1. Study Skills
HOW TO STUDY AND BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE
NURSING PROGRAM

2. 1. Be Prepared
 Always read BEFORE coming to lecture
 @ the very least, skim the material
 Make notes of questions
 Mark page and write out the question
 Include your thoughts
 See if it‟s covered in lecture
 It could be clarified before you have to ask about it
 Outline the Chapters to be covered that day
 Don‟t highlight yet, you will have too much information
 By outlining the chapters, you can insert “key points” during lecture
 Utilize all resources to clarify information
 The internet, etc
 Be wary of where you get the information

3. 2. Attend Class
 Show up on-time and prepared
 Have your book, notes, outline, etc
 Stay the length of the lecture
 Don‟t assume others will take notes that will make sense to you
 Participate in lecture
 Ask for clarification if you are lost
 Actively participate in activities
 Case studies, etc

4. 3. Study Smart
(not hard)
 Remember, you are going to be a NURSE
 Focus on nursing aspects
 Don‟t highlight the entire book
 That would be way too much to study
 Use your HESI book to minimize the material
 Separate the „need-to-know‟ from the „good-to-know‟
 Focus on nursing
 Use your notes from class as a guide, not the template of
exams
 Nursing is application of the theory and disease(s) you study
 Lecture is to supplement your readings, not replace it
 Don‟t move-on to another chapter until you understand
the 1st one

5. 4. Dedicate a schedule
 Treat school as your JOB
 Own your education
 Nursing is a profession, and you are professionals
 Set up a realistic study schedule
 8 hours a day is not realistic
 12 hours on Saturday every week is not conducive to achievement
(cramming)
 Add in times for exams, papers, etc
 Your schedule of exams is given to you well in advance for all courses
 Study ahead of schedule
 There will be exams in the same week, and even the same day(s)
 Recommended study time is 2-4 hours per lecture hour
 Study everyday

6. 5. Questions, questions, questions!
 Review questions covering the topics each week
 Use multiple NCLEX study guides
 The internet has billions of free NCLEX-style
questions
 Use your on-line resources that come with your texts
 You can never do enough questions!

7. 6. Common Mistakes
 Studying like you are taking a history exam
 Also called rope-learning
 Memorization is a small part, not the majority
 Studying too much material and grasping none of it
 AKA highlighting the book
 Not using HESI and notes to condense the material
 Not focusing on the nursing aspects of the chapters
 You will be expected to use the nursing process to answer 95%
of exam questions

8. 7. Test Tips
 Be prepared
 Study daily
 Use NCLEX review questions
 Get plenty of rest
 Your brain functions best with plenty of rest
 Give yourselves a break
 Don‟t beat yourselves up, this is a learning process
 Take your time