How to Study in Nursing School
Being a nursing student, you are well aware that nursing school can be quite challenging.
The coursework is demanding, the schedules are often packed, and the stakes are high when it comes to preparing for exams.
In addition, you also have clinical rotations and a personal life to balance.
With so much to handle, it can be difficult to figure out the most effective way to study and succeed in nursing school.
10 Tips For Studying in Nursing School
1. Get Organized and Create a Study Schedule
One of the most important study skills for nursing students is learning how to manage your time properly.
Effective time management will help you maximize your learning while avoiding burnout.
Take time at the beginning of each term to map out a weekly study schedule.
Block out dedicated chunks of time to study each day, bearing in mind your class schedule, clinical rotation hours, and any other obligations.
When creating your study plan, be sure to schedule study sessions:
- Between classes when you have an hour or two free
- In the evenings after you complete your clinical rotation for the day
- On weekends when you have more availability
You should also schedule designated study times in the days leading up to an exam. Cramming the night before a test is neither effective nor sustainable in nursing school.
Allow ample lead time for thorough review based on when your exams fall on the calendar.
Creating the Ideal Study Space
In addition to planning scheduled study times, take some time to create an organized, distraction-free study area at home.
Try to find a quiet spot where you can focus without interruptions from family, roommates, TV, or your phone. Make sure the area has proper lighting and comfortable seating.
Some students like studying at a desk, while others prefer curling up on a couch or even the floor. See what environment lets you focus best.
To optimize your study area, have the following supplies on hand:
- Class notebooks, textbooks, and study guides
- Pens, highlighters, sticky notes
- Laptop for digital access and note-taking
- Snacks and water to fuel your study sessions
- Noise-cancelling headphones (if needed)
PRO TIP
Follow tips for good posture and ergonomics so you can study for longer periods without fatigue or strain.
2. Take Thorough Notes from Class and Textbooks
Strong note-taking skills are another essential component of studying in nursing school.
Throughout each day of classes and clinicals, you will be flooded with new and important information.
Capturing it comprehensively through notes will allow you to efficiently review material later when studying.
When attending lectures, focus intently on the instructor and take notes by hand or on a laptop. Synthesize the most important points rather than trying to transcribe everything word-for-word.
Leave space in your notebook to add details when reviewing your notes after class. Develop abbreviations and shorthand styles to take notes quickly without getting bogged down.
Reading and taking notes from textbooks requires a different approach.
Scan headings and subheadings first to get a feel for the chapter’s organization. As you read, highlight key points and jot brief notes, memory aids, or clarifying examples in the margins.
Again, focus on capturing the most relevant information versus every detail.
After each lecture or textbook reading session, make a point to review, revise, and consolidate your notes while the material is still fresh.
Expand brief notes by adding explanations and examples. Compare your notes to other students to fill in any gaps. Rewrite or type up portions of notes that are messy or unclear.
Turn your note into portable study guides by distilling them down to essential concepts, creating flashcards for key terms, or making condensed summary cheat sheets.
Thorough notes converted into customized study aids will be invaluable resources when exam time comes.
Utilizing Available Resources
In addition to meticulous note-taking, be sure to take advantage of other helpful resources provided by your nursing program:
- Attend professors’ office hours to ask for clarification or examples on confusing topics. Don’t just rely just on your textbook for information.
- Form study groups with peers to discuss challenging concepts. Teaching others will reinforce your own learning.
- Check out YouTube videos for visual explanations.
- Use nursing forums to get answers from fellow students.
3. Learn and Understand Concepts, Don’t Just Memorize
As you progress through nursing school, you will be introduced to countless new terms, conditions, protocols, and skills.
It’s essential not just to try to memorize facts in isolation, but to strive for true comprehension.
Focus first on understanding the underlying nursing concepts, critical thinking principles, and rationale behind interventions.
Make meaningful connections between related concepts and study the relationships between key ideas.
Use diagrams, charts, graphs, and visual study tools to understand connections.
For example, don’t just memorize the signs and symptoms of a certain disease. Seek to understand how the pathophysiology of the disease leads to those manifestations.
Learning concepts at a deeper level takes more time and brain power but will stick with you longer and enable you to apply knowledge critically in clinical practice.
When learning about new diseases, medications, skills, or procedures, try to imagine yourself in fictional clinical scenarios applying what you’ve studied.
For example, imagine going through the nursing process to care for a patient with heart failure.
Mentally think through what assessments you would conduct, what symptoms you might notice, what education you would provide, and what interventions you would implement.
Visualizing real world applications of concepts will aid retention and critical thinking.
Tips for Memorizing Essential Information
While conceptual learning should be your priority, there will also be some concrete facts, lists, and definitions that require straightforward memorization.
When memorizing vital information like lab values, try inventing silly mnemonic devices or acronyms to help them stick.
Come up with rhymes, songs, or associations to help solidfy things in your memory through repetition.
Flashcards are one of the most effective ways to memorize terms, drugs, diagnostic test results, and more.
The act of repeatedly testing yourself facilitates long-term retention compared to just passive review.
