Study and note taking tips please!!

Nursing Students LPN/LVN Students

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I AM STARTING MY LPN CLASSES IN A COUPLE WEEKS AND WAS HOPING TO GET SOME TIPS ON ORGANIZING MY NOTES AND TIPS ON STUDYING. IM THINKING IF I HAVE EVERYTHING ORGANIZED before I START CLASS WILL MAKE THINGS EASIER. ANY POINTERS? ANYTHING I COULD BUY TO HELP ORGANIZE BETTER? WHATS A GOOD WAY TO STUDY? I CANT SEEM TO GET IT TOGETHER :banghead: WHAT WORKS FOR YOU? I WILL APPRECIATE ANY INPUT I GET.

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Specializes in CNA, MA.

I am also starting in September and I know it is still months a way but boy am I nervous!!! This is a great question I will be looking back at it...Good luck to you...please let me know how you make out I wish you the best and soon I will be there too..EEEK! :)

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Im nervous too. From what i understand from orientation yesterday life as we know it will be gone for awhile. Good luck to you also.

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Specializes in CNA, MA.

Yesss I have heard this over and over not to mention I work FT as I will be attending a long LPN program 2 years part time.... AHHH keep me posted on how it goes for you! :)

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Wow. Girl you have it harder than me. Well ill be sure to send you some tips as i learn them in class. Im going full time and will only be working part time on weekends. Where will you be going to school? Im going to west ga. Tech. They have great instructors here. I also hope to get in a study group.

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Specializes in CNA, MA.

I am going to Bristol Plymouth in MA..my only option was nights due to having to work during the day unfortunately but hey you do what you gotta do! Im hoping I can study sometimes at my desk I work as a secretary so maybe I can swing that here n there! Yes a study group is def what I want too! I will def appreciate any tips you may have as time goes on!

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

see the weblinks posted on these sticky threads:

you might also want to read this thread:

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Specializes in CNA, MA.

Thank you daytonite :)

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Specializes in Rehabilitation; LTC; Med-Surg.
I AM STARTING MY LPN CLASSES IN A COUPLE WEEKS AND WAS HOPING TO GET SOME TIPS ON ORGANIZING MY NOTES AND TIPS ON STUDYING. IM THINKING IF I HAVE EVERYTHING ORGANIZED B4 I START CLASS WILL MAKE THINGS EASIER. ANY POINTERS? ANYTHING I COULD BUY TO HELP ORGANIZE BETTER? WHATS A GOOD WAY TO STUDY? I CANT SEEM TO GET IT TOGETHER :banghead: WHAT WORKS FOR YOU? I WILL APPRECIATE ANY INPUT I GET.

1.) ACTIVELY listen during lectures.

2.) Follow along in your book and highlight (or write down on paper) signs & symptoms and definitions of the issue.

3.) STAY organized.

4.) Manage your time well - devote a minimum one hour per class each day. By that I mean.. if you have Med-Surg, Pharmacology and Skills class that day, study those subjects and only up to where your instructor stopped.

5.) Try not to over analyze the material.

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Those are great tips. Im am real good at over analyzing. Thank you so much.

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I'm stating a LPN program in two weeks too! I'm so nervous/excited. Here are some things I have used with sucess in the past for studying!

* Try not to miss any classes, it will just get you further behind

* Exchange numbers/email with class members - in case you miss class or need help with something you learned in class.

* Study hard, but make sure you break up your study time. Study for an hour or so and take a good 10-15 minute break, then resume.

*Don't be afraid to ask questions (I'm sometimes shy to ask in class and will ask the teacher after class)

*If the teacher says "Star or Highlight" something, or seems to repeat the same information a few times - make sure to make it stand out in your book.

* For some classes there are books like "anatomy and physiology made easy" sometimes these books help to explain systems of the body easier then the text books.

* Use note cards/flash cards (i like the spiral bound notecard books, they stay organized and it's easy to keep in my bag).

* Also, I would recommend having some type of tape/digital recorder on hand. I have used it in the pass and it has turned out to be a life saver (especially in the classes where teachers talk way faster than I can write). I would check with your teachers before tape recording though, some don't allow it.

Thats all that I can think of - Good Luck with your program!!!!

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Geriatrics, LTC.

I was a teacher for 20 years before starting my nursing class and I'm doing great, with a 94 average so far. Our class started in january with 48 people and we are down to 27 and about half of them on probation, so when people tell you it's hard, it is! Life being over except for nursing school? If you want to do well yes! Here's how I study and learn, but you may be different, oh and as for those study groups, I'd skip them unless the students are super dedicated and serious. The study groups in my class seem to be the ones who are on probation!

1. Don't fall asleep in class. Try to get a good nights sleep. Organize your home life as to laundry, shopping, meals, chores etc. I make lunches on Sunday and plan the weeks food with hubby then we stick to the plan.

2. Read ahead the next chapter. Look up all vocabulary and write the definitions in a separate notebook. Highlight all the key words in the book. Then during lecture, highlight whatever the teacher says, generally, that's what will be on the tests.

3. Do homework as soon as it's assigned, don't wait till the night before. Use the night before to study for tests, we have a test about twice a week at least.

4. Look at your books, there's either a CD with it, or a website that helps with the material. Go to the website for extras like practice tests etc and do them before your in class tests.

5. Before a test, re-read the chapter quickly and take notes on all you highlighted, look at all your vocabulary.

6. Get a good dosage calculation book and start working through it. Most nursing schools don't offer math as a separate course, so you have to self teach it. It should be a refresher but you will learn how to calculate doseages. In my school we have to pass a math test with an 85 or be dismissed. If you fail your med test, you're usually dismissed as well.

7. If you have a skills lab, get in there and practice every day you can. Don't fall behind.

8. I spend a minimum of three hours a day on homework and 5 hours on Saturday and Sunday. You may be able to get away with less, or you may need more. If your grades start to slip, do more. Discipline yourself. Remember you want this! And it's not enough to "just pass", when you're actually out there in the field will you be satisfied only knowing 75% of what you need to know?? Many people have the attitude that "even the people who pass with a 75 or 80 are still nurses just like the ones with a 95" I disagree. If I was the patient, I'd want the nurse who did his/her best, not the one who simply passed.

Best of luck!

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