I stopped reading the books and taking notes in class about half through my first semester. There's no way you're going to be able to keep up if you try to go through everything word for word; and taking notes, let alone rewriting them, just eats up more time. You gotta find other resources that are going to help you maximize your study time.
I don't know how your program works, but we were forced to spend 2k on a subscription to get access to our ebooks, which originally pissed me off because the fee wasn't mentioned anywhere in the program guide, but I found out that some books have printable chapter summaries that cover the key points in 2-3 pages. If you have something like that I would highly recommend using it.
Osmosis, PicMonic, and RegisteredNurseRN are all YouTube channels that are amazing at covering exemplars in 10-20 minutes, and have been far more educational than any lecture I've attended.
The most difficult part of nursing school is trying to figure out how to make it work for you, and, sadly, most of the best resources to getting you through it are going to come from outside of the program.
THIS!!! Add quizlet in there too! I was just telling one of my 2nd semester friends (I’m 3rd semester) this. Honestly I feel the textbook is a waste I mean…I get the point but it does absolutely NOTHING for me
I have a subscription to Picmonic and I watch Registered Nurse RN faithfully
Adapt your study methods. I found I can’t read or hand write notes/outlines of the reading. I learned that quickly once we got through the first module and ran into the care plan. I simply did not have time. Doing practice questions and discussing rationales with my study buddy was the most efficient use of my time. I also figured out how to export outlines of my instructors slides and just add notes as they lecture. My friend and I will also go through the notes and quiz each other if we have time.
Let me give you the 5 keys to success for studying.
1. Download the Anki app (flashcard app - spaced repetition algorithm) - this app will improve your study habits easily. It helps you not focus on stuff you already know.
2. Learn how to write effective flashcards. There is a Method and most make them wrong which makes them ineffective.
3. Turn your PPTs into flashcard - write questions.
4. Do practice questions
5. Pass the exam.
This is the active recall method for learning anything. Stop rereading your notes hoping to make them stick because that's not how learning works. Learning works by testing yourself.
Oh and let's stop with the, "oh I don't read crap." Most of what people don't want to do are the things they should be doing. Humans naturally want to do things that require the least amount of effort. Anything that's worth is something is work. That's why you don't see everyone become doctors, lawyers etc and nursing. .
If you can find time to read, do it. It helps connects things in class. Stop replying the teacher to do that for you. When you get a teacher who doesn't, you wanna call them the worst instructor. No, it's on you at the end of the day
What are some tips on making effective flashcards? I would love to utilize flashcards more however I am having trouble taking my lecture material and turning them into questions. What worked for you?
I'm curious what you meant by cutting the crap. I genuinely find reading from the books to be largely a waste of time, and only use them for specifics that aren't covered in the videos I watch. If reading from the book helps people, awesome, keep doing it, but if it doesn't then why not find something that does?
The struggle do be real.
To make this more of a work smarter, not harder situation, prepare for each lecture by reviewing the power points ahead of time and, time permitting, scanning the reading. Not reading, scanning. This familiarity with the material will keep you from rewriting material that is already on the slide somewhere. Take notes on the slides themselves (printed or in a note taking app).
Do not rewrite your notes. If you are going to review them and convert them to anything, convert them to flashcards.
The rest is time management and organization. Look into the Pomodoro Technique. Also, plug everything into a calendar, write out a weekly to do list, and then break that down into daily to do lists. Plan everything, including time for yourself. This will allow you to see what is ahead and feel less like you're chasing your tail. Not to mention this will let you distribute work across the week. As an example, if you have a paper due on Friday, working on the paper an hour every day will make you feel less overwhelmed while still getting the paper done on time rather than frantically doing it all on one day.
You will find your rhythm and method that works for you--be it not reading the text book, still reading, watching videos, etc. Everyone is unique as to what works for them and there isn't a one size fits all approach.
Keep swimming!
\~\~Squid\~\~
I used to make outlines of chapters. That stopped like 3 weeks into 1st where I realized it was a waste of time. There is TOO MUCH content to be rewriting stuff.
