Studying less and less as the program goes on

[QuarterLife88]

When I started the pre-reqs 3 years ago, I had to have all A's, so I studied all day everyday, even when I knew the information. I went at it just to make sure it wouldn't seep out of my brain.

Fast forward to Fall 2011. Nursing school started for me, and I did the same: Even if I already knew the info, I read and re-read all day long and stressed myself out. Sometimes I would still end up only barely passing with a B- while others around me studying half the time or less than that, would get the same or higher.

Well now it's 3rd semester and I'm tired. I have OB which contains a ridiculous amount of reading (so I skim that sucker). I studied my ass off for the first exam and still only passed by the skin of my teeth. I'm done. For the past two weeks I've been doing about half of what I used to. I read a little, then review, get my assignments done, and then toss my work aside to have fun (if it's not also a clinical day). Now I make much more time for myself and my family and things I like to do, because I am legit about to go stir crazy. If I'm gonna bust my butt and make sub-par grades, might as well make the same grades in half the time.

Over it.

Anyone else become like this? Did you grades suffer? Improve? Stay the same?

[Jen_Jen88]

I remember a graduating nursing student once said "take some time for yourself". I think yes its important to study but its also important to sometimes just relax! =]

[QuarterLife88, MSN, RN, NP]

Well I took my own advice, and my grades went up on the last two exams. I went from a low B average in the class to an A- average. My brain really needed to just chill out and relax a bit in order to better absorb the info. I have a lot more fun now too. Win-win.

[sandanrnstudent]

great to hear that the adjustment to your study habits paid off! I hope it continues to be as good!

sandanRNstudent

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

I truly wish I had the same experience you have had, I graduate in December and I couldn't be more grateful for the internship so that I can fill in everything that has been left out of my education.

I doubt anyone graduating from a traditional program (i.e. non-diploma type program) is going to graduate without needing considerable training. What I said was most of what I did learn in college was applicable to the job, not that I learned everything I needed to know in order to function without any supervision. I absolutely did not.

I graduated and went directly into a critical care internship. There would have been no way for a nursing program to prepare me to enter ICU as a fully competent practitioner. And I don't care what some of the veteran nurses say-no one has ever graduated from any nursing program without still having a lot to learn-stuff that only experience can teach you. When those grads from past eras came out of school, they were still green compared to the nurses who had already been practicing for years, though it does sound as if the diploma nurses are clearly better prepared from a clinical standpoint than those who come out of the current programs.

When I graduated, most new grads were really taken under the wings of their units, whether or not they were in a structured internship. Nowadays, it sounds like they are just thrown to the wind and fired at the first sign of trouble. I shake my head at how shortsighted it is to be unwilling to invest in the future by giving the new grads a good and thorough orientation. But that's a subject which could keep an entire new thread going.

[2bNurseCai]

This thread has been really interesting to read- I'm starting my first semester of nursing in the fall and I'm so excited I can't think straight. But I know that I'll have to put a ton of effort in to do well. I've never been great at studying effectively (or at all). I want to do well but seeing all these complaints of burn out make me realize I need to balance everything if I want to stay sane. Any tips? What got you through Fundamentals and your first clinicals and tests?

[jkim414]

I am reading this after being so hard on myself about being borderline (79%) in my Med-Surg II/Critical Care class.

I studied my tail off trying to pull it up to a B, but the more I freak out and panic..the worse I do. I practiced hundreds of nclex questions and still can't break an 80, even when the professor adjusts scores by throwing out questions. So technically, I would get a D on my exam and it would be pulled up to a B after reevaluating the classic statistics. That's just the way many med-surg classes are. Period. I can't change that.

Anyway... I've come to terms with the fact that quality >>>> quantity. This doesn't mean I'm going to procrastinate. When I step into the exam room, I can honestly say that I KNOW the material. But the reality is that there will be exam questions that I will not know the answer to, no matter how much I study. All I can do is prepare, pray, and be calm enough to critically think through the especially tricky questions.

The final is coming up and I am at 79%. At this point, studying and reading everything is NOT going to help. Instead, I'm focusing on being comfortable with the material and just mentally and spiritually preparing myself for a brutal 2 hour exam :-) It sucks that I might end up with a C in this class, when I studied and also have LEARNED so much! But that's just the way nursing school is and I'm not going to go insane because I can't change the system. I think that's what people mean by C=RN, not half-ass and graduate.

[LoveNeverDies]

Jkim, prayers for you! I would make sure to review your weakest chapters first and most. Get a good nights sleep and eat breakfast! If you do not know the answer to the question, try applying ABCs and Maslows. That helps me alot, and usually will AT LEAST get me down between two answers. Secondly, do not change your answers. If you are tempted throw your eraser across the room, seriously.

OP, I am glad you have improved your studying habits. I have only studied a few hours per exam through my first year and managed As&Bs This year I will be able to study more often, which is awesome. There is definitely a brick wall in studying, remember to reward yourself with lots of breaks. Good luck!