Studying for nursing classes

brown eyed girl · Jan 4, 2015

I have both an nclex book and the hesi rn comprehensive book. I think for me I have to have a tutor who "knows" the subject. What I mean by that is, you have to be able to "explain" the topic being introduced instead of lecturing from the book. Do you understand what I'm saying? I know this helps me tremendously because when my OB tutor did this (she was an OB nurse for 30 years), THE LIGHT CAME ON IMMEDIATELY! She just looked at the first chapter I showed her, walked over to the board (which I loved) and began to talk WITHOUT USING THE BOOK. SHE KNEW HER SUBJECT WELL ENOUGH TO TEACH/REINFORCE WHAT I HAD STUDIED PLUS SHE MADE ME ENGAGE WITH HER. She just simplified the inform and it was all simple to me. She was the reason I passed my OB hesi so well. She used visual aids and pointed out important facts that were in the book. I learned so much from her. I know that I need another student or another instructor to "teach me and make it real for me. Between this and doing Nclex questions I think it will help. But I still believe there is something that needs to be "re-taught to me with regard to nclex style questions to be able to identify what is being asked and if there is a way to tell in the answers given which answer is the best answer. I have to put time in to study but, I don't really think I need to spend massive amounts of time to do it. It is impossible to spend 3 hrs EVERYDAY for each class if you have 2-3 classes and work more than pt but less than ft. When do you eat or sleep? Burn out is imminent....which is what happened to me. I'm all about condensing relevant information, maximizing my understanding of the information, retaining key information in my long term memory, and performing on the test by "applying" the information.

jaluo2014 · Jan 4, 2015

focus on ADPIE. It is very important. I have pages of notes on ADPIE and once you have deep understanding of nursing process then answering questions or thinking as a nurse becomes easier. Hope this helps

B52, ADN, BSN, MSN, RN · Jan 4, 2015

I'm a word person. I read the chapters over and over, then I created scenarios in my head and applied what I read. That worked for me. I also took notes in class, but I didn't summarize chapters or rewrite the book. I pretty much just read. It probably helped that my background is in newspaper reporting/editing.

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Jan 4, 2015

focus on ADPIE. It is very important. I have pages of notes on ADPIE and once you have deep understanding of nursing process then answering questions or thinking as a nurse becomes easier. Hope this helps

This.

As a former LPN who returned to a BSN program after 5 years of working as a LPN and continued to work as one, the first thing I did was detach myself from thing as a LPN and in my classes and clinical "think" like "the RN".

At lest in my PN program, we were taught ADPIE and the nursing process, wrote care plans and the whole nine, even was taught leadership, so my transition was broadening the role; you KNOW the nursing process and how to write a care plan; then, you write notes tailoring to it- I highlighted Pathophysiology and tests and used the nursing process in applying what interventions and evaluation (when applicable) to managing a pt with

s/s as well as preparing and managing a pt with particular testing when studying and using notes to help apply the knowledge.

Also learn to use guided imagery when answering questions and pick out question that will help the scenario when choosing the best answer, as well as action words-that what helped me as a tactile learner successfully answer those questions.

I also picked up auditory learning when I returned to school; my grades improved from B to B-plus/A minus cusp in the more challenging courses when I incorporated a new learning style in approaching the material; years ago I really wasn't an auditory learner, but time evolves and things do change, so try taping lectures and listening to them as well-I found listening to the courses while I slept at night help-some nigh think it was over kill, but I ended up passing and it worked for me. :)

brown eyed girl · Jan 5, 2015

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE RESPONDED TO ME! I'M SO APPREACIATIVE FOR YOUR HELP in trying to keep me from making the same mistakes when I re-enroll in school (hopefully within the next 2-3 months)! I saw something on youtube (I think...lol!) where you could look at the answers and tell if they were assessment, dx, planning, implantation, or evaluation answers; THEN, they read the question to see what it wants you to do? If this is the case, I need to RELEARN how to do this because I'm good at reading and retaining the information, its getting to the test and applying what I know. I have been told over and over by my instructors that they see I "know" the information because I can tell them about the disorder/disease and why I picked the answer that I did, even if it was wrong. I KNOW I CAN DO THIS AND DO IT WELL. I HAVE FAITH IN ME TO DO SO. I HAVE NO DESIRE OR INTENTION OF GIVING UP!

brown eyed girl · Jan 5, 2015

this.
As a former lpn who returned to a bsn program after 5 years of working as a lpn and continued to work as one, the first thing i did was detach myself from thing as a lpn and in my classes and clinical "think" like "the rn".
At lest in my pn program, we were taught adpie and the nursing process, wrote care plans and the whole nine, even was taught leadership, so my transition was broadening the role; you know the nursing process and how to write a care plan; then, you write notes tailoring to it- i highlighted pathophysiology and tests and used the nursing process in applying what interventions and evaluation (when applicable) to managing a pt with
s/s as well as preparing and managing a pt with particular testing when studying and using notes to help apply the knowledge.
Also learn to use guided imagery when answering questions and pick out question that will help the scenario when choosing the best answer, as well as action words-that what helped me as a tactile learner successfully answer those questions.
I also picked up auditory learning when i returned to school; my grades improved from b to b-plus/a minus cusp in the more challenging courses when i incorporated a new learning style in approaching the material; years ago i really wasn't an auditory learner, but time evolves and things do change, so try taping lectures and listening to them as well-i found listening to the courses while i slept at night help-some nigh think it was over kill, but i ended up passing and it worked for me. :)

how do/did you detach from being an lpn while in school? I don't know how to do that?

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Jan 9, 2015

how do/did you detach from being an lpn while in school? I don't know how to do that?

I learned to detach by looking at the material differently by looking at the material as if I am looking at it the first time, although it is not new to me; I focused on the "thinking like a nurse" that I learned from the book "Critical thinking and Nursing Judgement" by Rosalind Alfaro-LeFevre and used the nursing process throughout the thinking process when I approached the material; If you are having challenges in the thought process, I highly recommend this book!

Natasha A., CNA, LVN · Jan 9, 2015

Hi, Ladyfree28 I've read some of your info and wanted to know did you put the lecture slides and lecture notes on flashcards or use all auditory and tape recorded you reciting the info?

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Jan 11, 2015

Hi, Ladyfree28 I've read some of your info and wanted to know did you put the lecture slides and lecture notes on flashcards or use all auditory and tape recorded you reciting the info?

My flash cards consisted of the info from the textbook, as well as important aspects of my notes; I also taped the lectures and listened to the lectures themselves to help retain and prepare for exams.

Natasha A., CNA, LVN · Jan 12, 2015

My flash cards consisted of the info from the textbook, as well as important aspects of my notes; I also taped the lectures and listened to the lectures themselves to help retain and prepare for exams.

Thank you LadyFree28, you truly are a life saver. I really enjoy learning so much from this site from helpful people like yourself :)