Understanding how to study in nursing school is essential to achieving success in the program. While nursing school is challenging, implementing study tips, such as creating a study schedule, remaining organized, and creating study groups, will help you meet the demands and earn your degree.
As you prepare for accelerated nursing school, you may wonder how you can succeed in such an intense program. After all, nursing is known to be difficult academically, and for good reason — you’ll be caring for people’s lives. Because nursing school requires hard work, learning how to study in nursing school will help you meet the challenges and prepare you for an exciting career.
Northeastern University is committed to preparing our Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) students to be leaders in the field. Our students complete a hybrid curriculum consisting of online classes, skills and simulations labs, and clinical rotations, allowing them to build the confidence needed to pass the NCLEX-RN and earn their nursing license.
Effective study strategies are essential in a rigorous ABSN program. These 11 nursing school study tips will help deliver positive results all the way to graduation.
Study Tips for Nursing Students
While every student’s experience is unique, nursing school can be demanding. At Northeastern, our ABSN curriculum is designed to challenge students and prepare them to become highly competent and skilled nurses, requiring them to commit to full-time study.
Students must develop clinical judgment to make sound and quick decisions throughout their careers. In nursing school, this requires synthesizing the knowledge gained from coursework and applying it to practice during labs and clinicals.
Studying for nursing school is more than memorization. To exercise clinical judgment in fast-paced environments, you must fully understand foundational nursing and science concepts and how they apply to each clinical situation. As a result, you must learn how to study in nursing programs to develop healthy habits and implement essential study techniques for nursing students to help you excel.
The way you approach studying for nursing school may shift over time as you enter new courses and experience new challenges. Maintaining a fluid approach and utilizing various study tips will prepare you to adapt to each course and clinical placement.
Is nursing school hard? Learn what makes nursing school challenging and how you can achieve success.
1. Stay on Track
Sticking to a schedule in nursing school is easier said than done. But with careful planning, you’ll save much more time in the long run. One of the most important nursing school study tips is to create a schedule. Keeping a calendar or day planner updated with important items such as exam dates, assignment due dates, appointments, and special events ensures you never miss an important task and helps you track your time.
On that note, don’t overbook yourself. Time management is a significant indicator of success in nursing school. Ensure your schedule leaves enough time for meals and rest so you are energized for the next day. You can also schedule time for exercise or hobbies to help you strike a work/life balance and not feel overwhelmed by school.
2. Collaborate with Your Classmates
A cohort that works together grows together. Attending nursing school isn’t an easy feat, but you’re not alone. Engage with other members of your cohort by creating regular study group sessions. These sessions are an excellent opportunity to compare notes, study, and practice in the simulation lab.
Creating bonds with other students in nursing school will improve not only your experience but also your performance. Your cohort is one of the few people who can relate to your nursing school experience, and these bonds can offer valuable emotional support to help you navigate nursing school stress. Nursing is team-based, and establishing these bonds early on prepares you for your future career.
3. Outline Your Notes
Each person has note-taking preferences, but studies show the most helpful notes follow an outline structure. The key to a good outline is not to worry about writing down every word from your instructor or book. Instead, when studying for your online classes in the ABSN program, focus on listening or reading, then write down the main topics covered.
You can follow up with sub-notes relating to each topic with key points. Ensure your notes are clear and concise so they’re easy to read.
After the lesson, while the information is still processing in your brain, summarize your findings in writing, the same way you would explain it to a friend. When you can verbalize or write down what you’ve learned, you’re more likely to retain it.
4. Create Flashcards
The visual cues on flashcards have been proven to increase memory retention while studying, so try it when preparing for the next exam. Flashcards can be created by hand or on apps like Anki that allow you to create online equivalents for studying on a mobile device.
To save time and increase retention, create flashcards after each lesson and study as you go instead of waiting until the night before the exam. Down periods like commuting on public transport or preparing for labs or clinicals are excellent times to review flashcards. Flashcards are also a great and fun way to study with classmates and can help foster more productive group study sessions.
5. Don’t Work Ahead (Yet)
If you’re new to nursing school, we recommend tackling your lectures and assignments as they are due instead of jumping ahead when you find extra time. Focus on the now and make sure you completely understand each concept in the current lesson before you try getting ahead. Once you’ve established a rhythm, you can evaluate the benefit of completing a lesson early versus tending to another area of your life.
