Nursing School Tips: Study Tips For Nursing Students

Nursing school can be a tough challenge, especially if you are new to the field. The good news is that there are important steps you can take to make your experience easier and more successful.

This article will discuss some of our best Nursing school tips for nursing students.

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Nursing School | Tips & Facts

Facts

There are over 100 different types of nursing careers to choose from, but whichever one you choose, you will still need to get into nursing school to achieve your goal.

You know there is a huge need for nurses, but you keep hearing how hard it is to get into the program.

Nurses are in great demand, especially as most of our population has reached an age where they need a fair amount of medical care, and you desperately want to be a nurse more than anything else in your entire life.

Your whole world revolved around getting into nursing school. Despite the need and regardless of your wishes, nursing school can prove to be a challenging task.

Long waiting lists are the most common obstacle many potential nurses face when entering nursing school. While waiting to be accepted, you can drop some course prerequisites.

Any volunteer work or other types of experience you have in nursing or health care can also help speed up your wait time.

Tips

Nursing school can be hard, but with some planning and good study habits, you will get through it and succeed.

Be Prepared To Work Hard

You will have to put in a lot of effort if you want to do well in nursing school.

You may have no choice but to sacrifice some things that are important or fun for other people (like hanging out with friends) in order to reach your goal of becoming a nurse.

Be Prepared To Make Sacrifices

These sacrifices such as giving up sleep or spending less time on social media sites.

It’s important because these activities can negatively affect your grades and distract from the amount of studying required during high school and college.

Study Tips For Nursing Students

Keep Your Schedule Flexible

Nursing school classes are not always on Monday through Thursday, so it’s important that you plan for that in your schedule.

If you have to take an exam on Thursday evening and then go straight home, ensure there’s enough time before bedtime for studying.

Don’t overbook yourself: if you don’t have time for studying during the week, don’t study.

Get Help From Your Peers

You can ask a friend with more nursing experience to help you with a question. They can help you go over your notes and review your progress.

If you are using a flashcard, ask an experienced friend to go over your flashcards with you.

Request that they come and discuss them in person or on video chat if they are comfortable doing so.

Use External Resources

Nothing says you can only learn from your text or instructor. Expand your classroom resources with others; for example, if you’re learning about diabetes, check out the Mayo Clinic, WebMD, and American Diabetes Association websites to learn more.

Do this before you read the chapter as a type of “preview” reading. However, remember that your textbook and instructor are considered the final and correct authority.

Know Your Learning Style

Everyone learns differently: some need to see information, some need to hear it, and others learn kinetically. So really, everyone has to figure out which study tips work best for them.

Know your own style and use it to your advantage. For example, kinetic learners often do best when they take notes because the motion of writing helps them remember.

Look Into Community Colleges

Community colleges are a great way to save money while still getting a degree. You can take classes in your local area or even online. Some community colleges offer nursing programs as well.

If you’re interested in nursing but don’t want to go through the rigmarole of going through four years at an expensive university, community colleges are where it’s at.

Take Classes Through The Library And Online

The library is a great place to study. You can take classes online and save money, but you will have to do some work yourself to get the most out of your time at home.

If you’re taking online classes, ensure your internet connection is reliable enough to stream lectures and homework assignments.

If you don’t have access to the internet or don’t have someone who has access available when needed, such as during breaks, consider using a textbook solution instead of an online one.

A good rule of thumb: if there are more than ten minutes between classes and little room for error on assignments, then stick with what works best for you.

Follow The Nursing Exam Study Guide

One of the beneficial ways to focus your nursing studies is to base your learning on the NCLEX test.

Checking the study guide will reveal which areas the nursing exam focuses on and how the test presents the questions.

Obviously, not everything you need to know as a nurse is covered on the licensing exam, but if you study for the nursing exam throughout, you will feel more confident on test day.

Review Materials Covered In Class

Your instructors will assign many chapters to read and external resources to review each week.

Instead of carefully reading and describing every single word, take an example from your classroom lesson.

What topics does the lecturer spend time reviewing? What are the key points in the class? Focus your attention on these areas.

Work With A Study Group

If you have the opportunity to join an online or in-person study group, this can be an amazing way to learn more about your field of interest and stay motivated.

You may also get feedback on your work from other students who are participating in the same course as you.

Review Your Notes Before The Test And Exams

Reviewing your notes before exams is essential to ensure you understand the material.

Ask your professor for clarification if you don’t remember something or are confused about a concept.

Use Flashcards, Mnemonics, And Memory Tricks To Memorize More Quickly.

Flashcards are a great way to review and memorize information in an easy-to-remember format. These cards can be made by hand with paper or printed from websites.

These websites have free templates for use in nursing school classes as well as other topics such as biology and math.

Another good way to memorize new terms is through mnemonics (memory tricks).

Mnemonics are simply wordplays that help get information into our brains more easily (like how “cat” becomes “caat” when we’re trying to remember cat food). You could use these tricks on yourself as well.

Flashcards are a great way to improve your memory and memorize more quickly.
Mnemonics are another way to help you memorize, but they’re not as easy as flashcards.
Memory tricks are fun, but it may take some practice before you can remember them all!

Get More Rest

Rest is important for memory consolidation and mental health, but it’s also important for physical health.

Rest deprivation causes a variety of problems, including increases in blood pressure and heart rate, as well as decreased immune function. Try to get 7-9 hours of sleep per night if possible.

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FAQ

How To Pass The Nursing Exam?

Nursing school entrance exams are content-focused, meaning they test what you already know or should know. Techniques that can be successful in studying content include memorization, using shortcuts, and using associations.

How Many Hours Do Nursing Students Study?

Everyone is different, but it is generally recommended that medical school students study anywhere from 2-4 hours a day.

How Do Nurses Learn Best?

A study using a visual-auditory kinesthetic questionnaire found that nursing staff preferred visual learning over kinesthetic and auditory learning.

What Are The 4 A’s In Nursing?

As a systematic process for change, nursing offers the AACN model for rising above moral distress, which describes the four A’s: ask, affirm, assess, and act.

Is Nursing Very Hard To Study?

There’s a lot to learn; exams are tough, schedules are complicated, and assignments keep piling up. All these factors can make life difficult for you as a student. Nursing is a highly competitive field from the moment you start the application process until you receive your degree

How Many Hours Of Sleep Do Nursing Students Get?

On average, nursing students get 5.69 hours per night. This is likely because they are busy enough with their studies to complete a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), associate degree in nursing (ADN), or related diploma from an approved program.

What Is The Pass Mark For Nursing?

Student nurses must pass all written and oral/practical exams for each level before advancing to the next level. The successful result is 50 percent: Entrance exam for studies – 4 theses. Failure in 1 or 2 papers – Supplementary examination.

Is Nursing School A Lot Of Memorization?

As we mentioned before, the nursing school requires a lot of memorization, client care, reading, and practical skills.

How Many Hours Can Your Brain Study?

The human brain is able to concentrate for up to two hours, after which it needs a 20-30 minute break. The average American spends about 9 hours a day at work.

What Is The Maximum Age To Study Nursing?

The minimum age for admission is 17 years by December 31 of the year in which admission is sought. The maximum age for admission is 35 years.

Conclusion

Remember, nursing school is a long journey, and you won’t get through it in just one year. It may take longer before you feel like you’re really getting the hang of it.

But don’t stress much; if you adhere to these study tips for nursing students, you should be on the right track.