For adults who are furthering their education through independent study without the typical campus and classroom socialization, this may be perceived as a nearly impossible task. Nevertheless, being socially active can be an integral part of the learning process.

 

If you are studying by independent means, without a formal instructor and without being in a formal classroom, how does the transmission of the ideas and accumulated knowledge occur? Most of the information is communicated and learned one-dimensionally by reading and self-studying, but it doesn’t have to be that flat and boring. So much can be learned from other people!

 

As adult learners, working in the healthcare profession, you have the a basis of a some unifying relationship, because you share a similar goal in continuing your education to becoming registered nurses. Now you just need to find a way to connect with each other. Whether you post a bulletin at work announcing a study lunch hour, set up a Facebook profile, tweet to other adult learners or use an internet web forum, you can find several ways to communicate and share ideas! Imagine what you can learn from others across the nation with various life experiences but a unified goal.  

 

It doesn’t matter how you assemble, electronically or in person, what matters is that you engage others with common interests who are in the same pursuit to further their education.  You’ve heard that old adage; experience is the parent of wisdom. There is so much to be gained from interacting with others to learn, share experiences, motivate one another, gain wisdom and who knows, and maybe cultivate a lifelong friendship. Reach out, learn by way of others, and socialize as a part of your education experience!

 

Rue Education provides opportunities to become a socially active learner via online learning courses, Rue Education's Facebook and the Mentor Connection. To learn more, contact your academic advisor at 1-800-479-2805.

You can see your next exam on the horizon. When do you start studying? For some, studying starts immediately after the previous test finished. For others, it’s the day before, some prefer the day of, and the true masters of procrastination can be found studying literally the last few minutes before the test gets handed out. How does that saying go? “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” So how can you prepare for the next exam before it’s too late and actually get the grade you wanted? Here are some study tips from houstonianonline.com to help you stay on track and battle procrastination.

 

1. Plan your school work ahead of extracurricular activities. If you spend all your free time pursuing extracurriculars and neglecting the actual education you set out to achieve, then you can’t be surprised when your midterm grade is a D but your extreme Frisbee throw is spot-on. They’re called extracurricular because they are extra, as in school first, play after. It’s a simple concept but there are plenty of distractions. Prioritizing can be an easy way to pick the activities you want to commit to and budget time for studies.
2. Schedules make it easy. Scheduling your time is a great way to both keep an eye on upcoming project, exam dates, and other academic responsibilities. This makes it easy when planning for a fun outing because you know what’s already ahead of you coming up. When you get your syllabus, pencil in important dates to a calendar or use a schedule/calendar app on your phone. It’s all about seeing into the future so nothing sneaks up on you and you’ll know when you have free time to devote an afternoon to Pinterest.
3. Provide yourself with incentives. If you’re having a hard time finding motivation beyond your rising GPA and pride in your work, set small goals for your study times and rewards for after. Your reward can be 15 min of TV, a sweet treat, or 10 min to close your eyes and listen to music.
4. Start studying early to de-stress your life.  If you start studying a couple weeks before the test, you won’t be so stressed the night before.  You will feel more prepared and surer of yourself right before the big day. It’s easy to say you have plenty of time now until the test sneaks up on you and it’s the next day. Do yourself a favor and start early, even a little but stretched over a few weeks beats cramming in one night.
5. Remember why you’re here.  Everyone starts their pursuit hoping one day to receive a degree.  They want this degree to further whatever great career they have in mind. So our grades should be the most important thing in our life. With that said, remember to have fun and the best way to have fun is to quit procrastinating.

Rue Education understands busy working adults think they don’t have time to go back to school and earn their degree. That’s why Rue Education backs their adult learners up with an Academic Support Team. Hopeful nurses that thought they never had time to earn their RN degree due to their busy family lives and work schedules now have a chance to be RNs. Rue Education also understands that online study can be intimidating, which is why we have academic advisors with you from your first day until you pass your state board exam. You’ll also get support from other graduates that have used Rue’s system.  Maybe you’ve been thinking about earning your nursing degree, and are open to completing it in a new way that works into your busy schedule. Having a little help getting started might be the only thing you need. Give Rue Education a call if you’re ready to transition to RN and see how easy it can be!

