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
Lets 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 lets figure
out the hours
for your 8
credit class
It wouldnt 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 doesnt 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 cant, 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 shouldnt
be working full time!
Whats the obvious problem here?
It CANT 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 its not just the
amount of time that must be devoted to
it. Other sources of stress in Nursing
School
Inadequate knowledge. You cant 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 youre not aware of your level of
stress then you cant manage it
You have to do a lot of self
evaluation
If youre 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 youve
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
web-sites 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 youve 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, its 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