Something new in med surg-2 !

[NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN]

i went to my med surg- 2 class last night and it was just orientation. they are doing something new and different compared to all of my other nursing classes. the instructors actually gave us all of our powerpoints for the whole class up front. :yeah::yeah:. although i still feel a bit overwhelmed i'm glad we have the all of the notes now so that i can read and study a head of time. i also plan to use the book and take notes on the powerpoint so that way once i get to lecture i can just listen and ask questions.

i'm sure other school do this, however i was told by a previous instructor that they'll never give powerpoints before class because they weren't going to give us an excuse not to show up to lecture. never the less i'll probably need this more than ever right now.

my question is: for those of you who get powerpoints before lectures do you find it helpful ? :)

[Music in My Heart]

The very best teacher I've ever had (not in nursing, btw) used to give us detailed class notes at the beginning of each week. His reasoning was that he wanted us to pay attention to him and interact with him, not focus on copying down every word.

Now that I think about it, the second-best teacher I've ever had (also not nursing, btw) did the same thing.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

my original nursing program had no lectures. we were given all the information at the beginning of the semester and expected to form student groups and bring questions to a big group meeting or our individual meeting which we had with our assigned instructor each week. this was done to promote independence and self-responsibility in learning. our individual instructors would help to guide us in how to do this self-study. i don't remember having much trouble with it and i don't recall anyone dropping out of our original class.

the way this works for you is that you study the powerpoints ahead. this gives you time to formulate any questions you have and attempt to find answers yourself. the idea is that if you can find and answer the questions yourself, your learning and understanding of that particular point will be stronger. you can also participate in any class discussion on the point if it comes up which strengthens your retention of the subject material. it's just the way the adult brain works. if you can't find the answer, then ask in class or utilize an instructor's office hours. don't be surprised if one of the responses you might get from an instructor is, "did you try looking here?" we used to get that one all the time! quite frustrating when you've spent hours and found nothing. you won't find me giving that response to posts on allnurses too much because of that. however, because of my years of experience i often know exactly where to look to find information about a specific subject. eventually, we learned to just ask our instructors where were to best places to look for information about ___.

the idea behind this type of learning is that it creates problem solvers. and, rns are problem solvers. as someone who did the job for 30 years i'm telling you that after you master how to do the hands on physical skills, what an employer really looks for in a good rn is someone who stamp out fires--problem solve. when problems come up, if you do not know what to do about them, who to go to for answers, where to look for answers, you might as well go work at an easy job like mcdonalds where they tell you exactly how to do your job. many problems will be unique. many problems will require you to use your brain and to think. many problems will require you to make the decision and not someone else. and there will be no instructor around to help you.

you will be so glad to learn this independence. i have seen from your posts that you have an independent spirit anyway. this is right up your alley. it is just giving you some rope and a little freedom to develop some self-esteem. just don't go wandering too far out on your leash. remember there are lot of sticky threads here on this and the nursing student assistance forum where you can find some alternative answers to questions beside what is in your textbooks. you are a thinker. this may be a chance for you to demonstrate your ability. i have a feeling you are going to enjoy this class.

[NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN]

Thanks daytonite !

[New 2 iceeYouRN]

At our university we have powerpoints posted to an online site before the lecture. The whole class either prints out the lecture notes or types their notes on laptops. I did have one professor who posted partial lectures with fear that students would not show up to class. However, we are adult learners here and it is our responsibility to attend lecture. I personally type my own notes on my laptop and refer to the powerpoint as reference. If I were you I would bring the notes to the lecture and add on your own personal notes to it. Best of luck!