Deciding to pursue your Associate Degree in Nursing and fulfilling your goal of becoming an RN is a big step but it’s a rewarding one. Earning your online ASN degree with Rue’s nursing programs will not only advance your income but you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you took the next step in your career.

 

Many nursing students, though, are pursuing their Associate of Science in Nursing degree while working full-time. Studying, juggling a 40 hour job and staying on top of family, social and personal commitments can cause an overwhelming amount of stress. 

 

There are ways to manage school and work without feeling like you’re in over your head. Here are a few tips to consider if you’re working full-time and completing your online ASN degree.

 

Support from your boss - Believe it or not, many employers recognize the fact that you’re working full-time while pursuing a degree. In fact, if you’re able to balance work and school, most managers will be supportive of their employees learning new skills. Also, because you’re balancing multiple projects at once, your employer might commend you for your ability to multi-task.

 

Lay out your priorities - Splitting up your responsibilities between work and school can get stressful. It’s important to determine what your priorities are for both and how to balance those priorities. Making daily or weekly to-do lists, jotting down in a calendar when projects are due and setting a reminder alert on your phone are just a few examples of how to plan your time and succeed in your associate degree nursing program.

 

Saying no - Success in an assoicate degree nursing program relies on your ability to prioritize. Having so much on your plate can make it hard to take on another new task. Don’t be afraid to say “no” when you’ve hit your limit. When you’re asked if you can take on another task from a friend, family member or co-worker, calmly explain to them that you’d love to help but you’ve not sure if you can take more on your plate right now.  Learning to say no may not be easy if you’ve always said yes. However, with practice, saying no can get easier; it can help you to reduce stress and it can help you stay focused on what your priorities are.

 

Study effectively - With working full-time and completing your Associate Degree in Nursing, you may find there aren’t enough hours in the day to study. When you have a break during your work day, take that time to review notes, read a few pages in a chapter or prepare for an upcoming exam. These small steps can help you retain more material because you won’t need to cram later. Also, while you’re working, see if what you’re learning in your studies can be applied to your current job. This can help you make connections between what you’re studying and real life situations.

 

To help you study more efficiently for your Associate degree nursing program, Rue Education’s subject matter experts have created a Rue Total Learning System™ for each of the subjects offered.

 

Rue’s learning styles feature:

- A workbook/study guide created by subject matter experts with PhD or master’s degrees 

- Objectives and required readings at the beginning of each chapter

- Textbook page references so you can quickly, find out what to study and efficiently check your answers

- End-of-chapter and final exams with page references and answer keys

- Study and time management tips

 

Rue hopes that these tips help show you how you can earn your online ASN Degree using Rue’s learning systems. Remember that Rue’s nursing programs are flexible to help you fit studying into your busy schedule. You can work full-time and still earn your Associate Degree in Nursing with Rue Education’s learning materials!

 

Rue wants to hear from you! How do you balance working full-time and your studies? What are some tips that helped you manage work and school?

1.      Where you study is important
Where you study can have an effect on how you study. Studying in the comfort of your own home is great, but it may not be the best place for everyone. The quiet ambiance and removal of personal distractions of a public library can allows you to focus more on what you’re studying.

2.      How you take notes makes a difference
Do not type your notes. Typing your notes can be advantageous because of increased legibility, but writing your notes out by hand leaves a more permanent impression in your mind. When you type you are just pressing keys on a keyboard, but when you write, you are writing out the words and concepts you need to remember.

3.      Who you study with affects your outcome
When possible, study in a group. Studying in groups can be beneficial. It allows the bouncing of ideas among peers in a stress less environment. We tend to remember what our peers tell us more than what read, so when we study with our peers, we remember better.

