Stressed student needs guidance

GingerSue · Sep 13, 2008

Make a schedule for yourself and list what you must read on each day.

Then check each item off as you complete it.

Tackle the material step by step, day by day.

Schedule breaks during your studying.

All the best to you.

newbie08 · Sep 14, 2008

I feel like I am having a hard time keeping my head above water, too. I am taking Fundamentals, Assessment, A&P and a math course. We have been in class for almost a month and I have already had my first tests in all of my classes. Tomorrow and Tuesday I will be having my second tests in Assessment and Fundamentals... You can imagine how stressed I am today:eek: Like you, we are supposed to have the chapters read prior to the lecture (in all classes) so I have been studying and reading all weekend. I don't really have any structured study schedule or anything. Yesterday, I studied for the test I will have on Tuesday so it will be relatively familiar when I study for it again on Monday and today I am going to be studying for my test tomorrow so it will be fresher in my mind.

I know this doesn't help you much, I just wanted you to know that you are not alone!! Just keep your eyes on the prize :nurse:

ADPIE10 · Sep 14, 2008

Hi, it's only my 3rd week of the ADN program, and it already feels like 3 months.
I've been studying all day and night since school started and need guidance for having pharmacology, fundamentals of nursing, Roy Adaptation model and clinicals all crammed into 8 weeks.
There's so much to read and they expect you to read before class starts when you have to prepare for exams every week.
I have a study group, but feel it's not enough. I want to know how to study and get through these crucial 8 weeks. Help.
Thanks

As others have stated, you are not alone. Remember that a major part of nursing is what would more than 50% of nurses do? Only a stupid school would fail more than 50% of their students. Fish that swim together survive attacks by sharks by swimming as a SCHOOL. :loveya:

dani_girl · Sep 14, 2008

Try to break up what you need to do in to smaller tasks.. if you leave it as one big one you will never get it done and you will study "shot gun" style (a little of this.. ok this is boring.. lets do a little from here).. at least that is how I was.. I got a checklist system down when I was in school.. On top when the test date was.. then breaking down.. PHARM ... ok what are the sections.. break em down.. then when you feel stressed out you can look at the pieces and be like "yeah I know that" or "eek.. not sure" (ok.. I got insulins pretty figured out.. lets work on OA's or lets move on to ACE inhibitors..)

Good luck you are not alone.. just keep swimming!!!

NiesyLuv0o · Sep 15, 2008

I agree with what everyone is saying. I am in my 3rd semester and knows exactly how it is. On Saturday nights, I make a schedule starting on the following Sunday. I look at my syllabi for all 3 classes and on the Sunday schedule, I put what needs to be read for my Monday classes. I have 24 hours in a day, and about 4-5 hrs in school. I try to be reasonable and put times on my schedule. Since Saturdays and Sundays I have no class, on Fridays and Saturdays schedule, I put "finish up what needs to be done." So anything left over from during the week, I read on Friday night and Saturday. I also put on my schedule stuff to do, like go bowling, movies, dinner with friends. These are all stress busters. Find something you like to do and just put it on your schedule or you will be overly stressed and burned out fast. Sounds confusing, but it works. I make the schedule and I send to some of my classmates and they say it works out fine. I wish I could show you an example, but I dont know how to add files :crying2:

moongirl · Sep 15, 2008

this is interesting to me, b/c when I was in nursing school, thats all I was doing. We were required to have all the other classes- A&P, Math Micro etc completed before applying.

It will get easier, right now you are still in the "overwhelming stage". Others have good advice- make a list of what's due when, read each night and give yourself a break every once in a while

Bortaz, MSN, RN · Sep 15, 2008

Don't try to read every word of all 10 chapters they assign every day. Focus on emphasized words (italics, bold, underlined) to learn the key points. Also, pay close attention to asides, charts, boxes, etc.

Try to learn concepts, and stop trying to memorize every fact about the subjects. If you understand the concept, you can answer any question they ask you.