Make digital flashcards using platforms like Quizlet for convenience. Or better yet, write flashcards out by hand to really imprint the information.
Break long, random lists down into smaller, more organized chunks.
For example, you can memorize the cranial nerves by grouping them into sensory, motor, and sensory/motor functions. Segmenting intimidating lists into more logical pieces makes them less daunting.
Don’t just rely on short-term memorization to cram right before an exam either.
Spaced repetition of key facts throughout your study process is crucial for cementing details in your long-term memory.
4. Actively Engage with Study Materials
Now that you have comprehensive notes and resources, it’s time to start actively studying.
One of the biggest mistakes nursing students make is simply re-reading notes or textbooks repeatedly. Passive reviewing of material is not an effective study method!
Instead, your study sessions should consist of actively engaging with the content through techniques like:
- Turning your notes into flashcards and quizzing yourself
- Answering the practice questions at the end of textbook chapters
- Explaining important concepts aloud in your own words
- Discussing concepts with a study partner or group
Active studying keeps your brain switched on and cements knowledge through retrieval practice.
Passively skimming notes for hours enables your brain to zone out. You want to transform your study content into activities that force you to think.
Sample Active Study Strategies
Here are some more specific examples of active studying techniques to try:
- Makeup acronyms where each letter relates to a step in a nursing skill or process.
- Transform your notes into lyrics to a song or rhyming poem set to a melody.
- Draw colorful diagrams linking related concepts with arrows, icons, and bubbles.
- Role-play assessment or communication scenarios with a study partner.
- Create quiz game boards on paper or digitally with questions in each square.
- Teach important topics aloud to an imaginary audience.
The options for active studying are endless! Choose techniques that cater to your unique learning style.
Aim to engage multiple senses – verbal, visual, auditory, kinesthetic. This will solidify your knowledge on a deeper level compared to just reading notes passively.
5. Use Repetition to Memorize Vital Information
In nursing school, there are some key facts and figures you simply must commit to memory through repetition and practice.
For example, lab values, abbreviations, formulas, anatomy identifications, medication names, and assessment steps – these types of foundational knowledge cannot be faked or fudged on exams or in clinical practice.
That’s why utilizing spaced repetition when studying is critical to etch high-yield information into your brain.
Re-copying, re-writing, re-reading, and re-testing yourself on important details at spaced intervals helps boost retention.
The more times you actively recall the information from memory, the stronger the mental connections become.
Flashcards are the gold standard for repetition-based studying.
Whether you prefer digital or paper flashcards, use them regularly to drill yourself on must-know facts.
The spaced exposure will reinforce memorization. Treat your flashcards like mental gym equipment to build memory muscles!
Reciting key information aloud repeatedly also helps ingrain details for later recall.
You can recite med names, lab references, assessment techniques, or anything else as you walk around, cook dinner, commute, or wait in line.
Verbalizing vital information repeatedly throughout your study sessions activates different neural pathways related to auditory memory and speech-based recall.
Study Group Review Sessions
Studying high-yield topics with a group provides built-in repetition through quizzing and discussing.
Take turns rapid firing sample test questions at each other to practice retrieving important information.
You can also brainstorm potential exam questions together and talk through how you would reason through them. Discuss subject areas where your group feels less confident to shore up weaknesses through repetition.
Teaching concepts aloud to others provides repetition for them, but more importantly reinforces the knowledge in your own mind as you verbalize explanations.
Study group peer teaching allows you to catch gaps in your understanding so you can strengthen those areas.
6. Prime Your Brain Through Lifestyle Choices
You can optimize your studying efficiency by supporting your brain health through smart lifestyle choices.
Your mental and physical well-being directly impacts your ability to learn and retain information.
Be sure you are getting sufficient sleep each night, aiming for around 8 hours. Sleep facilitates memory consolidation so those neuron connections can strengthen. Skimping on sleep makes studying feel much more laborious.
Exercise is also linked to benefits like improved focus, attention span, stress management, and mental endurance – all of which make studying easier. Try to be physically active for 30-60 minutes most days.
Fuel your brain properly by eating more fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and lean proteins. Stay hydrated and avoid drinking alcohol before key study sessions.
Make relaxation practices like light yoga, deep breathing, or meditation part of your daily routine to clear your mind and manage stress. Caring for your brain and body optimizes your cognitive functioning and ability to absorb information.
Managing Stress Levels
Nursing school poses immense academic, clinical, personal, and financial stress. Unmanaged stress takes a major toll both mentally and physically, negatively impacting memory, concentration, sleep, and more. Make stress management a priority.
Practice mindfulness techniques like focusing on your senses, progressive muscle relaxation, or guided imagery.
Do light exercise like walking, stretching, or dancing to release tension.
Talk to supportive friends or family to process your feelings. Take short study breaks to reset mentally.
Remember that some stress is normal, but excessive worrying can become self-sabotaging.
Maintain realistic expectations for yourself and reject negative self-talk when you feel overwhelmed. Leverage school counseling resources if needed.
7. Practice Critical Thinking with Study Questions
Nursing exams require more than just regurgitating memorized facts – they test your ability to apply knowledge through critical thinking.
