Strategies for Success in
Nursing School
Time Management
Stress Management
Study Skills
What About These Issues?
These 3 things are critical to students’
success in Nursing School
They are all interrelated
You need to:
Understand them
Work on them
Master them
Closer Look
Time Management
How you manage your time?
Most think they know how to manage their time, but
they DO NOT
Nursing school must be the priority
Stress Management
Having Nursing school be the priority WILL cause you
stress
You must be able to balance it with the rest of your life
You must be able to manage it or it will do you in
Must do it everyday. It is a lifestyle, not a quick fix
Closer Look
Study Skills
Most students do NOT know how to study
Particularly
Prepare for class
Actively listen in class
Take notes
Review after class
Read their text book for comprehension
Study for learning not memorization
Apply recent material to really learn it
Time Management
Let’s take a test (It is nursing school
after all)
Where does your time go? test
Time + Nursing School
If you are taking an 8 credit hour nursing
class, then your only in school 8 hours a
week. Right?
Wrong: Your 8 credit course gives you
4 hours for class
4 hours for lab preparation
For every hour of class the NLN requires 3
hours of clinical
4 hours of class = 12 hours of clinical
How Much Time Does One Nursing
Class Take?
So let’s figure
out the hours
for your 8
credit class
It wouldn’t be
nursing school
without math
8 credit hours
+ 12 clinical hours
20 hours
20 hours of direct
time on your nursing
course
What About Study Time?
There is a general
rule in college
that every credit
hour, will require
2 hours of study
time.
Nursing school is
probably 3:1
8 credit hours
X 2 hours
16 hours
So what do we have so far?
20 hours of time
in class or clinical
+ 16 hours of study time
36 hours of time each week
Time + Nursing School
So you will spend a minimum of
36 hours on your nursing class
36 hours is a full time job
This doesn’t even take into account
time spent completing clinical
paperwork
How Do You Swallow an
Elephant?
One bite at a time
The elephant here is
NURSING SCHOOL
1 day at a time
1 hour at a time
You can do it
Time Management
You need to know how to manage time
using a calendar
Steps in making a weekly calendar
Stress Management
What is YOUR stress level?
What are your biggest stressors?
How are you going to manage them?
Hints:
YOU must manage them
You probably CAN manage them
If YOU can’t, you will not succeed
It may not be the time for you to be here
Myth About Stress Management
This is impossible to manage. Probably not
true unless you have personal stressors
that are not under control. Millions of
students do it every day. We have all
done it.
What do I mean by IT?
Go to school
Study
Work
Family
Life
What Are the Personal
Stressors That Will Do You in?
Problems with your spouse or partner
Problems with your children
Non-supportive family
Non-supportive friends
Financial issues
Health problems
Work problems
Un-addressed personal psychological
issues
Anxiety
Depression
Grief
Anger
Psychiatric problems
You MUST have a handle on these types
of issues
Did I Forget a Big One?
YES: TOO MUCH WORK!
One of the most common things
students say: I have to work!
One of the most common things
professors say: They shouldn’t be
working full time!
What’s the obvious problem here?
It CAN’T be both ways
Do You HAVE to Work?
If you do, it can NOT be the priority
You must work around it, school can not work
around your job
Ask for a break (help) from employer, you just
might get it
Can it be part time? (Insurance)
Remember time management
Sounds harsh? To bad!
You will not succeed unless you have this mind
set
How Stressed Does Nursing
School Make You?
Very stressed and it’s not just the amount
of time that must be devoted to it. Other
sources of stress in Nursing School
Inadequate knowledge. You can’t know
everything all the time, but you have to
know a lot most of the time
In class
In clinical
For exams
Inadequate support from family and/or
peers
Real or imagined pressure from
instructors
Fear of making a mistake or “hurting
someone”
Actually making mistakes or doing poorly
Dealing with pain, death and dying
Symptoms of Stress?
