Study tips for 2nd semester?

[May2024]

I'm currently in a 2 year program and about to go into my 2nd semester, last semester I had pharmacology and fundamentals of nursing. Pharmacology was rough and I struggled with studying, I'd either study too much or not enough it felt like... I mean I passed both classes which Is all that matters but next semester I have med surg 1 and mental health, it's looking like it's going to be even more busy and hectic considering both classes have a clinical component. Does anyone have any good study tips for me? I'm super nervous to go back into it because I literally struggled so bad with motivation and my mental health last semester. I did go from part time to PRN at work so I'll have more time to effectively study.

[summertx]

Here's some suggestions: 

1) Maybe find resources that would speed up processes, such as for clinical if you're weak in an area, for example, looking up meds, or care plans get an app on your phone that makes it easier to look up such as Lippincott Advisor or the Davis Drug Guide app (this is expensive I think) if you don't have one. You can look up care plans, meds, signs/symptoms pretty quickly. 

2) Study question banks such as UWorld or another Q Bank and do questions relevant to the topic you are studying, to prepare you more for  content and tests. 

3) If possible, if you know the topics that are going to be taught ahead of time, try to read important content, do questions to practice. 

 

 

 

 

[ICUNurseLife]

• I highly recommend knowing your learning style - this will help you tremendously when it comes to studying. For instance, if you're a visual learner, it would be helpful to use concept maps and draw out concepts to visualize everything. If you're an auditory learner, you can listen to class recordings (if allowed) or listen to YouTube videos anywhere you can ie in the car, grocery shopping, etc.
• Once you figure out how you learn best, make a study plan. If you work, make sure you give yourself enough time to study. Time blocking will help you manage your time. Example: You work 8 hours 3 days a week. If you're too tired to study those days, make time for at least 1 hour to look over things you're struggling with. So, if you have 4 days off, try to block out at least 2-4 hours each day to review content you're being tested on. Don't wait until the night before - you won't retain much cramming. Have you tried study groups? They can be a hit or miss. 
• You should also be practicing NCLEX style questions during your study sessions. This will help familiarize you with NCLEX questions and help on your nursing school exams. If you're being tested on heart failure, try to do at least 25 questions each day on heart failure (after you understand the concept).

Nursing school resources that might be helpful:

Free Simplified Nursing School Notes

How to Study for and Pass Med Surg Nursing

Nursing School Note Taking Tips

Nursing Concept Maps

I hope this helps. Good luck - you got this!