March 19, 2024 • 14 mins
Embark on a journey toward academic excellence with your guide, Lauren Chapnick, a dedicated RN who knows the ins and outs of mastering nursing studies. Forget the frustration of ineffective cram sessions; we're here to unravel the secrets behind selecting the perfect study environment that suits your learning style. Whether you're a lone wolf who thrives in the silent corners of the library or someone who benefits from the collective knowledge of a study duo, this episode arms you with strategies to break down complex materials, adopt focused study sessions, and ensure you're not just studying hard, but studying smart.
Let's face it, the path to those coveted RN initials is no stroll through the park, but with a dose of Lauren's infectious positivity and disciplined approach, you'll find the strength to push through even when motivation seems like a distant memory. This episode is not just a lesson in study tactics; it's a rally cry for all nursing students to harness their inner potential and conquer their exams. Lauren's unwavering belief in you is palpable as she shares insights that will not only prepare you for success on the NCLEX but also mold you into the exceptional nurse you're destined to be. Tune in and transform your study habits from mundane to magnificent!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Is the nursing student coach, giving you the
strategies you need the most.
Hi everybody, and welcome toNursing Student Coach.
This is your host.
I am Lauren Chapnick and I am aregistered nurse.
(00:20):
I work in an emergency room andI started this show because I
want to help put more greatnurses into the world.
That is my whole mission behindstarting the show.
I hope that you take somethingvaluable from the lessons that I
share with you and our guestsshare with you.
If you like what you hear, allI ask is that you share it with
(00:43):
a friend.
If you could be so kind as toleave us a positive rating and
review, that would be amazing,because then we can help put the
show in front of more futurenurses who could benefit.
The rest of season two isdedicated to nursing exams.
Let's ace those nursing exams.
(01:04):
Let's just keep getting thosescores higher and higher so you
ultimately pass that NCLEX andput those letters R and N after
your name.
Today I am going to answer who,what, where, when and why when
it comes to your study habits.
(01:25):
So first let's tackle who.
Obviously, the who is you.
You are the one who's doing thestudying.
But think about this have youbeen successful in who you have
been studying with.
Now, I've shared before that Iam not a fan of study groups and
(01:45):
if you do study in a group, Isay, proceed with caution.
The reason I say this isbecause all too often, study
groups can turn into justanother excuse for distraction.
In nursing school, some of mybest friends, who I love dearly,
I could not study with because20 minutes would go by and we'd
(02:09):
say why are we talking aboutM&Ms and the bachelor and
whatever the heck else we'retalking about?
Because we are not talkingabout pharmacology or med surge
or whatever we came here to talkabout.
I also found that in a groupthat's too large, there's always
going to be somebody who comesnot prepared and you spend the
(02:30):
entire time catching that personup and it can be frustrating.
The point is, your time innursing school is so valuable.
Really, really stronglyconsider who you are studying
with and is it serving you.
Studying alone, in my opinion,is the way to go.
(02:50):
Or one other partner who youtrust, who you know you can stay
on task.
Also, if you do choose to studyin a small group, proceed with
caution.
Make sure everybody shows up tothe study session prepared.
I do have coaching clients whoswear by their study groups, who
like to meet in the same smallgroup every time there's an exam
(03:14):
and it really helps them.
That's great.
For whatever reason, it neverquite worked for me.
I am a one woman show when itcomes to studying, but you have
to do what works best for you.
So I want you to take a look atwhat you've been doing and just
ask yourself has it beenworking for you?
How's it going?
Is studying by yourself more ofa distraction because you don't
(03:37):
exactly have a plan when yousit down?
Or is studying in a group notreally helping because you get
distracted?
Think about it and stick withwhat's working.
If you are consistently doingwell and you have been studying
in a group at least part of thetime, keep doing it.
You don't have to listen toeverything that I say.
You got to pick and choose whatworks for you, right?
(03:58):
So that's the who.
Now let's answer what?
What are you studying?
This is a problem.
I see a lot where people justdon't even know where to start.
They know that they have tostudy because they've got three
exams coming up in the next twoweeks, but let's say they have
(04:18):
three hours.
They don't have a plan, theydon't have a clue as to how
they're going to spend that time.
