Nursing school hard

mommajoz · Nov 4, 2010

Yes nursing school is hard. At my school we have class exercises on critical thinking where they teach us exactly how to read the questions. We practice and practice and practice so we can get the hang of "thinking like a nurse."

From your other posts I have gathered that you are sixteen, still in high school, and fear about your success in school due to trouble reading, etc. Is that correct? If it is I have to say- "take a deep breath and slow down!" :redpinkhe Focus on geting the help you need in what you are studying right now. You still have a lot of time (and a lot of pre-reqs) to take before you can even start the nursing school process. As you get through each class your knowledge, study skills, and self-confidence will increase. Just take it one step at a time because in the end that is all any of us can really do.

Take care of yourself and believe in yourself. If this is something you really want (and I can tell it really is) then you will make it happen when the time is right.

2ndyearstudent, CNA · Nov 4, 2010

I have 10 hours a week to study.. Even on sat and sunday

If this is true, none of the other concerns you have matter.

Darkpk55 · Nov 4, 2010

You know, I study probably just too hard. 2 chapters of high school textbooks takes me 7 hours to finish. My college friends get done bigger books and more work in less time an get an a or b.

I think i take long because i dont know how to take proper notes. I dont know how to use time wisely. I see people doing 4 chapters of a science book in 3-4 hours. It takes me 7-8...

If only i knew how to take notes in a txtbook would i think studying be much easier.

I dont know what i have to do. Do you guys fully read your textbooks. I read everything over and over until i get it and write everything down because everything seems important to the key points.... This is why 2 classes in college would be 4 to me cause i take longer in studying cause i dont know how to study right

Biggest problem: how do i study from a txtbook and take notes..

Please tell me, am i studying wrong?

I take 4-5 hours longer than i should, because i read over and over, everything in the chapters which is like 100 pages and take notes on everything. Idk everythink seems important to the key points i suck at studying

Darkpk55 · Nov 4, 2010

Btw i messd up on 10 hours a week. I mean I have 70 hours of being able to study a week. I just dont know how to study right, so that time gets wasted On studying wrong

Jmb002 · Nov 4, 2010

I can't comment on how hard nursing school is, because I am not there yet! However, that said, I do know how to study and I am sure you can get lots of advice from others on that as well. Generally I skin the test and back through the text and write down all of the bold words and definitions. I like to make flash cards for all of the terminology and carry them with me to look at where ever I am. I supplement my notes with lecture and add that information to my flash cards. I make sure to read all the little stories/notes in separate boxes (like in my chem class pictures and notes about a certain compound), as those seem to be where teachers get a lot of questions for their tests. If I feel the information is important enough I add those to my note cards as well. Once I have everything on my cards I just start going through them and reading them again and again. Once I know one, I put them in a stack of the ones I know and concentrate on the ones I still questions. I use mnemonics and acronyms to help me remember things I would easily forgot otherwise (for instance in my chem class I had to memorize the theories and the theorist, so I took the first letters of the name an law and memorized those). I hope that helps. Good luck! Sounds like you are on the right track thinking of your future at a young age (I can say that because I am just returning to college at 37). Good for you! Good luck!

J

coast2coast · Nov 4, 2010

As you have been told multiple times ... you need to talk to a guidance counselor to get help with your study habits. I say this nicely, because none of your other worries about college are ever going to matter if you don't have the basics of reading, writing, and retaining information down.

If you felt more confident about your study skills - you wouldn't worry so much about nursing ! You might be able to enjoy some of what you're learning instead of panicking about it all the time.

Last but not least. Slow down. You will be a totally different person by the time you get to your nursing classes and you are letting life pass you by right now worrying about the future. This is no way to live. Concentrate on what's in front of you today and your whole nursing future will unfold in its own time.

Edited to add: If you learn how to study well, you build a knowledge base of facts. You have to have this knowledge base before you can start "critically thinking" about anything. Working out your study habits now will have a direct impact on your critical thinking in the future.