It’s no secret that nursing school is challenging. Whether you are pursuing a bachelor’s degree or working as a registered nurse, nursing demands 200% effort to cover the elaborate coursework within the dedicated timeframe. In addition, since most nursing students work in healthcare on a part-time basis, managing the curriculum can get challenging. Let’s see 9 habits nursing students must develop to excel with the program.
Several survey reports suggest that 72% of nursing students seek study help from subject matter experts online to meet their academic demands. With nursing assignment help, they can turn in quality solutions within the deadline.
Fortunately, all is not lost for nursing students. Nursing students still have families, friends, and lives to live apart from studying day in and day out. But how do successful students balance their academic and personal life and do great at school?
To answer in one word – habits.
Good study and life hacks help you become more effective and push you to get the most of nursing education. Here are nine such habits of nursing students that you must adopt to become a better learner:
1. Time Management
Time is a crucial factor for nursing students and professionals alike. Unfortunately, not all can successfully juggle studies, work, family, and other personal obligations. It requires serious planning and commitment.
That’s why you need to divide your tasks and allocate time. For example, you know you have to sleep, eat, study, work, and give time to your family. Start with your sleep routine. No matter how hectic your schedule is, you must sleep for 7-8 hours to give your brain sufficient rest to function well.
Next on the list is your schoolwork. Since you’ve got a pile of assignments to do and a lot to study, make sure you mark them on your study calendar, so you don’t miss out on crucial deadlines and lectures.
2. Keep Backups
No doubt technology has made our lives a lot easier, but it can also fail us without prior warning. For example, let’s say you have to upload a vital report before the deadline. Just then, your Wi-Fi network fails. What would you do?
You can’t miss the deadline just because the internet connection in your area is down. That’s why you need to have a backup for everything. Also, don’t assume everything works out as planned, as disasters come unannounced. From mobile hotspots to extra power banks, keep whatever you need as your safety backup.
3. Study Regularly
There’s no other mantra to succeed with a nursing course other than to study. You have to learn a mountain of notes, real-life case studies, reports, and videos to develop your reasoning skills and gain a comprehensive understanding of the subject. And that’s only possible when you are dedicated to your studies.
You cannot excel in nursing if you rely on last-minute studies. So, develop a habit of studying regularly and getting the most out of those study hours.
For instance, if you’ve kept six hours for studies, divide them into multiple sections for different tasks. Make it a habit to review your class notes and solve test papers. While studying, don’t just aim to pass the exam. Treat it as your journey to lifelong learning.
4. Seek Help
Nursing is a tough nut to crack. There will come a time when the pressure will get overbearing, and you will want to quit. However, reaching out to someone who has been through it all can boost your morale and motivate you.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to your personal tutor for support. They play a distinctive role through the program and can help you overcome the course-related challenges.
You can also form study groups with two or three nursing students and set study goals. Studying together enables you to discuss and solve your queries faster. You can also use sources like Kaplan if you find study material relevant to your course.
5. Effective Learning Style
Nursing topics are both exciting and challenging. You need to identify your pain points and dedicate more time and effort to overcome the challenges. One of the ways of mastering tricky topics is to understand the concept in a simplified form.
For example, pharmacology is a tricky course for a lot of students. If you struggle to understand the medications, try to learn them by placing them in groups. Then, focus on the side effects, features, interactions, and their uses. Finally, understand what makes each one unique.
If this method doesn’t work for you, try other learning methods like writing and learning, flashcards, reading aloud, etc. and stick to what suits you the best.
6. Maintain a Professional Attitude
As a nurse, you may have to deal with difficult patients. So, treat your nursing school days as a training period for handling challenging situations.
Try to overcome your shortcomings and maintain a cordial relationship with your clinical partners and instructors. Who knows, you might need their support for a job recommendation.
Even though nursing schools are an excellent learning experience, they can be really demanding. Even if you are bummed out due to the coursework or personal problems, be professional with your attitude and focus on the longer goal.
7. Set Achievable Goals
When you are realistic about your goals, the chances of success of is much higher. I know it would be great to study for 8-10 hours a day and stay ahead of their batchmates. But when your routine is packed, is it possible to study for such long hours at a stretch? No.
On the contrary, if you plan to study for 3 hours a day and complete a few chapters, that would be more achievable. So don’t create unrealistic goals and create unnecessary pressure on yourself. Instead, set smaller study targets to achieve the bigger goal – your nursing degree.
8. Stay Focused
When you have so much to do, it’s easy to get distracted from your goal. You want to multitask and meet your study target and get on with your life.
The harsh truth is, not everyone is a master of multitasking. Sure, you want to do your best and juggle studies and practice, but focus on one task at a time if you don’t want to hinder the quality. Eliminate all the possible distractions, be it your phone or TV.
Focus on completing your study goal to complete your target faster and get more time to do some other work. Also, make sure you prepare a study routine and stick to it. Your study plan will guide you and help you analyse how much you’ve to do within what time.
9. Prioritise Yourself
When you are stuck with your syllabus and drowning in deadlines, food and sleep is the last thing on your mind. Prioritising your coursework and studies is what you are supposed to do, but not at the cost of your physical and mental health. Unhealthy diet and irregular sleep routine will damage your health and affect your concentration abilities.
The only way to make sure you deliver the best is to stay fit. Eating right, following a good sleep routine, and exercising will allow your body to get enough rest and help your brain to work at full power.
Don’t hesitate to appreciate your hard work. Reward yourself whenever you achieve a study goal. Take out time from your busy schedule to spend time with your family and relax. If you feel you need to vent out, talk to them or a professional. Remember, if you want to study better, you must also feel better, physically and mentally.
Conclusion
Following good habits will help you manage your workload better. Nursing is undoubtedly a hard path and requires a student’s full time and dedication, but it is certainly rewarding in the long haul. So if you want to improve your habits and become more an effective nursing student, make sure you practice the above mentioned habits. These habits will only help you stay on top of your game and allow you to enjoy your university days.
