5 Medical–Surgery Nursing Study Success Tips

For most students, passing medical surgery in nursing school can be difficult. Medical-surgical includes aspects such as body system, disease processes, symptoms testing, treatment, and nursing intervention, to mention a few. As such, you need to be proficient in fields including drugs, lab values, and an extensive pool of medical conditions.

Medical-surgical nurses are responsible for functions including keeping a patient stable reporting distress or any disruptions during the healing process. As you pursue medical surgery in nursing school, here are a few tips to help you succeed.

Time Management

Medical-surgical takes up considerable time. Unlike other course materials, you aren’t reviewing the contents. You learn how to apply what you have learned and think like a nurse. The materials are extensive, meaning that going through each, word for word, is hardly possible.

This doesn’t excuse you from reading as much as you can. Time management is at the core as you study and prepare for exams.

A simple hack you can employ is continuous studies. Continuous studying entails developing a routine, typically daily, and sticking to it throughout your nursing school period. This way, you will have adequate time to cover more details, unlike only studying when exams are fast approaching.

Understand, don’t Memorize

Cramming for exams can help you pass, but that relies more on luck. Medical-surgical exams require more than luck and a few memorized details. Memorizing will only take you so far since what counts the most is your logical thinking, applying what you know. Consuming little bits every day makes it easier to understand the concepts. You get to lay a solid foundation with time, ensuring that you understand the basics and build on the knowledge.

Remember that you need to brush up on the basics, including pathophysiology and other prerequisites, to succeed. Understanding the concepts makes learning the why and applying the knowledge to handle exams easier. For example, you won’t be caught up on the problem when considering a body malfunction since you understand the why and how to manage the process.

Resourcefulness

Study groups, online medical and surgical nursing learning materials, professors, and tech solutions; you have a lot at your disposal to help in your learning journey. Your only limitation is how far you are willing to go, especially when dealing with a problematic concept. Don’t shy away from asking questions.

Study groups and partners are a gem; they make the learning process more manageable. Through the discussions, you can learn a lot and offer help on areas you are great at, sinking the knowledge deeper. Ignoring those challenging concepts won’t make them disappear, and worse, they could be on the upcoming test. You can strive for greatness with the available resources, giving you an edge in the nursing arena.

Practice

You have invested in those handy study guides, but are you getting the most out of them? Your critical thinking and application of your accumulated knowledge get better with practice. Practice is not only good for your brain, a muscle that gets better the more it is challenged. You’ll master the concepts and gain a new perspective on approaching a problem following the processes, making it easier to excel in Med-Surg.

Handle those exercise questions at the end of a topic, and attempt as many as you can find. With practice, you can effortlessly navigate the most complex concepts, making Medical-surgical feel like a cakewalk, not the gigantic mountain you picture at the beginning.

Know Yourself

Are you a morning or evening person? Do you learn best visually, or are you more of an audio learner? Understanding your strengths and leveraging them is applicable in all your learning quests. You can schedule your studies in a period you are most productive. Moreover, you can pick an approach that best matches your learning style. For instance, recording lectures is an excellent approach if you are an auditory learner. If you are a visual learner, you can leverage video tutorials, making the process more productive. Also, consider your study environment and proven techniques like Pomodoro and use them to enhance your efficiency.

Do you want only to survive or thrive as you pursue medical-surgical in nursing school? Employing practical tips makes it easier to conquer the most challenging Medical-surgical concepts. With the right attitude and the above pointers, you’ll comfortably navigate the program, ace the tests, and supercharge your nursing endeavors.