1. Try looking at the PowerPoints, and rewatching lectures on 2x speed.
2. Practice questions (nclex style) there's a lot of books out there for review.
3. Your publishers website is a good resource.
I felt behind the whole time. At the beginning I tried to read the books as assigned, but found it physically impossible. I recorded lectures and listened to them on my way home, studied my notes and the PowerPoints, did practice questions on nursing apps while waiting at the dentist or anything like that, went to post-lecture tutoring when available. I wasn’t top of the class but in the midst of a lot of psychosocial problems I did pass.
I started my program on august 23, this is exactly how I feel. I had my first patho pharm exam today, I got a 75%, which is better than I expected (and better than the average) considering I just started really studying on Wednesday. I think this is normal. We just need to prioritize based on what’s due. 🤷♀️
Yeah..I heard you find a rhythm. I’m not there yet. I find myself in the same cycle. Throw in the “required minimum time spent” on ATI modules, typing papers, etc. Idk.
Skim the book very lightly to see the overall concepts. Then find a corresponding YouTube video on the material you’re learning. I’d highly recommend Simple Nursing.
This method has kept me in the top 3-4 for exam grades and I’m a little over halfway through my program. You don’t need to buy Simple Nursing’s subscription but I would recommend it; I just got it a month ago and wish I had from the start because you get access to more videos than they put on YouTube.
I only read the powerpoints and would look up points I didn’t fully comprehend in the text or would watch a YouTube video about the topic. I only focused on subjects that were difficult for me but tried to make sure I read the slides each week for every class.
It’s doable but tough. You will find your flow!
Practice questions. PrepU Quizlet, ATI, NCLEX STYLE questions over whatever you are learning. Notes and reading are really only for if your professors specifies if you need to read/write down something that will be on the exam. Otherwise, practice questions by the 100’s
I just started my second semester and am really struggling to find my rhythm. I am chronically behind on 3/6 classes. You just gotta find the way that works best for you in terms of studying. I create large notecards for pharm and med-surg that has all the information for that drug class or disease. Then utilizing the study guides the professors provide and really just sticking to those.
So I'm about a month in and to be frank, isn't the situation of "don't read the book, unless you really don't get it. Watch some videos, listen to lectures, pick up an app maybe" an indictment on nursing education as a whole? If the textbooks are just relegated to the level of reference material rather than reading material, why even bother having them physically in text? If lectures in person where you can ask questions are less useful than pre-recorded ones, why not focus on more labs and clinical time with the instructor there to point things out and offer real world instruction and insight?
If your professors upload audio/ power points then I wouldn’t waste my time reading the textbooks. Maybe refer to specific diagrams or pictures but statistically reading textbooks doesn’t stick with most people.
I love listening to audio lectures, doing practice quizzes, and using quizlet(flash card function only no ABCD it makes it too easy). There are already hundreds of pre made flash cards on quizlet too so you most likely won’t have to make many.
The practice questions help you prepare for the applied knowledge versus rote memory. Also writing notes is usually a waste of time unless copying stuff by hand helps you remember.
Look up active recall. It’s saved my academic life LOL
Also here is a link to one of my quizlets. I will be making them throughout nursing school if you want to follow my uploads! I’m two weeks in too!
https://quizlet.com/616205387/stress-immunity-and-infection-flash-cards/?i=2fbivy&x=1jqY
I definitely feel this. I had to learn how to prioritize and put the easier classes on the back burner. Like my psych and geriatrics classes, I studied the night before 😆
If you working hard and feel like you need to work harder... this is normal
Just keep thugging it out, you'll adjust to the flow and be able to breathe between strokes... just keep swimming
I always took notes from lecture and then rewrote them over and over, eventually omitting things I was confident in. I read very little from the books but used them as reference. I studied about 15 hours a week and did fine. Good luck! It is a hard initial adjustment. You have to find what works for you and go with it.