Most importantly...RELAX. You're going through the same thing every other nursing student goes through. If you don't allow yourself to go all bug-eyed with panic, you'll do fine. It's still new to you...give it a while, and it will get easier...not necessarily the content, but the way you handle it.

missjennmb · Sep 15, 2008

Try to learn concepts, and stop trying to memorize every fact about the subjects. If you understand the concept, you can answer any question they ask you.

This is what I have learned the hard way this month. I have 3 classes, Fundamentals ( a 9 wk, 7 chapter a week class) AP1 (2 chapters a week but they are HUGE) and a separate Nursing Skills class (we generally check off on something every class or every other class and have to memorize each and every step). I was supposed to take math along with these but thankfully I took that over the summer. In Fundamentals I have an exam every 3rd class, and a quiz one of the two classes in between (and based on material we have to read for homework, NOT what we have gone over in class). Every 2 weeks or so we have an exam in AP.

My first Fundamentals exam, I memorized things like crazy. I only passed by 4 points. My second Fundamentals exam, I got a 91, and I did not memorize at all, just really understood the nursing process as it applied to the chapters. Study groups don't help me a whole lot though honestly, beyond a quick review before the class starts. If you dont have it all read and comprehended prior to the group (for me atleast) it just feels like a waste of time.

dani_girl · Sep 16, 2008

Another idea.. especially when you start getting into diseases/illness.. do not memorize.. try to picture the pt as a whole.. not categories.. Example if a pt has COPD what would the pt look like? Where would I see them? What would I see (in labs/VS), what would they complain of? What tests would I run? What could I do to make them feel better?

In the begining I would memorize, memorize, memorize by facts.. like "ok what are the symptoms of COPD? What are the symptoms of pneumonia? what are the symptoms of URI? and then I would get everything all mixed up.. now I imagine the pt.. alot easier.. and less likely to miss things.. good luck

kd2393 · Sep 21, 2008

Don't try to read every word of all 10 chapters they assign every day. Focus on emphasized words (italics, bold, underlined) to learn the key points. Also, pay close attention to asides, charts, boxes, etc.
Try to learn concepts, and stop trying to memorize every fact about the subjects. If you understand the concept, you can answer any question they ask you.
Most importantly...RELAX. You're going through the same thing every other nursing student goes through. If you don't allow yourself to go all bug-eyed with panic, you'll do fine. It's still new to you...give it a while, and it will get easier...not necessarily the content, but the way you handle it.

I agree, while I was in school the first thing I did after getting the syllabus was outline the chapters. Read the chapter summaries and questions, then go back to whatever you didn't get or are a little vague on. No sense reading 30 pages of stuff you already know. Fundamentals is basically common sense, if you know the why of it you can figure out the rest. No advice for Pharm though (sorry:imbar) all I can say is flashcards-flashcards-flashcards!!!! Whatever you do don't get yourself all in a tizzy over tests, I cannot tell you how many of my classmates did poorly on tests not because they didn't know the answers but because they were basket cases by the time we took the test. Calm down, focus, stick to your study schedule you will do fine. :up:

groovy jeff, RN · Sep 21, 2008

All good advice especially about reading. I read the first sentence of every paragraph; many times everything is right there. At the back of each chapter (in most text books) there are summaries, take some time and go over them. If your instructor uses Power Points, go over them till you puke and read the highlights in the book surrounding the power points. I have my book open in class and highlight the things covered in lecture as well. My experience is that learning to absorb the information gets easier and all the information starts coming together in the 2nd & 3rd semester i.e. conditions & drugs, what is going on with the pt, labs, nursing diagnosis, etc. It will get easier as far as understanding, taking test, NCLEX style questions, and your study skills. However, it will get more busy in that there is more stuff (I'm in an accelerated program).

As Dory says in the movie Finding Nemo, "Just keep on swimming"

Stay groovy!