7 Nursing School Tips to Help You Study & Graduate
Getting an education is one of the most rewarding experiences and the ultimate pathway to landing a career in nursing. Through nursing school, you will be taught essential skills and knowledge that will serve you throughout your future role as a superhero in scrubs. This journey is definitely not the easiest, but it is surely the most gratifying.
To help you sort out the logistics of how to study for nursing school and how to get the most out of this experience, we have compiled a list of some of the most effective nursing school tips:
1. Get Organized
Organization is crucial in maintaining focus in nursing school. Whether you’re enrolled in an online or on-campus program, it’s always a good idea to keep new information organized, most simply by regularly taking notes. Keeping organized can also be of great help when preparing for your exams and easily recalling important information by going over your notes.
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Some simple steps you can take to help with keeping things organized once you get started can include:
Getting a binder to store clinical and lecture notes
Cleaning workspace
Planning your study time
Making to-do lists
Having a designated study space.
2. Form Study Groups
Not only can study groups help you stay on the right track with your studies, they can be a great source of moral support as well. These people you spend the majority of your time with during your lectures and clinicals will become a small family that can help make both your days and nursing school much easier.
Being in a study group, you can expect fun breaks, quizzing each other, getting second opinions— someone to both study with and vent to. Especially if you are away from home, with all the stress and demands that school imposes, having a group of people to lean on and study with, can be a cherished experience.
With a study group, not only do you get support, but also the chance to have someone who will hold you accountable and vice-versa.
3. Make Studying a Habit
When it comes down to it, no matter how organized, prepared, and how many study groups you have, there are days when you simply have no motivation. Because of this, it’s very important to make a habit out of studying so that it will come almost instinctively in times when you don't feel as eager to do so.
Similar to work ethic, you develop a studying ethic by waking up everyday with a set studying schedule that keeps you glued to the books even in the cases when you don’t feel like it. At the end of the day, it’s important to put the hard work in, regardless of your initial unwillingness to do so.
Additionally, you will have numerous assignments that need to be delivered on time. Having a set time for studying each day will help you create a consistency in your studying pattern, consequently meeting deadlines and preparing for exams beforehand.
4. Manage Your Time Effectively
Time management skills can make or break your nursing school experience. When you manage your time effectively, you won’t need to cram all the information the day before an important exam. Always make sure that you have given yourself enough time and space to study not only before important exams or projects, but even in simple assignments.
At some point in their studies, most students have waited until the last minute to turn an assignment in or study, and most will agree that that leads to work that feels unfinished. It’s better to give yourself the space needed to dot your i’s and cross your t’s in peace, rather than turn in something that looks rushed and is not the best you could do.
5. Follow the Nursing Exam Study Guide
The ultimate goal upon graduation from nursing school for many students is to successfully complete the NCLEX-RN exam. This exam grants nursing graduates the right to practice nursing in their state at an entry-level position, therefore it should serve as a guideline that will aid you during your studies as well. In order to feel prepared and confident when the big day arrives, reviewing and revising various study guides based on this exam will prove useful.
The exam’s four major points of focus are the safe and effective care environment, health promotion and maintenance, psychosocial integrity, and physiological integrity. These can help you center your focus towards the key components of the test, apart from reviewing the typical contents that are taught in your nursing program.
6. Understand Your Learning Style
Many students will compare their study notes while dwelling on the best way to study for nursing school as if there was a set formula. With this in mind, it is crucial to understand that each student learns differently and there is really no right or wrong method when it comes to studying.
The best thing to do in terms of optimizing studying for nursing school is to first understand how you learn best. You will see plenty of students using flashcards when preparing for their next big tests, while others are busy watching the latest lecture of a famous nursing professor on Youtube. Some will learn best through visual materials, some by writing and reading their notes, while others prefer learning through hands-on experience. Understanding whichever of these learning styles suits you best will help you tremendously in absorbing information with more ease.
7. Practice Self-Care
The demanding nature of nursing as a field of study can get to even the most organized of students. Managing a good study/life balance and avoiding stress can sometimes seem like the most difficult of tasks, especially during final exams.
However, in order to be able to take good care of your patients in the near future, you must first take care of yourself. That includes all aspects of self-care; you should try to stick to a healthy diet, get enough rest, stay active through exercise, and find activities that help you de-stress and take time off from studying.
Some simple ways to take some time for yourself include:
Taking a walk in a nearby park
Organizing your space
Taking a nap
Getting involved in an arts and crafts project
Listening to your favorite music
Trying some breathing exercises
Connecting with a family member or a friend.
Organization, connecting with fellow students, and prioritizing both studying and self-care will get you a long way when it comes to graduating from nursing school. Remember to cherish this experience, as it will undoubtedly prove useful later in your career. Happy studying!