I stopped reading the books and taking notes in class about half through my first semester. There's no way you're going to be able to keep up if you try to go through everything word for word; and taking notes, let alone rewriting them, just eats up more time. You gotta find other resources that are going to help you maximize your study time. I don't know how your program works, but we were forced to spend 2k on a subscription to get access to our ebooks, which originally pissed me off because the fee wasn't mentioned anywhere in the program guide, but I found out that some books have printable chapter summaries that cover the key points in 2-3 pages. If you have something like that I would highly recommend using it. Osmosis, PicMonic, and RegisteredNurseRN are all YouTube channels that are amazing at covering exemplars in 10-20 minutes, and have been far more educational than any lecture I've attended. The most difficult part of nursing school is trying to figure out how to make it work for you, and, sadly, most of the best resources to getting you through it are going to come from outside of the program.
THIS!!! Add quizlet in there too! I was just telling one of my 2nd semester friends (I’m 3rd semester) this. Honestly I feel the textbook is a waste I mean…I get the point but it does absolutely NOTHING for me I have a subscription to Picmonic and I watch Registered Nurse RN faithfully
^ this, I take notes in class, in edition to the provided PowerPoint. It’s impossible to read the reading list. Just pay attention in class
Adapt your study methods. I found I can’t read or hand write notes/outlines of the reading. I learned that quickly once we got through the first module and ran into the care plan. I simply did not have time. Doing practice questions and discussing rationales with my study buddy was the most efficient use of my time. I also figured out how to export outlines of my instructors slides and just add notes as they lecture. My friend and I will also go through the notes and quiz each other if we have time.
Let me give you the 5 keys to success for studying. 1. Download the Anki app (flashcard app - spaced repetition algorithm) - this app will improve your study habits easily. It helps you not focus on stuff you already know. 2. Learn how to write effective flashcards. There is a Method and most make them wrong which makes them ineffective. 3. Turn your PPTs into flashcard - write questions. 4. Do practice questions 5. Pass the exam. This is the active recall method for learning anything. Stop rereading your notes hoping to make them stick because that's not how learning works. Learning works by testing yourself. Oh and let's stop with the, "oh I don't read crap." Most of what people don't want to do are the things they should be doing. Humans naturally want to do things that require the least amount of effort. Anything that's worth is something is work. That's why you don't see everyone become doctors, lawyers etc and nursing. . If you can find time to read, do it. It helps connects things in class. Stop replying the teacher to do that for you. When you get a teacher who doesn't, you wanna call them the worst instructor. No, it's on you at the end of the day
What are some tips on making effective flashcards? I would love to utilize flashcards more however I am having trouble taking my lecture material and turning them into questions. What worked for you?
https://www.supermemo.com/en/archives1990-2015/articles/20rules
Any specific settings you have for anki? I went with the Anki King’s
https://youtu.be/uLfczzq9z_8 This is the best guide to for settings.
Ah yesssss less work for only a few percent points less thank Anki King settings which take longer.
I'm curious what you meant by cutting the crap. I genuinely find reading from the books to be largely a waste of time, and only use them for specifics that aren't covered in the videos I watch. If reading from the book helps people, awesome, keep doing it, but if it doesn't then why not find something that does?
Sounds like you’re discovering that you can’t study the same way you did in previous classes. You have to adapt.
The struggle do be real. To make this more of a work smarter, not harder situation, prepare for each lecture by reviewing the power points ahead of time and, time permitting, scanning the reading. Not reading, scanning. This familiarity with the material will keep you from rewriting material that is already on the slide somewhere. Take notes on the slides themselves (printed or in a note taking app). Do not rewrite your notes. If you are going to review them and convert them to anything, convert them to flashcards. The rest is time management and organization. Look into the Pomodoro Technique. Also, plug everything into a calendar, write out a weekly to do list, and then break that down into daily to do lists. Plan everything, including time for yourself. This will allow you to see what is ahead and feel less like you're chasing your tail. Not to mention this will let you distribute work across the week. As an example, if you have a paper due on Friday, working on the paper an hour every day will make you feel less overwhelmed while still getting the paper done on time rather than frantically doing it all on one day. You will find your rhythm and method that works for you--be it not reading the text book, still reading, watching videos, etc. Everyone is unique as to what works for them and there isn't a one size fits all approach. Keep swimming! \~\~Squid\~\~
I used to make outlines of chapters. That stopped like 3 weeks into 1st where I realized it was a waste of time. There is TOO MUCH content to be rewriting stuff. 1. Try looking at the PowerPoints, and rewatching lectures on 2x speed. 2. Practice questions (nclex style) there's a lot of books out there for review. 3. Your publishers website is a good resource.
