6 Effective Nursing School Study Tips

Nursing programs require a student to attend classes, labs, and clinical rotations as a part of their coursework. By the time they near the completion of their program, most students attempt their NCLEX exam. The time spent preparing for this day is challenging and the going gets tough if it is not planned properly.

Luckily times are changing as AI-driven solutions provided by Edtech companies offer online nursing education that has curated courses with simulations to understand the practical aspects. Online education is both a time and cost-saving means for any nursing student looking for study aids that are useful and serve their purpose. The bot-based teaching breaks long topics into clear and concise clinicals topics. Practice quizzes can be taken from anywhere thus enabling students to use short breaks to take one. 

It should be noted that preparing for a nursing program and clearing the NCLEX-RN exam is very challenging. Nursing students need to study hard and work smart to fare well in their programs and exams subsequently. Here are six effective tips that can be embedded into a study plan by a nursing aspirant that will help them with their performance and make it an enjoyable experience: –

Organize 

Nursing school will be tough from day one. Start respecting free time, as you may have very little of it by the time you juggle between lectures, labs, clinical rotations, and study groups, and not forget personal life. Only time management can be a viable solution that will help you schedule everything and balance it out. Organize your day, nursing bag, study books, and calendar well in advance so that you don’t waste time searching for missing stuff. Keep everything you need for the day and week well in advance. Stock up on regular supplies like stationery at least a week before.

Plan your study time

Nursing is a very critical job in the healthcare industry. Nursing students learn as much from clinical rotations as they do from lectures. Often people who procrastinate studying daily, find that they are not able to fit in the syllabus in the last hour due to the nature of their work. Avoid such delays and lack of preparation by studying daily. Try to concentrate on the highlighted points in the textbooks, video presentations, nursing instructor’s notes, and other teaching aids.

If you try to read everything in the study material, you will not be able to remember it. On the other hand, it is a useful key to this problem, if you practice skimming when reading and note the important points. The chances of retaining for a longer period after comprehending the matter are high.

Use time spent on things to do like washroom time, time waiting on public transport, or a flight to study through online nursing education apps. Create flashcards or sticky notes that can be installed through apps on your smartphone. Make notes that can be used up in these otherwise de facto jobs that need to be done to carry out your main work. 

Be a part of a study group that can help you prepare and stay motivated in your journey. Study group members not just encourage each other but give a different perspective that you might have not thought through. 

Use resources wisely

Time and money are crucial and limited resources for most nursing aspirants. If used wisely, resources are adequate if not abundant, and can help one fare well in their nursing program. Be it nursing essential supplies, books, or time, be wise about where and how you spend it. Check with nursing instructors about the most indispensable and important items from the nursing supplies list. 

Spend money only on important books that come in handy in the course. The rest of the related books can be accessed from the library and loaned from other students or members of study groups. Lastly, use your time wisely by organizing your schedules well in advance.

Build on your strengths

By the time you are ready to enroll in a nursing program, you would have understood what works for you and what does not. You need to work both on your strengths and weaknesses in a manner that your strong points work in your favor and weak points don’t inhibit your performance in the program. You know better than anyone whether you like studying late nights or early mornings. You may be an audio-visual learner who benefits from explanatory animated videos. Or you may like reading and making flashcards and notes. Build your study routine in a manner using what is suitable for your learning curve. 

Use whitespace to relax

When you are in a constant phase of learning for long hours, you may feel burnt out. Take enough breaks that can be used to rejuvenate and spring you back with an energy booster. Breaks are necessary to even let your brain process the information and help you retain it in your memory. You can use the whitespace to step out, breathe in, meet family or friends, meditate, or exercise. A good break from the routine helps you to think clearly and perform with much-needed vigor till the next one. 

Seek help if required

The schedule of a person training to be a nurse is demanding. The nursing programs may seem overbearing for few even if they are mentally prepared for the worst-case scenarios. Nevertheless, you are not the first one to tread this path and people before have been there and seen it all. Sometimes looking at how effortlessly they seem to be discharging their duties or the sheer clinical knowledge they possess may overwhelm you. And you may hesitate to seek help from them. However, don’t let any such emotions bother you. All you need to remember is that it was tough for them as well. But they fared through with help. So you should also seek their help, the way they would have done when it was their turn as a new nursing student. 

Conclusion

With discipline, focus, and effective time management, everyone can cut out to be caring nurses and enjoy their time in a nursing program.