Nursing Student Tips for Studying and Organization

Believe it or not, some nursing student tips are best learned away from the bedside.

Anyone who’s been through the journey will agree: nursing school introduces your brain to a whole new way of thinking. So, it only makes sense that the process of preparing for nursing classes has to be different.

Keep reading for my top nursing student tips for studying and organization!

Write down a schedule…and stick to it!

It’s easier said than done, but both parts are crucial for this step to be successful…

Write it down
Follow through!

Physically writing down a schedule helps you to visualize your day or week. It also helps you plan how to manage your time appropriately and realistically.

Another benefit is the sense of accomplishment you get every time you’re able to execute your plan and cross something off your list! When you create that clear tangible plan, it’s easier to hold yourself accountable for how you spend your time.

Most importantly, if you do this part right, it will save you from procrastinating reading all six of those chapters until the night before they’re due!

Learn the material for you, not just your exam

If you’re a current nursing student, I don’t even need to explain the frustration caused by having only 40 exam questions pulled from: 600 slides, 4 chapters, plus all the lectures too. In fact, it’s probably safe to say that even years after your classroom days, this complaint will likely stick with you.

Let’s be completely honest…

It’s borderline crazy to expect yourself to remember ALL of the information in front of you. So, the key here is to constantly refocus yourself on how the information relates to what you already know. Then, push yourself to frame it in your mind in terms of how it will help you improve patient care going forward.

Studying becomes much less overwhelming once you shift your mindset like that!

Rather than memorizing information for each individual exam, focus on actually understanding the content for your patients. You’ll remember the information better and be more able to actually apply it when the time comes.

Figure out your personal learning type

Every individual learns new information most effectively in different ways.

Some lucky people absorb material best by reading straight from the book or listening to lectures. But a lot of us need a combination of listening, reading, writing, and even teaching to make concepts really stick..

Don’t get carried away with highlighting everything in the book or making a million flashcards… especially if you find you never end up going back to them anyway.

Try out different methods:

make your own study guides
have group discussions with your classmates
record lectures and listen on repeat
or even find videos or alternative sources for being taught the information

Take the time early on to figure out which way works best for you. Then, leverage that knowledge throughout the rest of your time in nursing school to get the most out of your time spent studying.

Minimize distractions & create a good brain space

A major factor in your brain being able to do it’s best work is having an ideal study environment.

In nursing school, there’s too much new, complex information to divide your attention between studying and background TV, Instagram, etc…

Ultimately, it comes down to self control-and how much value you place in your time.

Recognize if you’re someone who truly needs a quiet study space, or if you need a little background noise.

If you need peace and quiet, force yourself to turn off the TV and put the phone out of reach. Instead of a constant distraction, use it as an incentive to getting solid work done! Set a goal to study hard and completely focused for an hour. Then, reward yourself with a ten minute guilt-free break to catch up with your technology.

If you’re someone who gets more distracted by total quiet, set up a playlist ahead of time that will keep you focused (and awake). That way, all you need to do is press play and get straight into study mode.

And if you’re ready to really get serious about your productivity, try using an actual tool to force yourself to stick to it. Some of my favorites are the StayFocused Chrome extension, the Cold Turkey Blocker, and this Productivity Timer.

Organize a binder for each class

I don’t know about you, but just looking at a mess of papers to sort through can give me some mild anxiety.

And if I’m overwhelmed at the thought of getting organized, it’s about ten times harder to actually get studying.

There’s something calming about the physical aspect of setting up an organized system for each class. I feel more in control when I know where each section of notes is, where I left off, and what I have left to do.

Of course, it’s equally important not to get carried away with this. Organizing and reorganizing can sometimes be an act of procrastinating the actual studying.

But, it’s well worth it to spend the time and effort up front setting it up well in order to make the rest of your study sessions go smoothly.