- shezelgibon
Nursing School Study Tips
Hey guys! So today on the blog I thought that I would share some of the ways in which I study my nursing material. So nursing school is hard. Right off the bat I just want to put that out there, so that you all know that you are not alone lol. And of course I can only speak from my experience with the program that I am currently in, which is the University of New Brunswick and Humber College Bachelor of Nursing Program. This program is intense and anyone that you talk to who has previously taken it will agree. But with that being said it is also one of the most accredited and recognized nursing programs by employers in the province. One of the most important things in nursing school is figuring out how you learn the best, because as we know that differs from person to person. This is so important because as you learn things you want to be able to understand them and really retain the information, as oppose to just memorizing things for a short time period. However, I also feel that with all of the stuff that they try to throw at us and teach us it is very hard to really know everything. And that is okay, because in the actual clinical practice setting you have resources to help you out. I personally feel as though the few things that I will list below all contribute to a healthy way of learning for myself. I hope they help you and your nursing school studies as well!
1. Go to Lectures, Listen and Take Notes
I find it to be beneficial to my learning when I actually attend lectures and classes AND take thorough notes. Some times I type the notes up with the assigned power point, or I will take hand notes and draw concept maps (which I have found to be very helpful this semester in acute). But yes, long story short, I am not one who can just be at home reading the textbook instead of attending lectures. And, we're paying to be taught right, so why not get your money's worth and seriously use your teachers and their knowledge as a resource for your learning.
2. Watch Videos
I am such a visual learner. I truly think that watching the videos after I've learned the material in class and after reviewing my notes, really brings it home for me. I can literally watch the videos and recite or have an idea of what they are going to say. Of course there won't be videos for every single thing you learn, but for your microbiology, anatomy and physiology, acute care, even nursing research courses and so much more... there are really amazing videos on Youtube that help big time! Osmosis, Simple Nursing (pictured below) and Khan Academy are my top three favorite channels to learn from, but of course there are so many other great channels as well.
3. Teach your Family & Friends
So you really know that you understand stuff when you are able to talk about it and explain it to others. This is just a known fact. Therefore, why not engage in conversation with your loved ones and let them in on what you have learned. I find that people are also very interested and willing to learn about their bodies and what goes on in health care. But don't stop there, you can also use them to practice your clinical skills on. You'd be surprised with the amount of times that Ry has been my practice patient, he even let me do a colostomy bag change on him at one point lol. And Miss Maya already has her own stethoscope that she uses to check all of our heart sounds on almost a daily basis... she even makes the "Boom, Boom" sound with her mouth as she's listening. It's the cutest thing! But yes, definitely bring what you learn home to your family, it helps you and it may even help them at some point in their life... you never know!
4. Use Pinterest for Acronyms and Mnemonics
Pinterest is great, you can find very good and relevant resources on there as it pertains to diseases and remembering the manifestations and what not. Even if you wanted to print study sheets with acronyms and condensed material then it is also really great for that. I also found concept map templates on Pinterest that I use in acute. Honestly, when you feel like you need just a little bit more understanding about anything just open Pinterest and search it up!
5. Yes! Read the Textbook and Answer the Objectives
So yes I did previously say that I do not learn the best by just reading the textbook. But in nursing school, for most courses you have to read the textbook and at least try to answer or use the assigned weekly objectives as your guide for when you are formulating your weekly notes. It's just that in most courses, what they put in the power point slides is just supplementary to your assigned textbook readings. Although some courses, like Micro and Patho, you can get through without even reading a textbook once. But for your Pharm, Acute and Chronic courses you need to be reading your textbook and making notes off of the weekly objectives.
6. Make your own Flash Cards
So for Pharmacology I definitely had to make my own flash cards out of cue cards that I got at dollarama. For example, to remember what goes on with things like hyperkalemia and what the patient will most often present with as it relates to this condition, I used cue cards to help with understanding after having watched videos and having made longer notes prior to. I also definitely needed to make these for all of the medications I had to learn and know in Pharm; they helped, and continue to help big time. If you feel you would benefit from color coded flash cards then why not try them!
Well, I hope this has helped some of my fellow and future student nurses, and I wish you nothing but the best with your studies! Some last tips would be to always go into each semester and new course without any preconceived ideas or things that you have heard of from others who have done it before you. Go in to everything with a clear, open mind knowing that you are more than capable of success. Every ones level of hardness and easiness is different, and so you have to try and remain positive and continue to work hard throughout it all!