Visual learner

Buy yourself a big whiteboard and "teach" yourself, as if you were lecturing to a class of students. Use your notes and textbook as a guide, and give yourself a lecture on the topic of the day. Stand up and speak, using the whiteboard to jot down notes, just as your instructor does. This also works well in a small group, if you find it helpful to study with others.

I am also a big fan of flashcards, especially since you can carry them with you anywhere. (The whiteboard gets a little cumbersome to take to the library :)

hey there i am a visual learner too! are you able to write on your tests? we are and i will draw pictures when i study with things i am trying to remember to make corrolations when i am taking the tests...try that if they let you...also when i first get into the test i usually have a list of things that i have a tough time remembering and write them out quickly on to my test before begining...just ask the instructors first of course...mine say do what helps you rmember...i have been able to get away with doing less"doodles" on my tests toward the end of semester as things were sinking in ...they were works of art in the begining...now there is less....if i could figure out a way to do this to recall the drugs and their info i would be set...still trying to master that one! but good luck and hope it works!

shell

I am a visual learner too, so having to read hundreds of pages a night for class really didn't work that well for me.

The best thing I did was to pay close attention in class, take really good notes; when I write something down I remember it. Tape your lectures if you can so you don't miss anything.

Maybe some videos would be good for you if you are a visual learner; there are videos on every subject. I'm a bit out of the education loop, as I am going on 11 years out of school, but I'm sure you'll find some sites out there with what you need.

As for all the reading... I didn't read half of what was assigned; it was humanly impossible. Focus on the important, learn the rest as you go.

I got the best part of my education once I graduated; on the job training - there is no substitution for working side by side with a seasoned nurse preceptor.

To be a good nurse requires the following ingredients: desire, a lot of common sense and intuition, flexibility, confidence, a broad knowledge base and great on the job training! Every nurse should work a MINIMUM of 1 year on a med/surg floor to learn what nursing really is; the knowledge you get from it will carry you through your career and life as a competent, confident nurse.

My famous saying to describe what kind of nurse I am... I know a little about alot. Great knowledge base, but not so much that it clouds the accuracy; if I need more info about something I look it up or figure it out through deductive reasoning.

I'm a great nurse, I am proud to say. I may not have an advanced degree, but I don't need it for what I am doing. I did go back to school twice and took undergrad classes for BSN and was going to enroll in BSN/MSN FNP program, but sometimes there are bumps in the road, it's called life.

I found another passion besides nursing; travel. So for now, I am Nurse by day... Travel Agent by night... and it suits me just fine.

Best of luck, I'm sure you'll do fine!

Amanda, RN

I am a visual learner. Anyone have any suggestions?

Have you seen these Memory Notebooks of Nursing?

http://www.nursinged.com/resources/products.asp

Katie

Buy yourself a big whiteboard and "teach" yourself, as if you were lecturing to a class of students. Use your notes and textbook as a guide, and give yourself a lecture on the topic of the day. Stand up and speak, using the whiteboard to jot down notes, just as your instructor does. This also works well in a small group, if you find it helpful to study with others.

I am also a big fan of flashcards, especially since you can carry them with you anywhere. (The whiteboard gets a little cumbersome to take to the library :)

OMG, I do that all the time! I always tell people I'm a little crazy becaue I talk to myself.

I used to go to the library when I was in pre-reqs and write on the white board and draw out my chemistry problems and solve them. If I didn't get something, I'd talk to my "class" till I understood it.

I always find if I can explain something to someone else, then I understand it.

The school I attend now has chalkboards which I hate and small study rooms, so I do it at home.

My kids think I'm nuts.

I don't know, but maybe audio will help you too.

Try http://www.vangonotes.com.

I personally like concept mapping....

hi-I am a visual learner as well. This might seem weird, but I highlight in different colors. I take a piece of paper and right down everything about whatever I need to know (one topic per page) -and I color code it with a highlighter. During tests, when I see something relevent to that topic-I think oh, the "pink page" and for some reason it all flows in. Also, with flash cards, I write questions instead of definitions-it helps put it together better for me.

I just usually put tons of notes on my PowerPoints or create a study guide and then review it over and over and over using memorization....that seems to help...

It's off topic, but since someone brought up VangoNotes and I'm thinking of trying them, I wondered if anyone has tried them already and what is your opinion? I'm doing well in my program, but always feel on the edge of being overwhelmed.

I agree that it's impossible to read everything that is assigned! I try to, and I'm only taking nursing classes, since I've satisfied all the other reqs for my BSN, and I -still- find myself falling behind.

sylvieprince (a newbie)