Your welcome. I just came upon this advice for allnurses.com and thought I would share it. Also on my blog I have a list of all the supplies recommended to me from other students.
1. Don't use lecture to teach you. Use lecture to REINFORCE material. It is such a pain in the royal behind to read the chapters but its crucial. Come to lecture knowing the stuff so what the teacher says comes across as reinforcement. The more your brain hears something, the more it wants to store in long term memory. However, at the same token, your brain also wants to forget something that is constantly stimulating it (hence bad smells go away after a few minutes) SO, rereading notes after notes won't help you - you need to be exposed to the same material, but in different ways - textbook, lecturer, notes, powerpoints, nclex books - but keep the same topic. 2. make lists! and use them! For example test 1: upper resp, cardio and neuro assessment upper resp -review textbook -go over notes -listen to recorded lecture -cover nclex book on this topic do the same for cardio & neuro 3. keep an agenda. sooo many things will pop up! I write my agenda out as far as it can go. 4. if you have a significant other - involve them! I made a calender for mine to know when I have class, work, tests, checkoffs etc. He needs to know when I will be able to be around to do my end of the chores, etc. That way he knows I have a test monday, he needs to fend for himself for dinner over the weekend and definitely not mention chores to me! LOL 5. study ahead! I *TRY* my best to get a chapter ahead of my class, so that way if I fall behind, I'm still on track. 6. don't forget me time! put on your agenda a monthly/weekly night to yourself to take a bubble bath, grab dinner out, window shop the mall. If you don't take care of yourself, it will reflect in your grades. 7. binder organization. Sounds nerdy, but do it! I make a binder for each test, then section it off by material. I keep a separate binder for clinical.
Great advice I plan on incorporating. Hope it helps you too :)
Your welcome. I just came upon this advice for allnurses.com and thought I would share it. Also on my blog I have a list of all the supplies recommended to me from other students.
ReplyDelete1. Don't use lecture to teach you. Use lecture to REINFORCE material. It is such a pain in the royal behind to read the chapters but its crucial. Come to lecture knowing the stuff so what the teacher says comes across as reinforcement. The more your brain hears something, the more it wants to store in long term memory. However, at the same token, your brain also wants to forget something that is constantly stimulating it (hence bad smells go away after a few minutes) SO, rereading notes after notes won't help you - you need to be exposed to the same material, but in different ways - textbook, lecturer, notes, powerpoints, nclex books - but keep the same topic.
2. make lists! and use them!
For example test 1: upper resp, cardio and neuro assessment
upper resp
-review textbook
-go over notes
-listen to recorded lecture
-cover nclex book on this topic
do the same for cardio & neuro
3. keep an agenda. sooo many things will pop up! I write my agenda out as far as it can go.
4. if you have a significant other - involve them! I made a calender for mine to know when I have class, work, tests, checkoffs etc. He needs to know when I will be able to be around to do my end of the chores, etc. That way he knows I have a test monday, he needs to fend for himself for dinner over the weekend and definitely not mention chores to me! LOL
5. study ahead! I *TRY* my best to get a chapter ahead of my class, so that way if I fall behind, I'm still on track.
6. don't forget me time! put on your agenda a monthly/weekly night to yourself to take a bubble bath, grab dinner out, window shop the mall. If you don't take care of yourself, it will reflect in your grades.
7. binder organization. Sounds nerdy, but do it! I make a binder for each test, then section it off by material. I keep a separate binder for clinical.
Great advice I plan on incorporating. Hope it helps you too :)