This book is intended to help nursing students entering the first-semester block of their college programs develop the study skills necessary to succeed in nursing school. Topics covered include: managing time, scheduling time effectively, managing email, effective use of textbooks, taking notes, studying in groups, preparing for exams, test-taking strategies, and dealing with test anxiety. Each chapter contains reading, videos, and interactive activities to help students increase their success by using effective study strategies. The book’s content is generally applicable to students entering any Healthcare field of study, but portions have been customized for MaricopaNursing students to include the specific tools provided to students by Maricopa Community Colleges.

We created this resource because Nursing faculty notice the study skills that have worked for students during their prerequisite classes are often not sufficient to do well in Nursing courses. For the Nursing program, additional time and effort is required. This book presents proven success strategies and study skills that will empower Nursing students to own their learning. While the book can be used on its own, all chapters have a corresponding assessment in the associated Canvas course*. Whether you’re scheduling your study time, organizing study sessions with other students, preparing for exams, or just looking for ways to soothe the anxiety that builds up when you face an important exam, these resources are here to support your learning journey.

Video and Interactive Features

Most chapters contain one or more focused videos highlighting key concepts and important details. The interactive activities incorporated in this book are designed to aid your comprehension and help you to remember and apply what you’ve learned. We encourage you to complete the activities thoroughly and thoughtfully, and be open to trying new study techniques.

How to Use This Book

For each chapter:

1. Read the chapter and watch videos. If you need help accessing closed captions for the embedded videos, please view How to adjust your caption settings on YouTube.
2. Take Notes: Write down important points, diagrams, and terms as you watch. Experiment with the different techniques presented in the Effective Note-Taking chapter. This will help you remember the information and make it easier for you to apply these techniques during your Nursing program journey.
3. Complete the Interactive Activities to the best of your ability. They help you to test your understanding, identify skills that need further practice to master, and apply the skills you are learning.
4. Complete the assessments in the associated Canvas course*. Go through the correct answers to understand any mistakes. Reviewing is a valuable part of the learning process. You can return to the activities and assessments at any time to give yourself a memory boost about the topic.

Phoenix College Nursing Project Team

A small cross-functional team consisting of faculty, lab instructors, subject matter experts, and an instructional designer from Phoenix College collaborated to create a structured review for incoming Block 1 MaricopaNursing students using open educational resources. Within this group, a smaller team focused on student success strategies in a nursing context created this topic review. In the spirit of open education, we have licensed our OER resources under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (except where otherwise noted):

• Success Strategies for Nursing Students (this OER textbook)
• Success Strategies for Nursing Students OER*Course Shell (in Canvas Commons)

Media Attribution

Book cover image created by Cheryl Colan from Photo of nursing student by benzoix and Blackboard back to school badges collection from Freepik, both licensed under the Freekpik license.