4.      Background distractions interfere with studying  

If you set aside time for studying, don’t leave Facebook open in the background. The notifications can wait. In fact, avoid using any social media when you study because a quick break can turn into hours of lost study time.

5.      What time you study can set you up for success
Study in the morning. Even if you’re tired, your mind is more active in the morning. Studying in the morning allows you to remember things easier. Imagine if you had to go for a run, would you have more energy after waking up, or before you sleep? The mind is no different, so be sure to pick up those books after waking up, not just at night.

Completing an online degree has many advantages. You can save on tuition, study at your convenience, no classroom attendance, and flexibility of courses offered. However, students taking online courses still have to face the responsibilities of normal classes including personal time management and study motivation. Rue Education is a leader in online learning and has established many useful tools for prospective nurses to guarantee their success. Additionally, St. Augustine news offers 5 tips to help when studying online.

1. Keep distractions to a minimum – Find a quiet place free from easy distractions like crowded places, TVs, and kids. Utilize note-taking to keep you focused on what’s in front of you and reinforce the knowledge you’re taking in so you don’t have to re-read.
2. Set a realistic schedule – Come up with a routine schedule that you can stick to. Avoid making study time on-the-fly and instead make it more of a reoccurring commitment. Get into the habit of studying the same times on the same days and letting others know that you’ve set that time aside for studies and that you are off-limits until finished.
3. Take study breaks – Burning out won’t get you anywhere. Schedule quick breaks in your study time to refresh and refocus. Make use of switching off for a few minutes especially when you’re getting stuck or frustrated.
4. Build a support system – Connect with your peers and classmates via online forums or social networks. Rue Education has its own academic social network platform called Mentor Connection. This is a great place to connect with others doing the same courses as you, and also get answers to questions from those that have already completed the course.
5. Set and review goals – Set realistic goals for yourself and use the above tips for reaching them. Create a study and completion schedule for example “Today is Sept 2^ndan I want to complete my Ethics course by Sept 30^th and these are the weekly steps I will be doing…” Keep your goals realistic, achievable, measurable, and specific. This will keep you on track and you’ll be able to accurately measure your success and modify your goals/schedule after you review your progress. Rue Education’s Academic Support Plan that you received when you started includes long-term and short-term goal sheets.  This is a great tool for goal setting.  If you need a new copy of the goal sheets, contact your Academic Advisor.

1. Open the Workbook One Section at a Time

• Read the introductory information for useful study strategies that you can use throughout all of your learning systems.
• Now you can open “Section 1” to get started.
• Review the two sections on page one: The assignments and the learning objectives.
• Hint: Objectives help you identify the important topics and you may want to refer back to them when you have completed the assignments.

2. Follow the Reading and Work Assignments

• Read the assigned portions of your text(s) (Reminder: If the material is new to you, you may want to break the reading up into different “study sessions”).
• When you have completed the readings, it is time to open the workbook and complete that section in the workbook.
• Hint: Try to answer the questions in your own words – this helps YOU to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. It can be tempting to rush through the questions but it is better to take your time.

3. Check Your Work

• Workbook questions have references to page numbers you should consult to check your knowledge.
• Hint: A highlighter might help you to mark sections where you want to re-read.
• The Quick Reference Guide answers the questions from the workbook so this will be a valuable way for you to quickly check your progress.

4. Review

• You have now identified where you need to focus your energies for this section.
• Remember, you are not alone. If you feel "stuck," contact an academic advisor at 800-479-2805 for assistance.
• When you feel you know all the information in a section, take the self-assessment exam at the end of the Workbook section.

5. Congratulations ~ You are ready to begin the next section

• Repeat this process throughout each learning system.

The nursing process, which is the foundation that drives all current nursing practice, is one of the misunderstood theories in nursing. Many nursing students have difficulty understanding this process and what it means for our patients and our nursing practice ...

Read More >>