6. Connect with Your Instructors
Maintaining communication with your instructors is important from the first day of class to graduation. It’s easier to learn from someone you understand, so take the time to introduce yourself, reach out during office hours with questions and feedback, and use email and phone communication to stay in touch over the semester.
Connecting with your professors will help establish positive relationships that can assist you throughout the program. At Northeastern, our faculty is dedicated to fostering student success and can offer solutions or advice to help you navigate nursing school and earn your degree.
7. Ask Questions
One of the most essential nursing school study tips is to ask questions. Don’t hesitate to ask about concepts you don’t understand and engage in discussions when possible. Whether emailing your instructor or comparing notes with your cohort, make sure all your questions are answered.
Ask your questions early during online classes, labs, and clinicals. The nursing curriculum builds on itself, so asking questions as soon as they arise will help you remain proactive and stay on track with the material.
8. Organize, Organize, Organize
Keep your materials, such as assignments, notes, study materials, and graded exams, in a room or space solely reserved for school.
Keep materials in order by date and label them with the corresponding lesson or chapter to save time. You could also separate materials into folders or files and categorize the contents in an order that makes sense to you. Also, keep your clinical supplies, such as your stethoscope and penlight, in a bag or box so you don’t misplace or damage them.
A lack of organization can increase stress, making participating in study sessions, courses, and clinicals difficult. Organization techniques will also help you study for the licensing exam. It is ideal to prepare for the NCLEX throughout your nursing program. By keeping an organized archive of notes, reading materials, and exams, you can utilize a comprehensive approach to studying for the NCLEX.
9. Avoid Distractions
The right environment can make all the difference when completing assignments or studying for an exam. For example, studying on the couch in your living room with the TV on or in your bed where the pillows are calling your name are not productive studying environments.
Choose somewhere relatively quiet, preferably outside of the home, for critical study sessions so that you can devote all your attention to the lessons. Small coffee shops, libraries, bookstores, quiet restaurants, and the outdoors can offer great study spaces.
When working at home, avoid distractions (i.e., don’t sit at the kitchen table if it puts you in view of a sink full of dirty dishes). Choose a comfortable room with minimal distractions. Sitting up straight when reading or studying may also help improve engagement and avoid back pain.
10. Take Study Breaks
Focus is a key to success in accelerated nursing school. You’ll need to study hard for 16 months. There will be many long days of studying, and taking regular breaks is the best way to handle these intense sessions.
For example, studying eight hours straight is not ideal, as it can cause burnout. Instead, breaking up those eight hours into smaller sessions with a short break every hour or two will help you stay fresh.
Even stretching your legs or preparing a snack can reframe your mind and provide the mental break needed to jump back into studying. Therefore, incorporate short breaks into your schedule as part of your optimal study routine.
11. Live a Balanced Life
While studying is your main focus during an accelerated BSN program, one nursing school study tip often overlooked is remembering to prioritize your wellness. You will perform better in nursing school when you are physically, mentally, and emotionally well. Being healthy in all aspects of your life reduces stress and helps you remain in a learning frame of mind.
A few things you can do to promote a balanced life include:
- Eat a healthy diet: Focus on eating vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, and healthy fats.
- Get enough sleep: Aim for seven to eight hours per night. This will help you retain information and stay engaged in your studies.
- Stay connected: Schedule time to regularly talk with loved ones, such as family or friends. Your support system can help you manage stress and stay motivated during challenging times.
- Exercise: Regular exercise does wonders for your health and mental state. Schedule time to exercise a few times each week. If you can exercise outdoors, that’s even better, as time in the sunshine will give you much-needed vitamin D.
- See your provider: During school, visit your regular providers: primary care physician, dentist, mental health therapist, etc. Your health comes first.
If you want to become a nurse, you first need to enroll in nursing school. Learn why nursing school is worth it here.
Get Started with Nursing at Northeastern
Now that you know how to study in nursing school, it’s time to take steps toward your degree. The ABSN program at Northeastern offers a high-quality education in as few as 16 months. We offer three start dates per year — in January, May, and September — at our locations near Boston, MA and in Charlotte, NC. If you have at least 62 non-nursing college credits or a non-nursing bachelor’s degree, you may be eligible to apply to the ABSN program.
To learn more about how to earn your BSN at Northeastern, fill out our online form to contact our admissions counselors. It’s time to make the move and start your new nursing career.