So to answer that question,what?
When you sit down to study, Iwant you to know exactly what
you're going to study In thatsession and keep it very simple.
Start small, don't overestimatewhat you can do.
(04:42):
If anything, underestimate, andif you have more time, move on
to the next thing.
But let's say you have apharmacology test, right, and
you've got seven PowerPoints toget through and you're going to
sit down to study.
Just say to yourself I am goingto get through the first
PowerPoint, I'm going to listento it or I'm going to make my
(05:05):
outline on it, or I'm going toread through it, however many
times it takes.
Make notes, I'm going to studythis.
Don't sit down and have no ideawhat you're going to do,
because I promise you you willget overwhelmed.
Small chunks, small bites andtake breaks.
(05:25):
I love, I swear by the 27 threemethod.
That is my own method that Ikind of adapted from something
else.
What you do is you have a timer, you set it for 27 minutes, you
study hard and you study onlyon that one thing for that 27
(05:45):
minutes.
And when the timer goes off,you reset it for three minutes.
At that point you get up, youmove your body, you take a break
, you do whatever you want to dorun up and down the stairs,
dance to a favorite song forthree minutes.
Then the three minutes is up.
You sit back down, you startover again.
Break it up, make it realistic,make it practical.
(06:07):
If you sit down with a gianttextbook and you say, oh my gosh
, this test is on 14 chaptersLike how am I ever going to get
through this?
No, you're going to get throughthat first chapter right now
and then you're going to planout the next one for the next
time.
You can only do so much.
You can only do a little bit ata time.
Your brain can only be in thatpeak flow state for only such
(06:30):
amount of time that you have torecover and you have to take
breaks.
So the whole point of thattangent is know what you're
studying.
Have a plan for what you'regoing to study.
If you're studying farm, great,say, I'm going to study the
first PowerPoint.
If you're studying med-surge, Iam going to read chapter two.
(06:51):
Whatever it is, be specific.
The more specific you are andthe more attainable that study
goal is for that session, themore motivated you're going to
be.
You're going to feel good whenyou accomplish that small goal
and it's going to keep themomentum going and keep the
(07:12):
trend going of your great studyhabits, where this is so
important.
A scattered messy study space isa scattered messy mind.
Take five minutes before youstart studying or, better yet,
(07:35):
set it up the day before.
Clean up your study space.
Have a really clean desk withmaybe a nice plant or a candle
or just something that inspiresyou or picture somebody you love
.
Have your study space be yoursacred spot where you love to be
(07:59):
.
But, most importantly, it hasto be free of clutter.
I can't tell you how.
Just subconsciously, just pilesof garbage and just bills, the
pieces of paper and pens thatdon't work and coffee spills and
water that was from three daysago.
(08:19):
Get it off your study space.
That's if you study at home, ifyou study in a library, amazing.
Find a really quiet area.
You all know I love libraries.
I love exploring new libraries,finding the quietest spots in a
(08:39):
library where I can focus.
Some libraries have amazingviews.
I just love libraries.
They're always quiet.
They're always quiet, that'sfirst and foremost.
But where you study is crucial.
Your environment is everything.
And here's a little hack Tothrow in your backpack always
(09:00):
have some sort of noisecanceling earbuds and, at the
very least, just buy a cheappackage of ear plugs.
Okay, you can get those atWalmart or any pharmacy.
Have some sort of noiseblocking device, because in a
pinch you're going to need it.
You don't know when someannoying noise is gonna be going
off If you're sitting at thelibrary and all of a sudden they
(09:22):
start mowing the lawn outsideand you can't make that part of
your background and you can'tfocus.
Throw in some ear plugs, throwin some headphones and put on
some focus music.
Go to YouTube and type in brainfocus music or classical study
music or Spotify.
Whatever you listen to, yourenvironment is very, very
(09:46):
important.
So hopefully those tips helpyou out a little bit.
When to study.
Not only should you have a veryspecific plan of what you're
going to study, but I have awhole video on time blocking and
how to use a planner.
But when you study is veryimportant.
(10:07):
You gotta do it at a time whereyou are at your best.
Are you a morning person?
Are you an evening person?
But have your time of whenyou're going to study set.
