Nursing Students: Do what works best for YOU (long)

[Exhaustipated, ADN, BSN]

I graduated my program this past May and am preparing to go to orientation for my first job as a nurse (GO ME!). I recently had lunch with a lovely woman who is about to start the program I just graduated, and as I shared tips and advice with her, she shared something that she had been told that got me thinking.

I have always advised incoming nursing students to take the summer before they start their program to take it easy, spend time with their families, and enjoy life a little. It was the advice I received and I pass it along because it worked for me. Once the program starts, most students are overwhelmed with the tons of reading, the whole new way of thinking, and the general stress that comes with being a new nursing student.

Apparently students from the class behind mine told the incoming new students that the advice I (and others like me) gave is WRONG, and they should be taking the summer to get a jump on the reading because there is so much reading to do. In fact, I just read a blog post written by a student who withdrew and is restarting her program saying the "take it easy" advice is the WORST she had ever received.

Despite the feedback I had just received about advice I had previously given, I stand by that advice, and here's why. You can certainly find somebody from the class before you, obtain the syllabus and reading schedule, and spend your entire summer reading. I've heard talk of a new student doing exactly that -- before this person has even started their program the student has already completed the entire semester's reading. Do I recommend that? No, but if that's what works for you, have at it!

Here's the thing. The advice I give is based on my own experience. It is based on what I found works best for me. I know that if I had tried to do the reading before the semester even started, I would have retained very little of it. I would have felt as though I were flying blind without PowerPoints or lectures to indicate where I needed to focus. The end result would have been I would have felt overwhelmed before I had even started, I would have burned out much, much sooner, and my stress levels would have increased exponentially.

But that's me.

I acknowledge that not everybody is like me. Some people might need to do their reading three months early. Some might need to read every single word of the text multiple times in order to feel comfortable. That is why whenever I give advice I always include a caveat:

No matter what anybody tells you, do what works best for you.

Figure out your best study style. What works like a charm for one person may not make a hill of beans bit of difference for the next. Take advice and/or tips into account, try different things, discard what doesn't help, and do what works best for you. You're an adult. This is your education. Find your process and go with it.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

In addition to this, I highly recommend that every nursing student know what learning style is most compatible with them, and use that to help study. One of my personal favorite tools is the VARK questionnaire.

[la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN]

Also, the way you studied for one class is likely not to work for the next one so you have to be flexible and adjust the way you study accordingly.