Tips to Surviving Vocational Nursing School
Vocational Nursing School is an exciting time, and one probably filled with transition, anxiety and anticipation. Learning to balance and prioritize will help you survive this time in your life. There may be times when you feel that you are stretched so thin you are sure you will snap in two. Still, the back-to-school experience is worth the investment of time and money, and it will continue to pay off. Following are some tips based on what others have learned along the way, and presented in depth in your orientation program at Lone Star College-Kingwood Vocational Nursing Program...
Finding Study Time
It can be difficult to find study time when you are already busy. So prioritizing is key. Start by making a daily and weekly task list coding tasks according to priority. Try color-coding, or using symbols that are easy for you to recognize. For instance, what absolutely must be done? What should be done?
10 TIPS TO HELP YOU STUDY
- Study at the library if you canít study undisturbed at home. After classes are through, you are welcome to use the classroom or nursing lab to study.
- Schedule your study time at the same time every day so you have a routine.
- Form a study group with your peers, set a schedule, and decide what material will be covered. Our campus offers facilitated study groups as well.
- Break large or difficult tasks into smaller, more manageable tasks. Use your calendar given to you by your professors and update it regularly. Incorporate your clinical papers and exam dates into your daily planner so that they don't sneak up on you. For instance, set a deadline for researching the topic, writing the first draft, and so on. Avoiding last minute mania will do yourself and your nervous system a big favor.
- Promise yourself a reward once you finish an exam, paper, or class, such as treating yourself to a favorite book or magazine, or visiting a friend you haven't seen in since you started classes.
- Need tutoring? Consider checking out the Learning Center at Lone Star College-Kingwood. This is located in the Student Center. Volunteer tutors are available in nursing, math, history, English, and the sciences.
- Need to research a nursing topic? Our library has powerful search engines, as well as courteous employees to assist you. Narrow your research and save precious time by checking out a search engine just for nurses, courtesy of Nursing Spectrum. http://www.nursingwebsearch.com.
- Rewrite class notes while the lecture is still fresh in your mind. This will help eliminate gaps in your notes, and give you time to clarify any confusion. Record your study notes, and listen to the tape while doing the dishes or driving.
- Keep a resource list handy of emergency phone numbers or e-mail addresses for your professors, classmates, and study group in case you have last-minute questions.
- Don't procrastinate! Last-minute cramming for a test or paper will only make you more stressed.
Rewritten for the SVN by Marybeth Sinclair BSN, RN from an article originally done by Joan C. Borgatti, MEd, RN in 1999, September/October issue for the Nursing Student National Association
http://www.nsna.org