What do you do when you have to "read everything in the book"?

Nursing Students General Students

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Hello everyone,

I was asking for advice on how to study for a class that suggests "read everything in the book even the small details".......... this came from the instructor and past students too!

I was informed that there is no study guide and the powerpoints are just to guide you for the studying of the textbook so the powerpoints don't really help. But I was informed that everything (even the small details) in each chapter of the book is fair game and can absolutely be tested upon.

I asked the past students for advice and they only said to read the book/assigned chapters and know everything......

I just have no idea where to start! I'm very worried for this class and since each chapter is A TON of information, I have no idea how to read/organize now since all the "fluff" in the chapters (or not so important details) might be important to the instructor to test us on.

How do I even approach this to start studying?

Please share your own advice on studying when you have to "know everything in the book for the exam?"

Thank you!!!!

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Wow, that really stinks. Then only thing I could suggest is stay ahead on your reading. Read the chapters before the day they will be lectured on. Then when you study just maybe make an outline. What the chapter covers, main idea from each section of the chapter, and then smaller "fluff" info.

It's hard when you get a professor like that, because then you don't really know what they are thinking when it comes to exam day. But I can see why they do it. Just because they don't cover it on the exam, doesn't mean you are not going to see it again further into your program and on the NCLEX. Some of the "fluff" could be a scenario, or a little hint.

But it still sucks, none the less. Nursing books are huge, so all I can do is wish you luck. Sorry if I wasn't much help.

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read everything. there are no shortcuts, unless your professor decides to cut you a break. which really doesn't do you any favors. i read all chapters assigned.

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Specializes in Emergency.

Uh...complete waste of time! Practice nclex questions...sounds like the textbook industry propaganda has negatively affected your professors...remember-nursing school is about passing nclex...period!

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Uh...complete waste of time! Practice nclex questions...sounds like the textbook industry propaganda has negatively affected your professors...remember-nursing school is about passing nclex...period!

This is the trick to nursing school. buy practice questions used el cheapo books on amazon , used softwares nclex 3000/4000 and anything cheap you can buy . Do hundreds of questions on each topic and nursing school would be a cake walk. I hardly open my text books get score 90s each exam . You could do 200 (4hours) on each topic and be ready for an exam or study for days and still struggle. Nursing questions use critical thinking not book facts.

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My professors are like that too. They assign 4 chapters for each class, so it gets hard to keep up with everything, especially when the readings for pharmacology and pathophysiology are more technical and takes time to process each paragraph. In class, they use powerpoints, but have very minimal information on them, so it's hard to know what to focus on for the exam. I'd also like to know if any of you can offer advice on how to approach the readings for these types of classes.

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Float Pool/Stepdown.

To the students that are not reading the assigned material and are just doing "NCLEX" questions...how's your grades, fundamental knowledge base, and critical thinking coming along? We had a code the other night where Narcan had to be given to reverse respiratory depression. The primary nurse was a new grad and stated that she didn't know opioids could cause respiratory depression! You shouldn't leave school knowing everything but it's up to you to build your own foundation base of knowledge so you can apply this to experience on the job or even in clinical...I wonder if this nurse "just did NCLEX questions" during school. I think, as a licensed registered practicing nurse that students should worry about passing nursing school first, NCLEX second, getting a job third, and all throughout on trying to not intentionally or unintentionally harm the patients and peers that are counting on us and that trust us. Just my humble opinion...

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Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care.

A humble opinion wouldn't be so judgemental. Everyone has their strong and weak points; maybe the new grad nurse wasn't an expert in opioids.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
To the students that are not reading the assigned material and are just doing "NCLEX" questions...how's your grades, fundamental knowledge base, and critical thinking coming along? We had a code the other night where Narcan had to be given to reverse respiratory depression. The primary nurse was a new grad and stated that she didn't know opioids could cause respiratory depression! You shouldn't leave school knowing everything but it's up to you to build your own foundation base of knowledge so you can apply this to experience on the job or even in clinical...I wonder if this nurse "just did NCLEX questions" during school. I think, as a licensed registered practicing nurse that students should worry about passing nursing school first, NCLEX second, getting a job third, and all throughout on trying to not intentionally or unintentionally harm the patients and peers that are counting on us and that trust us. Just my humble opinion...

Well said.

TBH; IMHO, it is near impossible to read ALL of the chapter; I focused on the objectives; and the parts of the chapter that organized the reading in the nursing process format; I used the nursing process format to study and understand the material by thinking like a nurse; I supplemented my studies with "recommended reading"; most of those books were books for licensed nurses; I still use these books today as a nurse.

OP; the best way to keep up with your studies is to look at the objective of the chapter, then tanaka and charts in the chapter, THEN go to a review book and do NCLEX-style questions to apply the material; I always suggest the Success Series as a great resource to help understand and apply the material to the practice questions.

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HI everyone,

Thank you so much for all your advice!

The thing that just worries me is that I was just told to "know everything in the book even the small details" without a sense of direction to where to start. And I wasn't sure if something was important or not (like unnecessary fluff) so I try just to know "literally everything" just in case.

So I wonder if there is an effective way to do this since I am not sure on how to study per se. And thank you for responding with your advice!

I have heard to Success series but my class is Health Assessment, anything specific for that? I got the other classes under control for now.....

I do hope that I will do well in this class! :)

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Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care.

Good day, Summers3:

What I've been trying to do in keeping up with all of the readings is trying to put myself in the position of a nurse. Will this keep my patient safe? Will this hurt my patient? What do I need to know to treat my patient effectively. Sometimes that's the entire chapter; and other times, it's 25% of the chapter as their can be fluff.

Thank you.

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Specializes in Emergency.

4.0...thx for asking

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