Don't just say, oh yeah, I'mgoing to study tomorrow
afternoon.
I don't have class.
No, the more specific you canbe, the more successful you will
(10:29):
be, I promise you.
Try it and see what happens.
Don't say I'm gonna study inthe afternoon.
Say, okay, write it down inyour planner.
From 2 to 4 pm, I am going togo to the library, I'm going to
sit on the second floor at thetable in the back with the view
(10:49):
of the tree and I am going toread chapter 5 of my psychiatric
nursing.
The point is have a specificplan, know where you're going to
be, what time and what you'regoing to be studying.
So that covers so far.
We did the who, the what, thewhere and the when to plan out
(11:13):
your time blocks.
And then, lastly, is the why.
This is the driving forcebehind why you're doing all of
this.
Why are you in this crazydifficult nursing program?
Why?
Why do you want to be a nurse?
Because when the going getstough, when you're crying,
because it's just so muchmaterial and it's so confusing
(11:38):
and you know maybe yourborderline not passing a class
and it's just so stressful.
Close your eyes and think aboutwhy you got into this in the
first place.
What is your life going to looklike once you're a nurse, once
all of this is behind you?
Because, I promise you, nursingschool ends this madness, this
(12:00):
exam, taking anxiety, thisstress ball of your life right
now it ends.
There is a whole other worldout there beyond this, and once
you pass that NCLEX and you area registered nurse, you have
your license.
There's a whole life thatyou're going to live.
You're going to have this wholecareer and this nursing school
(12:23):
is just going to be a blip inthe radar.
So what's that going to looklike for you?
Why did you want to be a nursein the first place?
What inspires you?
Why do you want to do this?
Because you're going to havereally, really tough days in
nursing school and you have tojust think why am I doing this?
(12:44):
What is your why?
And sometimes you got to justclose your eyes and imagine what
your life is going to be andlet that keep you going.
Write down your why I want tobe a nurse, because, whatever it
is, what inspired you to dothis, and let that be the force
(13:05):
behind all of this.
I believe in you.
I know you are going to do sowell.
We just have to get specific.
We have to have a plan when wesit down to study and we have to
just crush those nursing exams,have a great mindset about it
and not worry so much.
(13:25):
Just do it.
When you don't feel like doingit, do it anyway.
Okay, listen to my voice sayingget off your butt.
Get it done, because it is soworth it.
I promise you you're going tobe an amazing nurse.
I love you, I believe in youand until the next time, this is
(13:46):
Nurse Lauren.
It is my personal mission tohelp put more great nurses into
the world.
Thank you so much for listening.
Bye-bye.
Is the nursing student coach, giving you the
strategies you need the most.
Hi everybody, and welcome toNursing Student Coach.
This is your host.
I am Lauren Chapnick and I am aregistered nurse.
(00:20):
I work in an emergency room andI started this show because I
want to help put more greatnurses into the world.
That is my whole mission behindstarting the show.
I hope that you take somethingvaluable from the lessons that I
share with you and our guestsshare with you.
If you like what you hear, allI ask is that you share it with
(00:43):
a friend.
If you could be so kind as toleave us a positive rating and
review, that would be amazing,because then we can help put the
show in front of more futurenurses who could benefit.
The rest of season two isdedicated to nursing exams.
Let's ace those nursing exams.
(01:04):
Let's just keep getting thosescores higher and higher so you
ultimately pass that NCLEX andput those letters R and N after
your name.
Today I am going to answer who,what, where, when and why when
it comes to your study habits.
(01:25):
So first let's tackle who.
Obviously, the who is you.
You are the one who's doing thestudying.
But think about this have youbeen successful in who you have
been studying with.
Now, I've shared before that Iam not a fan of study groups and
(01:45):
if you do study in a group, Isay, proceed with caution.
The reason I say this isbecause all too often, study
groups can turn into justanother excuse for distraction.
In nursing school, some of mybest friends, who I love dearly,
I could not study with because20 minutes would go by and we'd
(02:09):
say why are we talking aboutM&Ms and the bachelor and
whatever the heck else we'retalking about?
Because we are not talkingabout pharmacology or med surge
or whatever we came here to talkabout.
