study plan

I have only been through one semester but here is what my school recommends; Scan your readings first going over the bold topics,etc. Then read your readings before class. During class lecture follow along with the ppt. or whatever method your school uses. Go back over the same material again while it is fresh on your mind. If you have any questions or concerns, be sure to ask for help in understanding whatever it is. I will admit that I used to read all of the reading material but for the most part test questions come from lecture and power points given by the instructors. I am going to try to read more this semester because i believe there is a lot more material that we will be having to know this semester! Good Luck to ya and have fun! Nursing school is a blast!:w00t:

This was my study plan:

Before lecture: skim over readings

During lecture: record lecture and take notes

After lecture: refer to book for important concepts

Before exams: do lots of practice questions, review powerpoints, meet with instructor to clarify anything I didn't understand, study group, pray.

After exams: Law and order SVU with wine.

I did this for the whole 2 years and never failed an exam !

Me:

I go through my book and put post it bookmarks in all of the chapters that are going to be on the next test. I fold down my notes and seperate them by what test they will be on. I read through it on my own. Then, I'll read through it again later with my computer on hand and make flashcards online.

I make my flashcards online as I read and make a card for things I feel are important. This saves me from having a million index cards that I could lose/forget. Then, when it comes time to study for the test, I just pull up my flashcards online. Bonus: when the comprehensive final or NCLEX comes around, you have all of your flashcards and don't have to re-read everything again. Greatest thing EVER. It's free too and you can share your cards with your classmates or look up other's cards. Personally, I like flashcardexchange.com. If you have a smartphone/Ipad, you can study them on the go and not carry a bunch of cards around too.

Also, when I study, my thing to remember is this: If I can't explain it all in layman's terms to someone else to the point where they understand, then I don't understand it myself. I think Einstein said something once along those lines Get someone not in the healthcare field and explain something to them. Let them ask questions. If you don't know, look into it. Or have conversations/sceanarios in your head and pretend a patient is asking a ton of questions (They do, by the way)

Finally, get super organized, almost OCD with your Books, binders, schedule, everything. It helps. Look into the "Made Incredibly Easy" books too, they have them for each class and sometimes you can look on them online for free if your school does that. They break things down a step further. Most books also have online resources if you look under the front cover, it should give a site.

It may seem tedious, but in reality I don't have to study as much as some other students in my class have said they study, and I made all A's. I usually had my weekends free. Hope it helps! Good luck!