Please tell me your studying schedule.

texas_lvn · May 24, 2007

what are you studing right now?

catlover13 · May 24, 2007

Hi,

What worked for me....

I was working full time days, then going to school part time at night. Kids, husband, grandchild (all of us living together). My husband's grad school, daughter's college, son's high school, my nursing school, and an 8 month old grandchild that we all coordinated schedules so we could watch her too - it was a zoo!!!

I studied every day!! I had to. No choice. It wasn't like I could just study whenever I wanted, so I had to be very, very dedicated and organized.

I'd read the chapter before lecture, follow along in the book as the lecture progressed, then re-read once more in prep for exam. So by the time the exam rolled along, I'd have read the chapter 3 times!!!

Every morning before work, I'd get ready, then spend time-usually 1/2 to 1 hour. Usually the house was quiet, and I found that the little bites of studying added up.

I'd study at night too, until I dropped from being tired, and I missed all my favorite TV programs for 2 years - could not take the time to follow them...

Just picked up my diploma, and (pats self on back) received my degree magna cum laude - my only B was in pharmacology.

Good luck!!! Hope this helps!!!

goshin706 · May 24, 2007

just finished my first semester, part time ADN nursing student. Had a sociology class, and A&P 1 w/lab. Soc class was way easy, didn't study for it at all. But for A&P lecture i'd read the chapter for lecture class for two days prior, and do pre lab work after the lecture class was over. I have alot of support at home, wife takes care of our three children, while i goto library and to study group once a week. Twice a week when there was a test. Also, I found a lot of sites online that helped pound all the information into my head. You just have to make time when you can...during lunch, doctors apts, etc. Good Luck!!

AnnieOaklyRN, BSN, RN, EMT-P · May 24, 2007

Study? what is that? :idea:

swtooth

ONEGR8MOM · May 24, 2007

I'm not studying anything at the moment. I was thinking about taking an on-line pharmacology course this summer but the only time that I'll have to study will be from 9-12 at night.

future L&Dnurse · May 26, 2007

My kids are in bed by 8 every night, and I study from 8 until 12 or 1. I also study during naptime, and let them play in the back yard while I study at the kitchen table. Any time I can fit it in.

MikeyJ, RN · May 27, 2007

I work part-time (20 hrs a week) and the way I do it is sit down EVERY night for roughly 2 hours (sometimes more depending on what needs to be read or what needs to be done).

I read my assigned chapters before going to class, and then after class I re-read the key topics at the end of the chapter and re-read the lecture notes.

If you manage your time effectively and stay on top of your readings, you will find that nursing school really isn't that difficult. The content is not at all conceptually difficult. It just takes time to read it and re-read your notes to let all the information soak in. And if you did well in your pre-req's (especially anatomy & physiology and microbiology) you will find that a lot of the material (especially 1st semester) is basically one big overview.

But I think the MOST IMPORTANT thing aside from reading the book and lecture notes is to ENJOY what you are doing and take an interest in everything. If you enjoy it and find it interesting, you are more apt to remember more information.

And don't freak out when professors start throwing 20 page syllabi at you and telling you about the million different quizzes, papers, and assignments are due. Just make a calendar when everything is due and stay calm. You will do fine! And always keep in mind that if the girl/guy next to you is able to do it, so are you! :)

Mustang Sally · May 27, 2007

My plan is to take my brother's advice. He's a paramedic and when he was in school they told him for every hour you are in class, it's 2 hours of study time. Many nights he was at the kitchen table until some ungodly hour studying and he graduated 3rd in his class. :smilecoffeecup:

nursewannabee · May 27, 2007

I just finished my first year of school. I studied all of the time. Any time I had I would study. Said goodbye to family and friends to get through it. It was not so much the 200 plus pages of reading that were due for each class it is the clinical paperwork that one had to do that was time consuming. Not only did you have to look up a list of 20-30 medications per patient plus the patient teaching about the drugs, their adverse effects and normal doses of above drugs there was also care plans and other papers pertaining to clinical.

Then you had 16 hours you spent in clinical each week. It would take me on average 6 hrs to do just the preclinical paperwork each night before clinical not including the amount of time driving to the clinical site to gather information on your patient for the next days clinical.

Monday nights, Tuesdays and Wednesdays were devoted to doing clinical paperwork. Sometimes Thursdays too. At least one to 2 weekends per clinical rotation would be devoted to doing the "extra stuff for clinicals", such as, presentations, teaching plans and the dreaded functional health patterns. Then you had to find time to read the 100's of pages assigned.

There was always cramming before the test because there was never enough "spare time" to actually study the material along the way. I don't think I ever was able to read all of the chapters assigned.

Then you throw in working hours and kids and it gets really crazy.

Best of luck to you

It is doable, but stressful.

emmaline214 · May 28, 2007

WoW, nursewannabe, you sure know how to make somebody excited about nursing school! :wink2:

barbaratruth, RN · May 28, 2007

I would read the chapters before the lecture. I would listen in lecture, as well as record the lectures (just in case). I would do all the test questions that came with the textbooks and visited subject matter websites.

I studied alone, as study groups distracted me.

I would retype any notes or handouts on index cards and print them out and review them before a test. Sometimes I would listen to the lectures before a test while washing the dishes or cleaning.

Calculate 2 hours of study time for every 1 credit MINIMUM. For example, my last nursing course was 8 credits. I studied 16 hours per week at home and probably another 6-8 additional for each test.

All of that got me an A-. Since I had to work and deal with my personal life in between, I was happy with this.

Keep in mind, I didn't always sit down continuously for hours to study. I made use of any free moments (which all add up). I always bring the textbook with me to the doctor's or dentist's office (usually good for a chapter or two). Sometimes I read 15 minutes here and there. I break it up so I don't get overwhelmed.

It has been working out. Don't cram. The information will stay with you if you pace yourself. It's a lot of information and you can adjust your studying to your lifestyle.

Good luck to you.