I also found that in a groupthat's too large, there's always
going to be somebody who comesnot prepared and you spend the
(02:30):
entire time catching that personup and it can be frustrating.
The point is, your time innursing school is so valuable.
Really, really stronglyconsider who you are studying
with and is it serving you.
Studying alone, in my opinion,is the way to go.
(02:50):
Or one other partner who youtrust, who you know you can stay
on task.
Also, if you do choose to studyin a small group, proceed with
caution.
Make sure everybody shows up tothe study session prepared.
I do have coaching clients whoswear by their study groups, who
like to meet in the same smallgroup every time there's an exam
(03:14):
and it really helps them.
That's great.
For whatever reason, it neverquite worked for me.
I am a one woman show when itcomes to studying, but you have
to do what works best for you.
So I want you to take a look atwhat you've been doing and just
ask yourself has it beenworking for you?
How's it going?
Is studying by yourself more ofa distraction because you don't
(03:37):
exactly have a plan when yousit down?
Or is studying in a group notreally helping because you get
distracted?
Think about it and stick withwhat's working.
If you are consistently doingwell and you have been studying
in a group at least part of thetime, keep doing it.
You don't have to listen toeverything that I say.
You got to pick and choose whatworks for you, right?
(03:58):
So that's the who.
Now let's answer what?
What are you studying?
This is a problem.
I see a lot where people justdon't even know where to start.
They know that they have tostudy because they've got three
exams coming up in the next twoweeks, but let's say they have
(04:18):
three hours.
They don't have a plan, theydon't have a clue as to how
they're going to spend that time.
So to answer that question,what?
When you sit down to study, Iwant you to know exactly what
you're going to study In thatsession and keep it very simple.
Start small, don't overestimatewhat you can do.
(04:42):
If anything, underestimate, andif you have more time, move on
to the next thing.
But let's say you have apharmacology test, right, and
you've got seven PowerPoints toget through and you're going to
sit down to study.
Just say to yourself I am goingto get through the first
PowerPoint, I'm going to listento it or I'm going to make my
(05:05):
outline on it, or I'm going toread through it, however many
times it takes.
Make notes, I'm going to studythis.
Don't sit down and have no ideawhat you're going to do,
because I promise you you willget overwhelmed.
Small chunks, small bites andtake breaks.
(05:25):
I love, I swear by the 27 threemethod.
That is my own method that Ikind of adapted from something
else.
What you do is you have a timer, you set it for 27 minutes, you
study hard and you study onlyon that one thing for that 27
(05:45):
minutes.
And when the timer goes off,you reset it for three minutes.
At that point you get up, youmove your body, you take a break
, you do whatever you want to dorun up and down the stairs,
dance to a favorite song forthree minutes.
Then the three minutes is up.
You sit back down, you startover again.
Break it up, make it realistic,make it practical.
(06:07):
If you sit down with a gianttextbook and you say, oh my gosh
, this test is on 14 chaptersLike how am I ever going to get
through this?
No, you're going to get throughthat first chapter right now
and then you're going to planout the next one for the next
time.
You can only do so much.
You can only do a little bit ata time.
Your brain can only be in thatpeak flow state for only such
(06:30):
amount of time that you have torecover and you have to take
breaks.
So the whole point of thattangent is know what you're
studying.
Have a plan for what you'regoing to study.
If you're studying farm, great,say, I'm going to study the
first PowerPoint.
If you're studying med-surge, Iam going to read chapter two.
(06:51):
Whatever it is, be specific.
The more specific you are andthe more attainable that study
goal is for that session, themore motivated you're going to
be.
You're going to feel good whenyou accomplish that small goal
and it's going to keep themomentum going and keep the
(07:12):
trend going of your great studyhabits, where this is so
important.
A scattered messy study space isa scattered messy mind.
Take five minutes before youstart studying or, better yet,
(07:35):
set it up the day before.
Clean up your study space.
Have a really clean desk withmaybe a nice plant or a candle
or just something that inspiresyou or picture somebody you love
.
Have your study space be yoursacred spot where you love to be
(07:59):
.
But, most importantly, it hasto be free of clutter.
I can't tell you how.
