New grad with recall problem

[wileoutgirl]

I'm 7 weeks into my 8 month critical care residency as a new grad. We're required to take ECCO and have supplemental classes with the critical care CNS at our hospital and it all has been great with the information they've given us. However I am having a very difficult time retaining anything. There's like a bunch of words floating around in my head and I can't separate them enough to help in practice. I'm an extremely visual learner. Does anyone know anything that may help me sort things out? I'll be in the critical care float pool at my hospital when I'm done and they are building me up to complicated patients. Right now they are slightly above progressive patients but I really need to get myself together soon before I'm over my head with the traumas.

[ghillbert, MSN, NP]

I can only suggest you play to your strengths - if you're a visual learner, then write signs or draw things and put them up all over your house.

[GucciRN22]

omg, ditto!! i'm a faster-than-lightning reader, but to actually retain something, i have to:

see it, hear it, read it, see it, use it, read it, write it, say it, use it, read it, say it, read it, use it......you get the point! there are some people i know who hear things once and it just seems to gel right away and i'm so jealous!

i get you though!

[criticalHP, MSN, RN]

I need to write things down in order to retain it- once I do this it's locked in forever. If you are a visual person make notes and review them frequently until you get it down. Good luck