overwhelmed nursing student

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I am a nursing student that is overwhelmed with the readings....seems like alot and unsure with what i should focus on help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Specializes in ED.

Chances are if you are overwhelmed then you are on the right track. Keep reading, believe it or not it will all come together. TRUST ME.

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Specializes in General adult inpatient psychiatry.
Chances are if you are overwhelmed then you are on the right track. Keep reading, believe it or not it will all come together. TRUST ME.

I second that remark---it sounds like tough love but that's what it is. And honestly it depends on your instructor as to whether everything in those readings is emphasized both in class and on the exams. My plan for this semester (I'm a 1st semester senior) is to skim the powerpoint presentations and text before class but really read the text after the instructor has already gone over the material and I feel like I know a little bit about what's being talked about. Nursing school is overwhelming in general but I think it's that way for a reason. Nursing is some serious stuff and it takes a good bit of dedication to muscle through all of it. Good luck and don't let yourself get too stressed out! Focus on what your instructors say is important and what's emphasized the most in class.

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Try to just focus in on objectives!

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You can always talk to your professor if you not sure what to focus on.

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Specializes in Burn, Ortho, Trauma.

Look at the objectives on the powerpoint, if given one for the topic. If not, use the objectives at the beginning of the chapter. hopefully you have some kind of topic outline to follow and fill in from there.

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Specializes in 5th Semester - Graduation Dec '09!.

Key: DO NOT read it like a novel. You need to be able to pick out the information that looks important. I am guessing that you are in Fundamentals. It's like the War and Peace of nursing. For instance the chapter on hand washing is 200+ pages long. Do you read it word for word? No Way!

Read the first sentence of each paragraph--does it say "hand-washing practices in rural Indonesian villages" or "hand washing and cultural sensitivity.":yawn: Skip all that stuff.

What are the objectives of the reading. Are there any bold or italicized words. What do the boxes/figures/graphs on the page say? If the end of the chapter has a summary, those are always helpful.

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I agree. Focus on the objectives. I also skim the chapters and PowerPoints prior to class then go back and absorb the reading the day of the lecture...and I also do the questions at the end of each chapter. Especially if there is a section for critical thinking. I don't feel so overwhelmed with the readings and I tend to do pretty well on exams with this system. Remember that by the time you are out of the fundamentals stage, your exams will become more about application than about regurgitation of facts. Critical thinking is the most important test taking skill, and those questions really have helped me.

Good luck! You'll be fine! :icon_hug:

:stdnrsrck:

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Specializes in LTC/Rehab, Med Surg, Home Care.

It took about 1/2 the first semester for things to not seem so overwhelming. It'll come together, just wait.

I am a nursing student that is overwhelmed with the readings....seems like alot and unsure with what i should focus on help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.

This is the advice I gave to another recent poster in your position. It's the best advice I have to give you.

When reading, look for words that are emphasized...italics, bold, underlined...and read the information around there. There are simply too many chapters and too little time to read everything. Also read all the boxes and sidebars.

Also, you're going to find that nursing school tests are more about your ability to reason than your ability to memorize facts. Learn the concepts behind the stuff, and you'll do OK, even if you don't know all the details.

Finally, the first semester of NS is always very stressful, as it's unlike any other schooling you've likely ever taken. However, once you get into the groove of how things work, you'll be fine.

I wish you the best! Before you know it, it'll be over. I sometimes can't believe I have only 7-8 months left.

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Yes, there is a lot of material to cover in relatively short time. The first person I would talk to is the instructor. They should be able to give you tips on studying styles. Our teacher told us to skim read, paying particular attention to Introduction paragraphs, bolded or italicized words, read every graph, table, picture, figure etc.. and be sure to read the chapter summaries. Now, that just happened to be for my Theory classes. Pathophysiology, I read every page and recorded every lecture and listened to the lectures multiple times.

Clearly you will want to tailor your study habits to the class.

Some people find study groups to be the best way to study for them. Others take notes and then type them up as a review. For theory classes I ended up reading a book called Test Success: Test taking strategies for student nurses, which helped me a lot.

Take care and best of luck to you.

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