Study Groups

Nursing Students Student Assist

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I am a first quarter ADN student. Two other students and myself are starting a study group. I would greatly appreciate any advice about how to study as a group while in nursing school. So far we have been answering NCLEX and textbook questions but it feels like we are just scraping the surface. Thanks.

Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

keep asking yourselves "why" questions. why does the doctor order this medication, or this treatment? why is this nursing intervention going to work? why, why, why. you have to know the answers to those why's! here are websites that might help you if you haven't already looked through them:

http://go.dbcc.edu/hhps/nursing/study_skills.html - study skills for the nursing student from daytona beach community college nursing department with some good advice.

http://go.dbcc.edu/hhps/nursing/test_taking_skills.html - test taking skills also from daytona beach community college nursing department. a couple of sample questions and how to choose the correct answer for these application type questions.

http://www.efn.org/~nurses/ - this is a website maintained by the nursing students at lane community college in eugene, oregon. for study and learning tips specific to nursing students click on "tips for learning" at the left side of this home page.

https://allnurses.com/forums/f50/nursing-101-question-how-would-you-answer-187954.html

https://allnurses.com/forums/f50/right-way-study-188919.html - right way to study?

Thank you Daytonite.

If your lectures have Objectives, you can split them up between everyone and they answer them and make copies for everyone in the group. Or you can each have some of them, go around the group and ask the objectives and see if you can answer them, if not, go to your textbook/notes and find the answers. There is a reason for the Objectives and being able to answer them definitely helps with exams and understanding the information. Hope that helps.

Thanks so much, RNLisa.

We make up practice test from the lecture, notes, reading, etc. We also answer all of the objectives. I rent out the library of the public library every Sunday, it helps to stay on topic and not get lushed out on Margarita's. (We were meeting at a Mexican joint)

I have compiled all of my tests from NU 101. If you're interested, shoot me an email and I'll email it to you.

It might not work for you, but it works for our group. We're all getting A's and B's so far!

Good luck,

Dani

I don't like study groups, I think I do better on my own. A lot of times in a study group people waste time because they have a hard time with staying focused. And then they start talking and talking and talking. The valuable time is gone and there is no accomplishment. Make sure you use your time effectively. Also have one person to "teach " some of the material and then switch off. I have done it with my friend and she thought it was very helpful because she could answer 3-4 more questions on an exam since we have gone over these questions and she remembered.

Do whatever works for you. Its always helpful to have somebody there to bounce ideas around and get another view on thinking. also, its a great help if the teacher gives you a study guide and you split it up. Make sure the person is reliable though. good luck!!!

Thank you for the great advice.

We make up practice test from the lecture, notes, reading, etc. We also answer all of the objectives. I rent out the library of the public library every Sunday, it helps to stay on topic and not get lushed out on Margarita's. (We were meeting at a Mexican joint)

I have compiled all of my tests from NU 101. If you're interested, shoot me an email and I'll email it to you.

It might not work for you, but it works for our group. We're all getting A's and B's so far!

Good luck,

Dani

I owuld love to have a copy of your 101's. I am starting in January and quaking in my boots lol. thanks

Specializes in Oncology, radiology, ICU.

Our school has a student manual for every class. Each manual breaks down week by week what readings are for that unit. It lists the outcomes and objectives that we are expected to know. I found it best to write out the answers/explanations to these. Study guides are helpful as are the objectives at the beginning of the chapters in your books. I personally was never a fan of study groups but alot of my friends are and it works for them. I wish you the best of luck, you'll find the grove that fits for you.

This is exactly what I do, and I have been very successful this semester. In the study guide, I also include a glossary page if the student manual authors were good enough to do one for thatsection - I just make an extra copy from the manual and attach it to the study guide. If the authors did not provide the answers, then I created a glossary myself.

I would also copy any other important notes from the manual and include it in the study guide. Those little addendums are thigns the instructors want you to know, couldn't find anywhere else, so they created their own version for you.

Of course, you can always just remove all this stuff from your manual, but I liked to leave it intact and just make copies of things I thought were important enough to know for tests, clinicals, etc.

GOOD LUCK!

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