Feel: overwhelmed, fatigued or angry
Frequent minor physical complaints or
illnesses
Feelings of fear or anxiety
Starting, returning or an increase in
smoking
Dependence on caffeine usage
Substance abuses
Coping With Stress in Nursing School
Basics
Maintain balance in life (make time for
school, family, yourself)
Plan daily relaxation or quiet time
Get outside each day for sunlight
Plan physical activity (at least 3X week)
Eat well
Sleep well
Avoid cramming or staying up all night
Coping With Stress in Nursing School
Put yourself first
Learn how to say NO
Learn how to ask for help
Help with errands, children, studying, etc
Help with feelings
Share feelings (not complaints) with your
peers
Create support groups
Find a mentor
Coping With Stress in Nursing School
Grow UP
Always be prepared ahead of time (class,
exams and clinical)
Take on a professional demeanor
Do not miss class
Learn to accept mistakes; grow from them
Accept responsibility for your status
Learn to handle problems constructively
instead of defensively
Accept what cannot be changed
You must constantly evaluate
your level of stress
If you’re not aware of your level of
stress then you can’t manage it
You have to do a lot of self evaluation
If you’re not good at it, you better get
good or find tools to help you
Here are some examples:
Study Skills for Nursing School
You need to understand the process of
learning
Most information in nursing school
cannot be memorized it must be applied
How do you go from sitting and
listening in class and reading your
textbook to applying what you’ve been
taught
The First Step in Improving
Your Studying Skills
Understanding and improving your
foundation
Poor basic foundation skills brought
into nursing school. 3 most common
Poor reading skills
Poor math skills
Poor computer skills
There are resources available to
address these, but only YOU can do it
Next Step in Improving
Studying Skills
Analyzing your overall strengths and
weaknesses as they related to studying
Improving Your Study Skills
Preparing for class
Complete assigned readings
To prepare for the large amount of material in
each class
Can scan, no need to read in depth
Do not highlight
Focus on pathophysiology
Right before class spend 5 – 10 minutes
reviewing notes from previous class
Improving Your Study Skills
Actively listen in class
If you have trouble paying attention sit in front
Make eye contact with instructor
Listen when others ask questions and/or ask
yourself
Things you should be thinking about:
What will this client look like?
How will I assess them?
How will I take care of them?
What are the priorities?
How will I know when something is wrong?
Improving Your Study Skills
Take notes
If you have difficulty studying, do not rely on power
point handouts – take additional notes
Use a proven “method” for taking notes (see websites and on-line videos)
Write legibly in an outline form
If using PP then write in “focus” notes
Leave space in your notes to later fill in answers to
previously asked questions
Improving Your Study Skills
Review after class
Spend 5 minutes right after class reviewing
notes or power points
If you have questions – ask for clarification
immediately after class
Do not change gears to quickly
A few minutes now will save study time later
This is part of the “rehearsal” process for
learning
Re-read your notes fully within 24 hours of
class
Improving Your Study Skills
Read your text book for comprehension
Read the assigned chapters for topics
covered in class within 48 – 72 hours
Use a “proven” method for reading text
books (see web-sites and on-line videos)
Use your notes for outline of what to focus
on and make comparisons between book and
notes
Get it into long term memory by writing
summary of each section in your own words
Improving Your Study Skills
In order to really learn, remember
That nursing is all about the process and
applying what you’ve learned
Exams primarily test your ability to apply
this process
The NURSING PROCESS!
Assessment
Planning
Intervention
Evaluation
Improving Your Study Skills
Study for learning, not memorization
Reviewing your notes is important, but
Just reading you power points 5, 10, 50 times will not
help you in nursing exams, it’s all about application
Go back to readings and read questions at end of
chapter and complete any learning activities suggested
by book
Pay close attention to things that are bolded, italicized,
underlined or tabled as well as medication
management and nursing interventions
Improving Your Study Skills
Study actively with partner or group
Take turns asking questions that focus on
application
What will this patient look like?
How will I assess and take care of them?
What are the priorities based upon the
problems?
What will I teach them and how will I know
they have learned it?
Improving Your Study Skills
Pay attention to medication management
What is the class of drug? How does it
work?
How will I know it is working or not working?
What are the side effects?
What teaching does it require?
Quiz yourself
Improving Your Study Skills
Apply recent material to really learn it
Alone or in your group:
Develop a concept map for each disorder
Identify: pathophysiology, clinical
manifestations, assessments and
interventions
Use nursing process by developing a care
plan for each topic to be covered on exam
Web List
A multitude of sites to assist you
No one can do it for you, you have to
put in the time
View the videos for more in depth
information about these topics,
especially reading and note taking