6 Study Tips For Nursing Students

Nursing school can be challenging. Whether you’re a first-year nursing student or in your final year, you know the important role studying plays in having a successful school year. 

Being a nursing student is no means an easy task. The amount of studying needed on top of your practical tasks and placement is sometimes enough to have you wondering is nursing school really right for me?

But don’t give up. While studying to be a nurse can be overwhelming at times, there are a few ways you can ease the stress. 

Here are some top studying tips for nursing students to get the best out of your time at nursing school.

1. Manage your time

Time management is an essential skill for all nursing students. Nursing is a demanding profession and requires the ability to prioritize and anticipate tasks in an efficient manner.

If you want to become a nursing assistant or RN upon completion of your studies, then you have got to get used to planning your time effectively.

Look at your course material or nurse’s study guide and mark in your calendar any exams, tests, assignments, or placements you have coming up. Use the days you are not in placement or in class to study, review notes and get familiar with the week’s prescribed module. 

Planning ahead can also apply to meal times. As a student nurse, you have got a lot crammed into your day that it’s often easy to forget to eat. Set aside one night for meal prepping so there’s one less thing to have to do during your day.

2. Avoid cramming before a test

Cramming the night before a test might seem like a good way to get a refresher on all that has been covered the past semester, but it could backfire.

Our memories can only retain so much. In fact, a 2009 study found that of two student groups, those who crammed before a test remembered less than the group who spaced apart from their revision sessions. 

So if you have a nursing test or exam coming up, instead of spending the day before cramming a year’s worth of information into one sitting - allow time between study sessions.

You can devote an hour or two each day in the lead-up to your test to revising one module before going on to the next. That way, you’re not confusing your brain with differing course notes and materials and can enter into your test with a sharper memory of all that you’ve gone over. 

3. Test yourself

Practice makes perfect. That goes for nurses, too! 

If you want to be able to remember information, you’ve got to practice. While it’s always good to go over textbooks and reread chapters, you’ll get even better results by testing yourself on what you’ve learned.

As part of your study session or revision, go over your text or notes once. Then, instead of re-reading and re-reading and trying to burn that information into your memory, write up some flashcards or mock exam questions/scenarios and test yourself. This is a great way to not only see if you’ve retained the information you’ve learned, but if you understand it. 

Get a study buddy or friend to ask the questions for you, and see how you go answering them. Such retrieval practice is a great way to learn and exercise your critical thinking skills - a must in any RN. 

4. Ask questions

There’s a lot to take in at nursing school. A lot of the information you’re learning may be unfamiliar or confusing. In those times where you’re unsure about a topic covered, ask for help.

Remember, your mentors are there to help you. They have been in your position too, so there’s no need to feel silly or embarrassed for asking for clarification or guidance on a subject. 

Asking questions not only helps you to understand the topics covered, but it also shows that you are willing to learn. Being proactive this way is a great trait to have and take into your career as an RN.

As a nurse, it may seem like you never get a break from learning - but it’s learning that will allow you to give the best, most up-to-date care for your patients. So continue to remain open to learning, and ask questions whenever you need to.

6. Don’t study just to pass tests

While at nursing school, it’s easy to get caught up and bogged down in information overload. Between the study notes and textbooks, it gets hard to remember your purpose for being there in the first place. Instead of studying for the benefit of your future nursing career, you find yourself studying just to pass the next test and get a good grade. 

Never forget to remember your why whenever you’re feeling burnt out from studying.

Think about studying as a way to learn valuable information that you will be using once you've graduated from nursing school. All these topics and modules are designed so that you can be confident when it comes time to have to look after real-life patients in a real-life setting. 

Studying is part of your lifelong career as a nurse, so relish the opportunity and make it a part of who you are and who you want to be. 

To study successfully as a nursing student, you need to remember that reflection and revision is a key part in moving forward in your goal of becoming a nurse. Make time to prepare for tests and exams, and set a little time each day to study. Another important study tip for nurses -- be kind to yourself.

Things will become challenging, and it can often feel overwhelming to have to balance life and work with your study. So always make sure you stick to a regular healthy sleeping and eating routine, and take breaks whenever you need them. Finally, if you find yourself struggling, always reach out to your mentor or guidance counselor for help.