring. And when I'm a nurse, my A in M.Bio. won't mean anything to my patient - however, how well I give a shot will! So don't be hard on yourself! This stuff is tough!!! I can't even begin to count the sleepless nights I spent, studying till 4:00 in the morning, sleeping for 2 hours, then getting up to go take my A&P exam at 8 am. Or Microbio, or chem, or nutrition etc.

Now that being said, because nursing school is so, so competitive to get into, it is critical you do well in all your pre-reqs and so you have to improve your grades in your science pre-reqs. What seems to be the thing that kills you? Not enough time? Confusion? Bad teachers? No support? Lame textbooks?

Here are some things I have done (and still do) - all at once too! Pre-reqs take up your whole life let me tell you :)

I personally make hundreds and hundreds of flash cards - the small kind. This way I have really, really think about the info, because I have break it down. I ask very specific questions on one side of the card, and then I have very specific answer on the other side. For example: What is the myelin sheath around a neuron in the CNS produced by and how is this different in the PNS? Answer: Oligodendrocytes produce myelin in the CNS, while Schwann cells produce myelin in the PNS. Furthermore, when I'm studying before a test I sort of being expand upon my answer when I'm quizzing myself - I might mutter the afore mentioned answer (like a crazy person lol) to myself, while also adding "and of course Oligodendrocytes are a type of Glial cell - they are a type of Glial cell because they provide a type of support to the neurons, and of course that is the main function of Glial cells; to support and nourish the neurons." This way I am really, really thinking about the concepts and expanding them beyond pat, over simplistic memorized definitions. I make hundreds of flashcards for both lecture and textbook.

When I read my textbook, I try to be a "active reader" by highlighting, very selectively, certain sentences. This way I have to keep my mind truly engaged in what I am reading. For example: ...reading, reading ... then I come upon something saying "the H spikes and the N spikes on a flu viron help it to attach to the cells of the respiratory system"... I highlight this (it seems vaguely important) but then I try and think to myself "why did I highlight this? Do I truly understand this & have I truly read what the H & N spikes are? & do I understand the method of adsorption that the viron is using to attach itself". In this way, I try to be a "active, awake"reader - a hard task cause sometime my eyes just tend to glaze over and my mind drifts away. I like to highlight with all different colors to make it more interesting and fun and jump out at me. If its all yellow all the time, it won't make you wake up as much. Don't be afraid to highlight/write in your books - you may not get as much $ when you try to sell them back, but an A the class is worth its weight in gold! Also take advantage of the textbook's official websites - all major textbooks have these. These sites are absolutely wonderful, with awesome things like animated explanations and awesome quizzes and tests, so you can test yourself.

Furthermore, I rewrite my notes. I have a notebook I bring to school and a notebook I rewrite the notes in. And I write different sections and topics in different colored pens - fun, cute colors :) with fun, cute little pens (tiny papermate expressions pens). If my teacher says specifically "know this exact thing for the test", I will write it in black. But I use black sparingly, because I want my mind to be "awake" when I read notes. Also, if you are forced to change pen colors when you rewrite notes, then you are less likely to be mindlessly writing on and on and on, with no thought of what you are actually reading and copying down.

I also join study groups and lead study groups; be careful about this though - to big of a group and it just turns into a social event type thing, where you all sit around and comiserate, and gossip, and chat, and have fun. Thats fun and all, and it is nice to have that wonderful pre-nursing support, but its not productive, so avoid it when a test is seriously looming. A good study group is when you have 3 or less people who are really dedicated and actually know 75% of the material - this way you guys can help eachother with the 25% you don't know. Being the sort of "leader" in a study group is great too! You can "teach" your friends. Get up in front of them, in a school study room, and act like the teacher - start writing on the board, explaining and expanding on what your explaining. It helps them and you. Research has shown the the most effective way to commit something to long term memory is to have to explain it to someone else. Also, a study group is good cause it can kick start you out of procrastination - you don't want to show up to the weekly study group and be the one who doesn't know anything, so you better study!

Another great idea is buy your own fairly large white and wipe board. Draw the A&P structures on the board - I did it to memorize sections of the brain and and the arteries and veins, among other things. Challenge yourself by saying: I'm going to draw all the different types of neurons. If your microbio. teacher is good, he/she will expect you to learn the immune system in depth (as will your A&P teacher). Draw a whole flow chart of all the blood cells - from which cells does each type of WBC come from? What cell produces platelets? etc. etc. etc. Draw the 6 ways Anti-body render anti-gens inert. etc. etc. Buy colorful markers for your board too. Pink, green, red for veins, blue for arteries. Not just black.

I really, really encourage you to go see your teachers during their office hours. Don't be scared - they won't bite you, and in fact they will like you all the more for showing such dedication and concern for learning. Ask them questions galore, and ask them to help you calculate your grade to reassure you your on the right track, and ask them if they have study tips. If they seem too intimating then maybe their not the right teacher for you and you should drop their class and pick a different teacher if you can. Use ratemyprofessor.com and check the ratings of a teacher before you commit to their class. If a majority says their bad - run away! But if a majority says their good, sign up pronto!

Also, go to tutoring sessions if your school offers it. Make friends with your classmates - it means alot to have people who understand what its like and support you. Daydream of the day you will be a nurse - it encourages you in the hard times when your up at 2 am studying the inner workings of the nervous system etc. Have confidence - I know its easier said then done, but if you have studied and studied and you've done well before, say to yourself "well I can't do too terrible, I know alot already." If you are religious, pray and think of how nursing is your calling, so you know you can make it through. Buy cute school supplies!!! Trust me!! You will live and breath your pre-reqs lol, so surround your self with things you actually want to look at and use. You'll make good money when your a nurse, so try to splurge if you can on things like nice 5 star notebooks w/ designs, nice & cute pens, highlighters, pencils, and erasers, nice pencil case, cute folders etc. Buy the tiny flash cards if you can find them - too big, and your Qs and As won't be concise enough. Have faith and I hope all my advice helps :)