What study habits work and don't work for nursing school?

[kayleen4246]

I'm about to start an Accelerated BSN program in mid-August and have been reading a lot of the student nurse posts. I keep reading that the study habits that worked in pre-reqs don't work for nursing classes (i.e. the ol' memorize and dump method). I have a 4.0 in my pre-nursing classes but a lot of those classes really are just test of your ability to memorize a massive amount of information (anatomy) and then dump it onto paper come test time. I was wondering if anybody would be willing to share how they successfully changed their study habits once they got into nursing school? What still worked- what didn't?

I've been reviewing some NCLEX questions and I can see how the questions are worded very differently and require a deeper level of understanding of the material. I wanted to know how do you study in order to achieve that deeper understanding? Thank you!!

[Michelle1004]

Never memorize. Now, what worked for me may not work for everyone, but I found it a good way to condense information to make reviewing for exams easier. My method: read all of the chapters and take detailed notes. Take detailed notes in class. Take notecards and only put the important info (like stuff that is unique to the condition, procedure, etc.). Read these at least once a day. 48 hours before an exam, read through the chapters again (just read because you already took notes) and read your detailed notes. Then, the morning of the test, just look at your note cards. This sounds like a lot, but I promise it really isn't when you put it into practice. I work full-time, am raising my teen cousin and am providing full care for my gram. I also go to nursing schools full-time. This method has helped me to shave some time off while still getting all of the info and retaining it. I am not a straight-A student, but I am getting As and high Bs.

Thanks for the tips! I'm hoping to get accepted and start my program for the Spring!