Just subconsciously, just pilesof garbage and just bills, the
pieces of paper and pens thatdon't work and coffee spills and
water that was from three daysago.
(08:19):
Get it off your study space.
That's if you study at home, ifyou study in a library, amazing.
Find a really quiet area.
You all know I love libraries.
I love exploring new libraries,finding the quietest spots in a
(08:39):
library where I can focus.
Some libraries have amazingviews.
I just love libraries.
They're always quiet.
They're always quiet, that'sfirst and foremost.
But where you study is crucial.
Your environment is everything.
And here's a little hack Tothrow in your backpack always
(09:00):
have some sort of noisecanceling earbuds and, at the
very least, just buy a cheappackage of ear plugs.
Okay, you can get those atWalmart or any pharmacy.
Have some sort of noiseblocking device, because in a
pinch you're going to need it.
You don't know when someannoying noise is gonna be going
off If you're sitting at thelibrary and all of a sudden they
(09:22):
start mowing the lawn outsideand you can't make that part of
your background and you can'tfocus.
Throw in some ear plugs, throwin some headphones and put on
some focus music.
Go to YouTube and type in brainfocus music or classical study
music or Spotify.
Whatever you listen to, yourenvironment is very, very
(09:46):
important.
So hopefully those tips helpyou out a little bit.
When to study.
Not only should you have a veryspecific plan of what you're
going to study, but I have awhole video on time blocking and
how to use a planner.
But when you study is veryimportant.
(10:07):
You gotta do it at a time whereyou are at your best.
Are you a morning person?
Are you an evening person?
But have your time of whenyou're going to study set.
Don't just say, oh yeah, I'mgoing to study tomorrow
afternoon.
I don't have class.
No, the more specific you canbe, the more successful you will
(10:29):
be, I promise you.
Try it and see what happens.
Don't say I'm gonna study inthe afternoon.
Say, okay, write it down inyour planner.
From 2 to 4 pm, I am going togo to the library, I'm going to
sit on the second floor at thetable in the back with the view
(10:49):
of the tree and I am going toread chapter 5 of my psychiatric
nursing.
The point is have a specificplan, know where you're going to
be, what time and what you'regoing to be studying.
So that covers so far.
We did the who, the what, thewhere and the when to plan out
(11:13):
your time blocks.
And then, lastly, is the why.
This is the driving forcebehind why you're doing all of
this.
Why are you in this crazydifficult nursing program?
Why?
Why do you want to be a nurse?
Because when the going getstough, when you're crying,
because it's just so muchmaterial and it's so confusing
(11:38):
and you know maybe yourborderline not passing a class
and it's just so stressful.
Close your eyes and think aboutwhy you got into this in the
first place.
What is your life going to looklike once you're a nurse, once
all of this is behind you?
Because, I promise you, nursingschool ends this madness, this
(12:00):
exam, taking anxiety, thisstress ball of your life right
now it ends.
There is a whole other worldout there beyond this, and once
you pass that NCLEX and you area registered nurse, you have
your license.
There's a whole life thatyou're going to live.
You're going to have this wholecareer and this nursing school
(12:23):
is just going to be a blip inthe radar.
So what's that going to looklike for you?
Why did you want to be a nursein the first place?
What inspires you?
Why do you want to do this?
Because you're going to havereally, really tough days in
nursing school and you have tojust think why am I doing this?
(12:44):
What is your why?
And sometimes you got to justclose your eyes and imagine what
your life is going to be andlet that keep you going.
Write down your why I want tobe a nurse, because, whatever it
is, what inspired you to dothis, and let that be the force
(13:05):
behind all of this.
I believe in you.
I know you are going to do sowell.
We just have to get specific.
We have to have a plan when wesit down to study and we have to
just crush those nursing exams,have a great mindset about it
and not worry so much.
(13:25):
Just do it.
When you don't feel like doingit, do it anyway.
Okay, listen to my voice sayingget off your butt.
Get it done, because it is soworth it.
I promise you you're going tobe an amazing nurse.
I love you, I believe in youand until the next time, this is
(13:46):
Nurse Lauren.
It is my personal mission tohelp put more great nurses into
the world.
Thank you so much for listening.
Bye-bye.
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