Thrive rather than survive

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Hello I'm new to this site. I wanted to know any tips on thriving in nursing school. I had to transfer from my 4-year program and start over at a two year program because of financial reasons. Long story short my parents wanted me to work and go to school in order to pay my own car insurance and a portion of my tuition. Reasonable, but my grades suffered because I worked 5 days a week. However, the first time around I never really set any goals for myself. I was fine with barely passing. I hardly got by fundamentals with a 78 which was the passing minimum. I'm quite the underachiever. But this time around I wanted to aim for the top of my class. Does anybody have any studying tips for fundamentals or tips in general to do so. I have a month before classes start.

Also any websites of links for Fundamentals questions would be greatly appreciated :)

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Hello! I start nursing school on the 18th so I don't have any insight as far as the actual nursing aspect but I can give you some studying tips. I am an overachiever when it comes to academics. I'm sure I add more stress than needed most times...lol! Anyhow I like to make appointments with myself for studying. I schedule time for studying and then I show up for myself. If you have the time set it helps to prevent you from thinking wether or not you want to. You need adequate and uninterrupted time for studying and completing assignments. I also ask for help. If I'm stuck or I realize something is getting a little complex I will seek out help before I sink. Don't wait until you're completely lost to ask for assistance. There are so many resources to help us get through let's not waste them. A great tip I got from a Dr. friend of mine is to read the final summary of a chapter before you read the chapter. This way as you read through the actual chapter you are reading in a more focused manner and already know the key points and where you should really be focusing. Remember this stress is temporary and if this is truly your calling it will be more than worth it in the end.

I wish you all the luck in the world. We can totally do this!

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I find with each year you do learn how to better manage your time, honestly my average increased every single year :p. Not sure if these are helpful tips but these are just things i really find that help me!

- Post a calendar in your room write down all your due dates (tests, projects etc) and colour coordinate based on each class

-Make a realistic study schedule, don't cram the night before

-near my desk i post sticky notes so i would write down Mon-Sun and i write down each day what i want to study or what notes i want to make for whatever class or chapter so when I'm done i check it off and can remove the sticky and when i did what a great feeling it was to see those stickies disappear

-Everyone is different but personally I find that I am most productive when going to the library. When i am home there are so many distractions and i am a big procrastinator i would think of anything to do even clean rather than study

-Study groups: if you have a set date to meet someone you are obligated to go

-Adequate amount of sleep, and exercise if you can squeeze it in ( Yoga was my saviour during nursing school :-)

-USE the CDs that come with your textbooks

-Take a piece of paper divide it in half, left side =questions, right side=answers. When reading powerpoints/textbook, formulate what your reading into a question. So when its time to study for that test you can use your notes as "flash cards" just cover the answers section.

-Keep yourself organized, if you keep notes on your computer organize it into tabs, if you use binders make sure everything is dated and under correct divider, don't leave your papers in random places!

Hope thats helpful and GOODLUCK :-)

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Awesome advice!

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Definitely attend/pay attention in lecture! Teachers always give out the important (sometimes unimportant/off-topic) material, but at least you'll be able to better understand material and pinpoint the key parts you should be studying come exam time.

Have a calendar, which is obvious. Be sure to update regularly with each new exam/quiz/assignment

..this is bad, but coffee does help. Especially in those early mornings!

Unless you're actually going to study, don't study in groups.

I found that keeping track of how many hours I studied a week (using an app) for a few weeks really opened up my eyes to how little I actually studied. Whenever I took a break and went on FB, I would stop the timer. Once I go back to studying, I start it again. I found that in, say, a 5-hour time span, I only really studied 3 hours (60% efficiency)

I got better after a few weeks and I'm pretty much at 85-90% efficiency, which is good for me because I can still enjoy 10-minute breaks every hour :)

Also, what motivates me to study (because I'm a procrastinator and I get distracted while studying) is to go on insta and look up tags on people studying. I like searching the #nursingschool #nursingstudent and #studying tags to motivate me.

If other nursing students are studying at the exact moment, why not you?!

GOOD LUCK :)

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Also, what motivates me to study (because I'm a procrastinator and I get distracted while studying) is to go on insta and look up tags on people studying. I like searching the #nursingschool #nursingstudent and #studying tags to motivate me.

If other nursing students are studying at the exact moment, why not you?!

LOL, I thought I was the only one who did this. I definitely feel less weird now.

It definitely helps me to see other people studying, I have no idea why but it sure does.

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What was the name of the app you used? That sounds like something useful to have =)

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

All the advice so far is great. I found study groups didn't work for me, at first I felt guilty for that and felt I should go. Once I realized my grades were better studying on my own I felt better about that. I have a few friends who feel the same and we text each other questions or reminders as we study.

Also using the textbook online resources is extremely valuable.

It's also never to early to study with NCLEX questions.

I keep flashcards or notes with me at all times, in case I have a minute to study

Good luck with your studies!

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Haha, no kidding it really keeps me going, especially on the days when i just feel like sitting around clicking through youtube!

Are you competitive in nature? I'm a type A and I never like to lose, and seeing others working hard/succeeding/getting through nursing school with good grades makes me not want to lose to them :p

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What was the name of the app you used? That sounds like something useful to have =)

On the iPhone when I had one, I used studybuddy although I'm sure a lot new apps came out since it's been 2 years. Ever switching to Samsung, I like Time Tracker. I set up 2 categories during study sessions, one for studying and one for breaks, and the pie chart lets me see the percentage of each at the end of the day :)

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