10 Tips For Being A Better Nursing Student And Lifelong Learner

**BostonFNP**, APRN

Your investment in your education is a significant one: it is an investment of your time, your finances, and perhaps at times, your sanity. Studying smart helps you capitalize on that investment.

Having been though a significant amount of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral education myself along with being involved in didactic and clinical teaching, here of some of my personal and professional thoughts about how to study smart.

1. Learn don't cram and build a strong foundation

Cramming may help briefly but it does little for you in the long-term. Nursing education builds on what was learned in previous classes and this results in having to try and cram more and more information each class. If you cram on the anatomy of a nephron then next semester when you are learning about the difference in mechanism of action between thiazide and loop diuretics or the homeostasis of blood pressure via the JGA action on the RAS system you are going to struggle. If you have a strong foundation, it is much easier to understand what causes a disease, what symptoms it will manifest, and how you can treat it and what complications you might expect.

2. Diffusion doesn't work

It would be wonderful if studying worked by simple diffusion but it doesn't, it requires active transport. It takes effort to learn. There is no way around putting the effort in, so be smart about it!

3. Have a plan and a schedule

Having a daily and weekly plan to review material and study well before the exam allows you to be efficient in the effort you put into your studying. You read and review a small amount of information each day in a controlled manner and by the time the exam comes you understand it all. If you were going to pour a precious liquid into a

4. Remember that you are smarter than you may feel

The material will be hard, the exams will challenge even the brightest students, and there will be a competitive environment but you were given this opportunity because you made the cut. You have the potential to be great, and at times it may be easy to doubt that if you let yourself.

5. Remember that you can always know more

Nursing is a profession of lifelong learning. You will never be "done". Each chapter, each case study, each assignment is a change to broaden your knowledge. Each patient is a chance to apply your knowledge. You are a student and this is your time to learn; ask questions, do all your readings and your assignments, because they can all help you on nursing exams and more importantly in practice.

6. Everyone falters and fails

Be easy on yourself and be constructive with yourself. Don't focus on the error instead on the rationale. You can learn more from a wrong answer than you can from a correct one if you stay constructive.

7. Use what you have

Nursing exams may ask you about something you have never even heard of, and that can be frustrating if you let it. Approach each question and each topic with the mentality of applying what you do know rather than what you don't. Start from the basics if you are unsure: what would Maslow and ABCD say? And hope you didn't cram that day but actually learned about Maslow and ABCD, because in nursing education, they are often the solution.

8. Study in a group

It takes a village mantra works well for nursing school. Your group allows you to divide and conquer. It gives you motivation to review material prior to a session. It supports you when times are difficult. It lets you see other approaches to the same topic. It corrects you when you have misunderstood something. Most importantly, it helps you enjoy learning.

9. Seek help when needed

If you are struggling with a concept or a class, seek help from a professional early. Most programs have free access to tutors. Most professors are willing to give you some 1 on 1 time. Just like cramming, waiting to get help may mean disaster in the end.

10. The golden rule: Be a Student

You are investing heavily in your education, take the time to actually be a student. That means putting effort into studies. That means making mistakes. That means admitting to yourself that you are on a long road as sometimes just putting one foot in front of the other is what it takes.