Master List of Nursing School Tips
- AUSNA Officer
- May 13, 2020
- 4 min read
Instead of watching 23,457,297 YouTube videos yourself, I've put together a list of some of my favorite nursing school tips and included the channel, if applicable.
These were first shared at an AUSNA meeting in Spring 2020.
"I used to get up at 6 o'clock to get on a train to go work for someone else. Why would I not get up at least at 6 o'clock to go study for myself?" (cadidann)
Pre-Nursing
What to Review to Get Ahead
Vital Signs (Cristelle Alerte)
Fluid & Electrolytes (Jade Boyer)
Nursing Process (Marissa Ann)
Conversions (Jade Boyer)
Most popular 20 meds that are given (Kee bee)
How blood flows through the heart (Kee bee)
Medical terminology and abbreviations (yourfavnurseb)
What to Do Before Classes Begin
Clean your car (yourfavnurseb)
Sign up for tutoring (nkenna rose)
During Class
General Advice
Choose a specialty that you are interested in and focus on that while you're in class. For example, if you're interested in Oncology, try to think about how what you're learning would help a patient with cancer. (Nurse Theresa)
Go up and down the stairs during class breaks (fitnurse ty)
You don't have to have an answer for everything (Nurse Mary)
Set the bar high that your class will help one another; send notes to others, share study guides, focus on collaboration not competition (Blossom with Jessica)
Academic Advice
Make study materials, like flashcards, while you are in class (yourfavnurseb)
If your instructor gives you a specific page in the book, read it! (holley rojek)
To prep for pop quizzes: do your reading, do a quizlet, watch a video, read the powerpoint (Jemm v)
In your notes, choose a color that you always use when the instructor says something is important; for example, any quote from the instructor is in blue font/highlighter/pen in your notes (candidann)
Clinicals
Prep
Go to lab and practice as much as you can (Rebecca Williams)
Put a shoe box in your trunk and have Lysol spray to hit the bottoms of your shoes when you leave (Jemm v)
Plan your study time so that you don't have to study following clinicals (Nurse Lexi)
On Sundays, iron/hang up your scrubs, undergarments, shoes, socks, and pack your clinical bag so you have everything ready for the week (yourfavnurseb)
In the 30 seconds before class, ask yourself: what do I want to learn? How can I apply that knowledge?
During
Do not assume all elderly patients are hard of hearing (Cathy Parkes)
If you have developed a care plan, be confident enough to carry it out (Julianna Solomon)
Studying
General Tips
The first thing you should do is come up with a study plan when you sit down to study. Set a goal for that study session (twinkling lena)
Look for concepts that are repeated in class notes, powerpoints, study guide book, and the textbook (Registered Nurse RN)
Start studying 5-14 days before the exam (a couple nurses)
Make a study guide, then make flashcards. Record flashcards to play in the care. Try to write out answers to the flashcards on a white board while you're going through them (Christina J)
Use your study breaks to go for a walk (Kathryn Ann)
Create concept maps that include what the disease is, clinical manifestations, hallmarks that differentiate the disease, pathology, what drugs are used to treat it and how it is diagnosed (nkenna rose)
You don't need to read the book. Use it as a reference. Study straight from slides, refer to the book, and do practice questions. (Blossom with Jessica)
Be done studying content two days before the test. Two days before the test, do hundreds of test questions (Crosby Steen)
Always look for "outliers" in concepts aka the thing that makes that drug special or that disease special/different (Emily B nursing)
Outside Resources
Do not buy a bunch of supplemental textbooks until you actually start and know what you may need (mercy gono)
Stick to the Saunders book (or any comprehensive NCLEX review textbook) when you're studying for the test; the textbook is going to be too much information. Your scores will increase if you don't spend too much time in the textbooks (Nurse with Faith)
Registered Nurse RN recommends the Saunders Comprehensive Study Guide and Pearson Reviews & Rationales: Nursing Fundamentals
Holly Rojek recommends Davis Fundamentals for Success and Davis Q&A
Cherrie B recommends googling NCLEX questions
Justine G. Feather recommends Khan Academy
Cristelle Alerte recommends the app ATI RN
The most recommended podcasts are NRSNG and Fresh RN.
Exams
During
Focus on the nursing process (ADPIE)
Know Maslow's Hierarchy
Know the ABCs
Know the RN scope of practice
Always prioritize patient care
Ask yourself: what will kill my patient first? (Rebecca Williams)
Look for an umbrella term that describes multiple other choices; for example, choose "vital signs" not "temperature" or "blood pressure."
Don't choose an absolute: always, never, all, only, most, every
Look for opposite answers.
If you don't know the answer, ensure your guess is random to take advantage of statistics; for example, pick every first or every third answer.
Have a test taking outfit!
What's in my Nursing Bag? Miscellaneous Tips
Classroom Related
Put a countdown to graduation app on your phone (About Issa)
Ensure you know the grading scale (A Slice of Kate)
Always bring a pair of earplugs.
Lifestyle
Look up nursing scholarships and dedicate one hour every week to applying (yourfavnurseb)
Don't drink coffee after 5 pm if you can avoid it (Nurse Mendoza)
Visualize success nightly before you go to sleep and have a plan of action for the next day (EmpoweRN)
Never eat a full meal right before class because your blood will be in your digestive system, not your brain; have a snack but not a feast (fitnurse ty)
Note: the opinions listed here are an individual student's, meant for entertainment purposes only, and are not representative of DMACC
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