I've been accepted to an LPN program and start classes August 20th. In orientation I heard a lot about how important it will be to have a study group. While I'm not a loner socially, I have always preferred to study alone, in the same place and with all my own materials around me, usually listening to one of my many customized study stations on Pandora.
I think of study groups and imagine the time eaten up driving to meet each other, sorting out who will be in charge of what, contacting and setting up dates to meet, etc as time wasted that I could be studying.
I do not underestimate, however, the difficulty of the next 9 months ahead of me and can appreciate the idea that having a group of students with different strengths and study habits can be of benefit. So I'm on the fence about whether to engage in a study group at this point.
What has your experience been with study groups? Did you feel it was a lifesaver or did you feel it wasted your precious study time? ANy tips on ways to maximize the experience and minimize distractions like chatting during a study group?
Sure Mrsladysoul83, it's nothing truly special, anyone of you all could have done it, I just saved you a little time . I may add another column to it for the usual medications given for said problem, and I'm going to try to format it where it can be whole-punched to go into one's binder; then again, I may just leave that up to whoever I send it too so they can do as they wish .
Sure thing bearcat194, I didn't add the medications column, but I did fix the margins so that it can be whole-punched and saved in a binder. Let me know if you gals like it. Here is the link to what I am referring to from a very WONDERFUL nurse in Florida, Nurse Nacole.
On the question of study groups - what a complicated question! Successful study groups are wholly dependent on two things:
1. your personal learning style - not all of us learn the same. For instance, are you a reader? a writer? a talker (verbal)? a listener? A combination? If you are a reader or a writer, study groups may not help you.
2. the other students in the group with you - you can tell who the good, serious students are. Some groups are just an excuse to socialise and eat! Avoid poorly-performing students unless you want to be tutoring THEM.
Hi StudentNurseKitteh, I just emailed it to you. And bearcat194, you are very welcome! I am the "Nurse Nacole" to some in my nursing program here in Chicago ; so I appreciate all that Nurse Nacole does.
I have a classmate that is starting nursing school with me in a few weeks. We have actually taken several courses together and study well together. We planned which sections of courses to take so that we can study together. Last semester we took the same class from different instructors and they were so different that we weren't able to study together and neither of us did as well as we would have liked. We both seem to catch different things out of the lectures and when we put them together, we seem to do best. When we try to add anyone different to the group, as someone else stated, the dynamics change and we don't do as well as when it's just the two of us. Find what works best for you and stick with it.
I'm nervous about instructors asking us to form study groups -- I've never been a fan. I find group study to be more chatting than studying, and that's extremely distracting and detrimental to my learning process. I might be open to studying with one other person, but I really feel I do my best work by myself.
My study group was a lifesaver! We had a group of 8 of us (we called ourselves the Nursing Nerd Herd) that started nursing school at the same time. We would pick a time and whoever could come showed up. We used a system of "divide and conquer" when it came to making flashcards, reading chapters, making study guides, etc. Beyond that, we gave each other rides, shared food, babysat kids, hemmed uniforms, etc.
That said, I also did a lot of studying on my own. I like to talk to myself when I'm trying to learn key facts. Many times I would study on my own first, then meet up with the Herd.
I can't imagine getting through nursing school without my support group. The key factor is finding people that you click with. We had a few people join our group then leave because they just weren't a good fit.
. I may add another column to it for the usual medications given for said problem, and I'm going to try to format it where it can be whole-punched to go into one's binder; then again, I may just leave that up to whoever I send it too so they can do as they wish 
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Mrsladysoul83
258 Posts
@RescuseNinja me too!!!! [email protected]