Need to change my study habits

[wannabeny]

hi guys!

I'm doing well in my clinicals; I'm able to connect the dots fairly well on a basic level. My theory classes I'm straight C's. High C's, right off of a B, but C's nonetheless. I'm nervous that if I' scraping the barrel so-to-speak on fundamentals tests, what will happen when I'm in med surg in 2 weeks?

My only saving grace was the fact that I scored an 84 (just got a B) on my 1st fundamentals II exam, which was the hardest of all 3 tests this semester.

Any resources or good stickies on here that could help? I'm not entirely sure where I need to change my study habits. My instructors test from material in the book.

So far, my study habits are:

1) read the whole chapter, only highlighting as necessary

2) go back through, make my notes on what I highlighted

3)if i'm not understanding a topic, I try to look it up

things i'm bad at doing:

1) my time management. I'm a fast reader, but reading to comprehend something i'm much, much slower at. with larger or more difficult chapters it'll take my half the day to get through them.

2)going over my notes religously everyday. Sometimes I just physically don't have the time in the day to do it

learning to apply what i know in theory always takes me FOREVER to do. any advice :/ ?

[HikingNurse8789]

I never read my nursing book word for word. I read all boxes, bolded/italicized words, and the chapter summaries. Textbook reading does not work for me. If I'm confused after reading thru that way, I then go to internet resources like Khan academy for further clarification. I do not do typical hand written notes either, I do concept maps. With hand written notes, my mind drifts. Using concept maps lets me a bit creative with different colors etc so that I'm actually retaining info. With really involved info I will at times do a hand written outline. I type any book notes that do not fit well in a concept map. Time management is my strength now that I understand how to learn that makes my brain click. Reading page after page just doesn't do it for me. I did that technique my last nursing class and got an A -. I also utilize Quizlet a lot by turning pertinent material into test questions and quizzing myself everyday by using the mobile app. Allows me to study anywhere, even if I just have 5 minutes.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

I'm a very fast reader also. I love to read & always have my Kindle with me. BUT reading for enjoyment and reading for retention/understanding are two different animals. Recreational reading is effortless - reading to learn is effort-ful.

It may sound silly, but when you're faced with complex material, reading aloud will engage additional cognitive pathways that increase retention. I remember a student who told me that he read his A&P assignments to his dog every evening.... that's a great visual, right? It also helps to stop reading and deliberately "reflect" - think about what you have just read; explain it to yourself as though you were teaching someone. The key to retention is effortful processing - making sense of the new information.