How Many Hours Should You Study for a Nursing Career?
As you begin your studies for your nursing career, you might be wondering how much studying is going to be required. Different subjects require different hours of study, and needed study time also varies with the individual. There are a few ways to decide what type of time you should be spending on various subjects and on your nursing career overall.
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Basic Rule
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A basic rule for any degree is that you want to spend the same number of hours studying per week as you are in class. Therefore, if you are taking 15 hours worth of classes each week, you should be studying 15 per week as well. The typical week in nursing school ranges from 12 to 20 hours of class each week, so plan to study at least that much.
Past Performance
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Studying more hours than the number you spend in class might be needed, depending on your past performance. If you have found that particular subjects, such as anatomy, are difficult for you, consider putting in a couple of hours extra per week for those classes. Don't be afraid to study for extra amounts of time if you find you are falling behind. With so many courses such as biology and anatomy and lab work, a nursing degree can take a lot of study time.
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Amount of Work
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Another way to gauge the number of hours you will need to spend studying for your nursing degree is by the amount of work you have. Some classes, such as anatomy and biology, are going to require a lot of work because you have lots of reading to do and plenty of assignments to complete. However, some courses that won't require as much time. Some of your lecture courses might only require an hour of reading per week, depending on the amount of information you need to have for classes. Keep an idea of the amount of work needed per class, in order to know how many hours you'll need to set aside.
Participation
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As you study toward your nursing degree, the amount of participation needed for a class might determine the amount of time that you spend studying for it. In classes such as your labs, in which you are expected to do an experiment or work on a lab project each time your class meets, you will need to spend extra hours preparing for that class. In lecture classes, such as history of nursing courses, you won't need to spend as much time preparing.
Exam Time
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As you near your exam times, you will need to increase greatly the numnber of hours you spend studying. You should spend several hours studying for each exam each week. Do not put off studying for your exams, as you might end up being too rushed when it comes time for them.
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