Reading in Nursing School

SilleLu · Sep 8, 2014

Try doing a search, I've seen quite a few similar posts recently about this. What works for me (last semester of ADN, 4.0 gpa): I rarely read before class. I listen to lecture, take notes, then go home and read the sections I need clarification on. Won't work for everyone or for every class. Good luck :)

RN403, BSN, RN · Sep 8, 2014

Yes, as PP has stated there have been quite a few threads on this topic that you might find of assistance.

Basically though, what I have found helpful is skimming the material either before or after class, usually, I would skim before. Then, reading in depth anything that you do not understand to help reinforce the material as the book usually breaks it down more than your notes.

Dancingqueen94 · Sep 8, 2014

Thanks to both of you! :)

scaredsilly, BSN, RN · Sep 8, 2014

Try doing a search, I've seen quite a few similar posts recently about this. What works for me (last semester of ADN, 4.0 gpa): I rarely read before class. I listen to lecture, take notes, then go home and read the sections I need clarification on. Won't work for everyone or for every class. Good luck :)

This is what I did. I also looked at all the pictures and read the captions and used the books to look up answers on the study guides for tests. I do not really know of ANY of my classmates who read each section cover to cover and I graduated Summa with my BSN

la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN · Sep 9, 2014

You can neither expect nor hold yourself to the notion that you will ever do even half of what you're assigned to read. What I did was keep it topical -- I read the part in the chapter on UTIs and skipped other urinary tract conditions. If that's what we were lectured on, it's what I read on. If I actually read a whole chapter, I would be taking in SO much information that we were not covering, were not going to be covering until later quarters, and so on and so forth. So, no, don't try to read cover to cover. It's a waste of time when you can be looking at a disease process up close, getting a feel for the pathology and the nursing management of said disease. The more you do this, the more you start seeing how so many things overlap that you start appreciating the repetition in medicine. Then, you can start expanding on other things and your knowledge base builds. You do not build your knowledge base by studying the textbook.

btab3 · Sep 10, 2014

I think the only things I read I'm school was for Pharm. It was about receptors. Also some for Patho. I think the above advice is great, only read when clarification is needed.

FutureRN101 · Sep 10, 2014

I'm so glad to hear these responses! I was worried for nursing i would have to start reading a TON! I have yet to read any of my books for my pre-reqs. I just study what the teacher lectures on and I have straight a's. I'm sure nursing blocks I will have to crack open some of the books but now I'm more confident that, at least for me personally, I won't have to cram a ton of reading into my routine (I absolutely do not retain what I read!!)

vanilla bean · Sep 13, 2014

Finding cheap(ish) kindle versions of assigned texts on amazon with the text-to-speech feature saved me. I had a crazy long commute to/from school and rarely had time to read anything. Most nursing textbooks are similar, so I would just find the comparable chapter in my ebook that covered the topic(s) that were assigned from the "official" course textbook and have my iPhone read to me while I was stuck in my car commuting. Worked awesome for medsurg, peds, and OB!

HappyWife77, BSN, RN · Sep 13, 2014

I did the reading, just try to divide the pages between your days allotted and break it up.

BusiestBSN · Sep 14, 2014

I scan the chapter before class, including the objectives. This will help me know what to focus on. After class, I combine the power points & the topics in the book (not reading whole chapters) into one document to study from. I find this really helpful.

Dancingqueen94 · Sep 28, 2014

Thanks for all of your awesome posts everyone! I'm now just about one month into my BSN program and I'm finally getting into a routine with my reading and studying. I have been trying to skim before I go to class to get a handle on what we will be talking about. I also print the powerpoints and try to take notes during class. After class I go back to the book and really read about the big topics we talked about in class. This has been helping me and it saves a lot of time, rather than reading every chapter word-for-word before I come to class. I have my first big exam this coming Thursday (October 2nd) so I'm really nervous! Anyways, thanks again everybody for your posts! I hope if any of you are taking classes currently that they are going great and you are doing well! :-)