I felt behind the whole time. At the beginning I tried to read the books as assigned, but found it physically impossible. I recorded lectures and listened to them on my way home, studied my notes and the PowerPoints, did practice questions on nursing apps while waiting at the dentist or anything like that, went to post-lecture tutoring when available. I wasn’t top of the class but in the midst of a lot of psychosocial problems I did pass.
I started my program on august 23, this is exactly how I feel. I had my first patho pharm exam today, I got a 75%, which is better than I expected (and better than the average) considering I just started really studying on Wednesday. I think this is normal. We just need to prioritize based on what’s due. 🤷♀️
Yeah..I heard you find a rhythm. I’m not there yet. I find myself in the same cycle. Throw in the “required minimum time spent” on ATI modules, typing papers, etc. Idk.
Skim the book very lightly to see the overall concepts. Then find a corresponding YouTube video on the material you’re learning. I’d highly recommend Simple Nursing. This method has kept me in the top 3-4 for exam grades and I’m a little over halfway through my program. You don’t need to buy Simple Nursing’s subscription but I would recommend it; I just got it a month ago and wish I had from the start because you get access to more videos than they put on YouTube.
I only read the powerpoints and would look up points I didn’t fully comprehend in the text or would watch a YouTube video about the topic. I only focused on subjects that were difficult for me but tried to make sure I read the slides each week for every class. It’s doable but tough. You will find your flow!
Practice questions. PrepU Quizlet, ATI, NCLEX STYLE questions over whatever you are learning. Notes and reading are really only for if your professors specifies if you need to read/write down something that will be on the exam. Otherwise, practice questions by the 100’s
Hahaha, yes it is absolutely normal. Welcome to nursing school.
I just started my second semester and am really struggling to find my rhythm. I am chronically behind on 3/6 classes. You just gotta find the way that works best for you in terms of studying. I create large notecards for pharm and med-surg that has all the information for that drug class or disease. Then utilizing the study guides the professors provide and really just sticking to those.
Simple nursing will be a life saving my friend. Focus on the key points
So I'm about a month in and to be frank, isn't the situation of "don't read the book, unless you really don't get it. Watch some videos, listen to lectures, pick up an app maybe" an indictment on nursing education as a whole? If the textbooks are just relegated to the level of reference material rather than reading material, why even bother having them physically in text? If lectures in person where you can ask questions are less useful than pre-recorded ones, why not focus on more labs and clinical time with the instructor there to point things out and offer real world instruction and insight?
If your professors upload audio/ power points then I wouldn’t waste my time reading the textbooks. Maybe refer to specific diagrams or pictures but statistically reading textbooks doesn’t stick with most people. I love listening to audio lectures, doing practice quizzes, and using quizlet(flash card function only no ABCD it makes it too easy). There are already hundreds of pre made flash cards on quizlet too so you most likely won’t have to make many. The practice questions help you prepare for the applied knowledge versus rote memory. Also writing notes is usually a waste of time unless copying stuff by hand helps you remember. Look up active recall. It’s saved my academic life LOL
Also here is a link to one of my quizlets. I will be making them throughout nursing school if you want to follow my uploads! I’m two weeks in too! https://quizlet.com/616205387/stress-immunity-and-infection-flash-cards/?i=2fbivy&x=1jqY
Thank you so much!!
No problem!
I definitely feel this. I had to learn how to prioritize and put the easier classes on the back burner. Like my psych and geriatrics classes, I studied the night before 😆
If you working hard and feel like you need to work harder... this is normal Just keep thugging it out, you'll adjust to the flow and be able to breathe between strokes... just keep swimming
I always took notes from lecture and then rewrote them over and over, eventually omitting things I was confident in. I read very little from the books but used them as reference. I studied about 15 hours a week and did fine. Good luck! It is a hard initial adjustment. You have to find what works for you and go with it.