NR 103 Unit 2: Small Group Discussion

Critical thinking and note-taking strategy are easy but were hard to apply in life. Even if they are the common methods when studying or taking an exam, it is a little bit hard to carry out without enough practice. I use the note taking skill to memorize things, not to study before the class. But I have learned to use it to preview the stuff before the class.

The note-taking method allows me to consider the priority of stuff and to remind of the important information that could be easily forgettable. The human brain is unable to accommodate all the things that want to be memorized, that is why we need to take notes. I usually take notes when studying, but sometimes I ignored its importance.

When dealing with lots of patients, I won’t be able to remember the information of all patients, especially regarding health history or the medication list. Taking notes allows not only to record them for the future but also to take better care of the patients. Making organized medical charts should be done by nurses. Also, critical thinking makes us catch the things that we could miss. Critical thinking helps us give the patients better care as well as make zero mistakes.

The general education classes are essential for moving on to the nursing class. Since the nurse deals with a lot of patients who have a variety of characteristics coming from different cultures, the broad and various general classes are important to understand them. Learning from general education classes can boost the study skills for the nursing classes. I think nursing classes need critical thinking while general education classes need effective, abstract thinking.

I’m a kind of visual learner but usually in text. Every time I study, I use the note-taking skill, even only for small things. It helps me remind of the stuffs when taking exams. I usually memorize the things as shown in pictures. In the seminar, the note-taking method is effective when studying before the classes to make me have questions and focus on that during class. I tried it before, but I had to change it to do “after” the class. I used to have questions during the class, make them clear when studying myself later and study the extra information regarding them. During this process, critical thinking might help me to study and search the extra information.

• I have acquired a very unique way of studying as a result of watching a very informative video posted by one of my Professor at Chamberlain University. It encompasses a wide variety of note taking and learning styles. The video stipulated reading before class is a vital element for students grasping the concepts of what information or topic the Professor will be imparting to his or her students. I have implemented that strategy and found it to be very fruitful. The reason being I was able to pay attention to what my Professor was saying as oppose to trying to put together the information which she had to offer. I am now better able to ask questions that can help in clarifying materials and misconceptions.There is an old saying ‘Fail to Prepare Prepare to Fail’ The video has lighted a light bulb in my head , reminding me of this old saying I mentioned prior. I will inculcate what I have learnt in order to successfully be a successful student while making the learning process manageable.Nursing is totally different from other educational classes. It requires patience, honesty,being intelligent,compassion,caring, being able to solving or make assessment, have effective communication skills as well as being able to prove quality care and not opted for nursing because of the pay check. Education on the other hand is a matter of regurgitation of provided information.I have never took time to read or write notes before attending classes. I often struggle to take notes because of the language barrier. Some of my prior Professors spoke very quickly making it difficult to understand,preparing before hand gives me the opportunity to figure out what is being said. I am enjoying using my previously learnt to navigate through my current school curriculum.