That’s why practicing with challenging study questions is so crucial to prepare you for tests.
Many textbooks include application-focused study questions about clinical scenarios.
Actively engage with these questions as you review chapters rather than skimming passively. Analyze the reasoning behind correct and incorrect answers.
Beyond textbook companion questions, find additional practice questions online or in nursing question banks. The NCLEX-style questions will get you comfortable with applying knowledge in clinical contexts. Practice questions from reputable sources also help familiarize you with the testing formats you’ll encounter.
As you work through practice questions:
- Analyze why correct answers are right to reinforce clinical reasoning connections.
- Explain why you were fooled by incorrect answer choices.
- Make note of any content areas where you need more review.
Repeated exposure to challenging, application-based questions builds critical thinking proficiency and improves exam performance by reducing surprises on test day.
Get Familiar with Testing Formats
In addition to the reasoning skills practice questions provide, they also enable you to gain familiarity with common nursing exam formats you’ll encounter:
- NCLEX-style multiple-choice questions with 4 answer options
- Select All That Apply (SATA) questions with multiple correct choices
- Ordered response questions asking you to rank options
- Fill-in-the-blank or short-answer questions
Understanding how to strategically approach these testing formats can give you a leg up. F
or example, with SATA questions, start by marking any answers you know are correct. Then go back and use reasoning to choose any remaining correct options.
Repeated practice with NCLEX-style question banks teaches you strategies to handle tricky questions within timed exam constraints.
This boosts efficiency, accuracy, and confidence during the actual high-stakes tests.
8. Learn from Academic Setbacks
At some point in your nursing school journey, you will inevitably face disappointments like lower-than-expected grades, unsatisfactory clinical evaluations, or failed exams.
These setbacks can shake your confidence. However, you must leverage them as valuable learning experiences for future improvement.
Reflect honestly about what went wrong after unsatisfactory academic performances. Meet with your professor to analyze weak areas and knowledge gaps.
Was it primarily content deficits or flawed test-taking strategies? Did you struggle with certain question formats or stress management?
Pinpoint exactly where your preparation fell short so you can make targeted adjustments going forward.
Vow to learn from mistakes rather than dwelling on them or repeating same study pitfalls. Refocus, regroup, and use setbacks to fuel your motivation to excel.
Bouncing Back from Early Struggles
Many students find their first term of nursing school is full of challenging transitions and initial grades that are lower than hoped for. This can be demoralizing, but does not define your potential for success.
Remember that early grades represent a small fraction of your overall nursing school academics.
It takes time to adjust to the rigors of nursing curriculum and testing. Let go of discouragement and remain determined to bounce back stronger.
Take advantage of campus resources like tutoring services, counseling services, disability services, or the writing center to get back on track if needed.
Be patient with yourself as you adapt to this new environment and commit to growth. Use that first term as a learning experience to optimize strategies moving forward.
9. Form Study Groups with Peers
Studying together in a small group with other dedicated nursing students can provide immense benefits.
Teaching and discussing concepts with peers reinforces your own learning and fills in knowledge gaps. A study group provides built-in accountability, encouragement, and new perspectives.
When forming a study group, choose like-minded students who are organized, reliable, and committed to academic excellence.
Set ground rules about logistics, meeting frequency, communication preferences, and more. Outline individual strengths and weaknesses so you can assign topics accordingly.
Meet consistently either in person or virtually. Teach each other assigned topics and create collaborative quiz games. Develop study guides together that showcase each person’s customized notes.
Explain concepts out loud without reading directly from notes to improve retention. Ask clarifying questions to shore up confused areas.
Bounce around examples of how concepts could appear on exams. Talk through areas of weakness together.
Study groups create indispensable learning synergies that augment your individual studying.
Online Options for Group Study
If meeting regularly in person is logistically difficult, take advantage of online platforms that enable remote group studying.
Interactive whiteboard sites like Miro allow you to video chat while co-creating documents and diagrams.
Shared cloud-based apps like Google Drive or Microsoft 365 enable you to simultaneously edit study guides and quiz sheets. Schedule regular Zoom or FaceTime sessions to talk through the most confusing content.
Online nursing student forums can also be a great resource to help you find study partners attending your school.
10. Prioritize Self-Care and Resilience Techniques
Finally, a crucial study skill that gets overlooked in nursing school is prioritizing self-care for your mental and physical health.
The demanding workload and fast pace can quickly lead to burnout if you don’t intentionally nurture resilience.
Be protective of your time by judiciously saying “no” to extra obligations that compete with study hours.
Learn to set healthy boundaries with family and friends. Schedule-in brief 5-10 minute breaks during marathon study sessions to rest your brain.
Make relaxing activities like reading, crafting, exercising, or spending time outdoors part of your routine. Avoid burning out by remembering that nursing school is just one finite period of life.
Conclusion
Implementing even a handful of the study strategies covered in this guide can optimize your learning process, streamline studying, and reduce anxiety in nursing school.
Don’t let the rigor of the nursing curriculum intimidate you.
