Developing Study Skills

Chapter 2


Developing Study Skills



What Are Good Study Skills?


Good study skills mean that you have developed skillful study habits and adhered to a study schedule in which you have incorporated methods for learning and understanding nursing content. Good study habits develop by organizing your time and disciplining yourself to keep to your study schedule. It is important to remember that success comes from working hard, so do not just think about studying; instead, actually incorporate study into your daily school pattern.


Time management is an important factor in developing good study habits and skills. In the nursing program, you will be very busy with classes, laboratory sessions, and clinical experiences. You will need to complete a great deal of reading and assignments and take and pass exams. There are only 24 hours in a day, and you will have a limited number of hours in each day to spend on studying, so you need to use this time as effectively and as efficiently as possible. To help you get started, this chapter discusses some important points for developing these habits and skills. Chapter 1 gives additional study habits and skills as they relate specifically to nursing exams.



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imageHow Do You Identify and Plan Your Study Times?


An important part of identifying time for study is using a calendar. The calendar can come in the form of an electronic calendar or the more traditional paper type of calendar. Whatever you prefer, use what will work for you. Choose the type that best fits your needs, and let it be your academic life-guide.


At the beginning of each semester, enter your class schedule into your calendar. Once you receive your course syllabus for each course, read it carefully and pay close attention to due dates for assignments and exam dates. Enter these dates in the calendar. In addition, enter into your calendar any other important dates, such as extracurricular activities or other personal activities that you have scheduled. Carry your calendar with you when you go to class. The instructor may change an assignment due date or an exam date, so you want to be sure that you can immediately make that change in your calendar. Once all this information has been added to your calendar you can plan your study times.



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Your calendar or academic life-guide is critical to your success in effectively managing your time and developing a study plan for the semester. Be sure to look at your calendar every day to plan for the following day. Look ahead to the next week, and note what is scheduled (e.g., an exam) or due to be handed in (e.g., an assignment). If you are diligent about entering your semester schedule and course requirements into your calendar and reviewing your calendar daily, you can easily manage your time in a busy semester.



imageWhat Study Habits Do You Need to Develop?


A habit is a pattern of behavior that an individual establishes through repetition of the behavior. Habits can be good or bad, and you need to focus on developing good habits for studying. If you develop good habits and stick to them, you will be successful in the nursing program. There are many study habits that you can develop for yourself, and you may already have some study habits in place that you developed while in high school. If you do and they worked, then integrate these study habits into your college study plan. In addition, use the following top-10 pyramid points and study habits to help plan your study sessions.



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imageTop-10 Pyramid Points and Study Habits



Pyramid Point and Study Habit 1: Plan Daily Specific Times for Studying


Look at your calendar to identify daily times that are free of any other commitments, such as class or clinical obligations, and make these your study times. Block these times off in your calendar as your study times. If you have breaks between classes, use them for study. For example, if you have a class from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM and do not have another class until 1:00 PM, block out the time between these classes as study time. Set regular study time sessions for each day because this will help establish a routine that becomes part of your school life, and remember that it is acceptable to revise your study time sessions if necessary. In other words, if you find that a particular study time is not working, then select another time to take its place. During your study time be sure that your time is spent on something related to your nursing course work.







Pyramid Point and Study Habit 6: Find a Special Study Place That Is Free of External Distractions


Your special study area should be quiet and comfortable. It can be your dormitory room, a study lounge, the library, a special room at home, or any other quiet area that works for you. Do not plan to study in a crowded or noisy room, such as a student social lounge, cafeteria, or cafe. Find your special area of tranquility, and post a “do not disturb” sign. Be sure that your cell phone is off and that any other phone or the television is off or far enough away from you so that you will not be distracted. Your study area should be adequate and roomy enough to support your necessary books, notes, and other essentials required to make the study session a success. The lighting in your special study area should be soft and provide the right amount of light to allow easy reading. Remember that temperature control is also critical to your comfort. If it is too hot, you may become sleepy. If it is too cold, you may begin to shiver and have difficulty concentrating. So find a room temperature that is comfortable for you. Remember that your special study area should be quiet and comfortable.



Pyramid Point and Study Habit 7: Seek Help When You Do Not Understand the Material


If you are having difficulty understanding the material, seek help. Remember that in many cases “two heads are better than one.” You can ask another student to help explain a difficult content area that you do not understand, but do not ever hesitate to ask your instructor to explain the information to you. During your study session, if you are “stuck” and are not able to understand the information using the resources that are immediately available to you, move on to the next topic. Do not waste your valuable study time. Make note of the information that you do not understand, and seek clarification later. Start the next topic to make the most of the study time you have planned. Make your own “flash cards” to help you remember that difficult-to-learn information.



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Pyramid Point and Study Habit 8: Plan Study Breaks


Study breaks are important to keep your mind fresh and alert. All people differ in terms of the length of time that they can sit and study and maintain focus to concentrate, so don’t compare your study needs to those of other students. How will you know when you need a study break? If you are having difficulty focusing and are moving through content but are not grasping the material, then you need a study break. If you read a page of content but at the end of the page you do not remember what you read, then you need a study break. If you are experiencing “mind chatter” or are thinking about things other than the task you are supposed to be focusing on, then you need a study break. If you are feeling sleepy or hungry, you need a study break.



Pyramid Point and Study Habit 9: Eat a Healthy Diet, and Exercise Regularly


Eating a healthy diet will build and maintain your energy level and your stamina to meet your set goals. Did you know that eating fatty foods will slow you down?Yes they will; so you need to avoid fatty foods. As you will learn in nursing school, nutrition is important for the functioning of every cell in your body. A nurse is also a teacher, and you will be teaching your clients about the importance of eating healthy. So practice what you will be preaching!


Breakfast is an extremely important meal because it starts your day with the fuel that you need to think and perform all the activities ahead of you; however, be sure to eat a healthy breakfast. Stay away from bacon, sausage, and high-sugar syrups. Instead, for example, eat a bagel with some peanut butter, cereal, or fruit, and drink some juice. Eat lighter meals and eat more frequently to keep your body fueled and energized. Include complex carbohydrates and protein in your diet for energy. In addition, carry snacks in your backpack for between meals or for your study breaks, but again, be sure that these snacks are healthy ones. Also, be careful not to include too much caffeine in your daily diet. Caffeine will make you jittery and nervous and cause you to have difficulty focusing and concentrating. Remember that a motor vehicle needs gas or it will not run; so think about your body as the motor vehicle needing healthy food to move along and progress efficiently through the day!


Exercising regularly is another extremely important habit to develop. Exercise will enhance or maintain your physical fitness and strength and your overall health. Regular physical exercise also boosts the immune system, helps prevent disease, and improves your mental health. So get into the habit of exercising regularly. As with healthy eating, you will be teaching your clients about the importance of regular exercise. Again, practice what you will be preaching! What type of exercise should you do? That depends on what you like to do. It can be anything from walking or running to working out at a gym. Even simply getting into the habit of walking to class rather than driving to class will help. Exercise is also a great outlet when you take a study break; take a walk during your break. This will get your circulation flowing, and you will find that your mind will clear and you are able to focus and concentrate.



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Related posts:

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  4. Additional Pyramid Strategies

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Jul 24, 2016 | Posted by in NURSING | Comments Off on Developing Study Skills

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