4 Studying Mistakes to Avoid in Passing Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Exam

One of the classes that nursing students take requiring a combination of knowledge in pharmacology, pathophysiology, and health assessment, is medical-surgical (med-surg) nursing. Med-surg nursing is one of those classes that demands extra study time.

In this class, students learn about the processes of disease and how to treat patients with specific diseases. As there are critical-thinking questions (opposed to "fact-based" questions) in the NCLEX format included in medical-surgical certification exams, memorizing material will not be adequate. Students must completely understand the material. For instance, a student must understand the pathophysiology of why a patient is having certain symptoms of a particular disease. 

Avoid these 4 Common Studying Mistakes in Medical-Surgical Nursing

1. Reading every page and chapter of your textbooks verbatim. This is ineffective since most medical and surgical texts are enormous and have too much information to understand. You must understand the fundamental ideas!
2. Not understanding how to answer NCLEX style questions. Get familiar with the style of questions the NCLEX uses. Checkout free websites that offer NCLEX style practice questions.
3. Memorizing information rather than understanding information. While a student can retain dates or significant events, understanding how a disease process impacts the body is necessary for medical-surgical courses. This will lead to understanding of why a patient is displaying certain symptoms and why the nurse is performing those particular nursing actions.
4. Not creating enough study time. Setting the proper amount of time aside for studying cannot be avoided, but you can make better time of studying by developing organizational skills. Finding a format to organize information to easily go back for understanding and clarification is essential.  

Preferred Learning Style for Comprehending Medical Surgical Nursing's Key Concepts

Knowing your preferred learning style is necessary before you begin studying. So, what type of learner are you?

• Do you learn best by using visual aids? If so, look up videos on YouTube on the disease processes you are studying and the role of the nurse in dealing with the specific disease. 
• Do you learn best through auditory aids? (If so, record lectures to go back to often for deeper understanding.)
• Do you like to study through notetaking? If you choose to take notes, re-read the concepts from your notes out loud and re-write them in succinct words as often as it takes for these concepts to be absorbed.

After you identify your learning style, adjust your study strategy to fit how you learn best.

Final Word

Some courses will provide study guides before an exam that covers the essential ideas that will be tested. These details should not be ignored as they are often useful. Create a study plan for each item in the study guide and utilize study notes to help you deconstruct the essential ideas.

Finally, prior to the test, practice a lot of NCLEX-style questions!