Where to Start Studying as a Nurse? "Scientific Study Methods" to Solidify Practical Knowledge

I want to study, but I can't keep it up.
I know I read it, but not a single thing stuck.

After my shift, I drag my swollen, aching feet home.
I tell myself, "Today's the day," and open my textbook, but before I know it, I'm scrolling on my phone or passing out on the sofa...

Even if I open that same page a few days later, my mind is a total blank.
Doesn't it make you feel a little—no, actually, quite a lot—depressed, wondering, "What was the point of that time?"

I failed many times by relying on rote memorization.
I spent the time, but it just slipped away.
I worked hard, but when I was asked about it on the floor, I couldn't remember a thing.

Every time that happened, I would think, "Maybe I'm not cut out to be a nurse," or "Maybe I'm just not smart enough," and studying itself became painful.

But looking back now, it wasn't the studying itself that was painful.

I was just forcing an ineffective method onto a "brain that was exhausted and had diminished judgment."

What changed that all at once and saved me from the "quagmire of memorization" was changing my methods and planning to include
"active recall" and "spaced repetition." This isn't about willpower.

In fact, it is a
strategic way of learning that assumes there will be days when you just can't give it your all. It's about that.

As a certified nurse, and as a learner who is still relearning math and physics,

I want to share with you today a way to steadily turn knowledge into your own flesh and blood, even on nights when you feel like you can't even get up off the sofa.

I'll give you the conclusion first.

If you're wondering where to start with your nursing studies,
stop "just reading" and start recalling (or trying to recall) instead.

The process is simple. ↓

1. Read a little first.

2. Close the book or materials.

3. Try to recall it without looking at anything.

4. Review at gradually increasing intervals: the same day, the next day, 3 days later, and 7 days later.

That's all there is to it.

This is how I, as a nurse, improved my academic performance:

• "Active Recall"

• "Spaced Repetition"

and other changes to my study methods (techniques and mindset).

☘️ What I want you to take away from this article:

📖 If you keep ending your nights just by reading, studying itself starts to feel like a burden.

You finish your shift and go home.
You finish dinner and a bath, and finally sit at your desk.
Just getting that far means you are actually working quite hard.

But on nights when you're tired, even though your eyes take in the words, they don't really stick in your head.

You read. You underlined.
You turned the pages.

And yet, when you try to recall it later, nothing comes out.
When that feeling happens over and over, studying itself starts to feel like a burden.

I used to think that was just a matter of perseverance.
Thinking things like, "Maybe I need to do it for longer," or
"Maybe I need to put more effort into it."

But what I saw later was a slightly different perspective.

Getting exhausted from studying for a long time doesn't seem to be just about losing focus.

It's that you run out of the energy needed for the heavy lifting in your brain, like memorizing, re-understanding, and reorganizing, making it easier to drift toward the easiest option: "just reading."

And at those times, since you are turning pages, it's easy to be left with only the "feeling of having studied."

I think this happens very easily when studying as a nurse.

That is precisely why, rather than mindlessly extending your study time,

• stop before your thinking declines.

• Incorporate time for recall.

• And, structure your plan with recovery in mind.

This becomes very important.

Reading this far, you might think, 'So, should I not study at night?'
I'm not going that far.

However, rather than cramming new things at night, it's better to justlightly recall (retrieve) what you saw that day in your head without any notesinstead.

On days when you get home and your mind and body really can't keep up, you don't have to force yourself to cram at night.

Just do some light recall at night, and if it fits your lifestyle, go to bed a little earlier anddo it properly in the quiet time of the morning.

That way, it's more likely to stick in the end.

📖 Once I separated 'understanding,' 'memorizing,' and 'getting used to it,' it became easier to see what to do next

I used to have these all mixed up.
When I read a paper and thought, 'I see,' I felt like I had made some progress.

But if asked to explain it later on a blank sheet of paper, that was quite questionable.
And if it came to explaining it clearly to a junior colleague a few days later, that was even harder.

Perhaps,

1. 'Understanding'

2. 'Memorizing'

3. 'Getting used to it'

were all lumped together in my head.

But these three things are actually different.

1. First, understand.

This is the stage where you encounter something you didn't know before and it starts to make sense.

It's the period when you read papers, watch videos, or listen to lectures, and a new map begins to form in your mind.

2. Next, memorize.

This is the stage where you move beyond just 'I see it, so I understand it' to the point where you can say it without looking at anything.

In other words, can you explain it on a blank sheet of paper?

What is needed here is not reading, but recalling.

3. The last step is getting used to it.

This is the stage where, even after some time has passed, you can reflexively explain it in simple, clear terms.

Even if you think you understand it yourself, when you actually try to explain it to a patient or a junior colleague, you might find yourself stumbling over your words. That happens, right?

That is because you are not quite at the 'getting used to it' stage yet.

Just by thinking of these three things separately, your perspective will change significantly.

1. Was today a day where you read a paper and progressed to the point of understanding?

2. Was today a day where you answered without looking at anything and worked on memorizing?

3. Was today a day where you pulled out content from a few days ago and moved closer to getting used to it?

When you can see this,
instead of saying, 'I didn't make any progress today,'

you can say,
'Today was a day for understanding,'
or 'Today was a day to start memorizing,'

which makes it easier to see what you should do next.

Therefore, on a tough day,
'It doesn't look like I'll be able to memorize anything today. So, I'll just finish with understanding'
is perfectly fine.

Conversely, on days when you have a little extra time in the morning,
'Today, I'll aim to be able to explain this on a blank sheet of paper'
is a good goal to set.

📖 Active Recall: Try recalling after reading. That changed how I retain what I study.

I used to think that studying meant increasing the amount I read.
I felt like I had made progress on days when I read a lot.

But in reality, despite the number of pages I read, the information wouldn't come to mind later.
This happened to me many times.

That was the biggest hurdle I faced.

The turning point that changes the quality of learning is,

💡 incorporating recall immediately after input.

In other words, rather than reading it again,

💡 closing the book and trying to remember it.

Even if you can't recall it well,

💡 the act of trying to remember itself has meaning,

is what I mean.

For example, suppose you read 3 pages of an emergency response manual.
The old me would have just moved on to page 4, then page 5.

But with active recall (recall learning), you stop right there.

And then, you think like this.

• 'What were those 3 pages roughly about?'

• 'How would I explain this to a junior colleague in one minute?'

• 'Let me try writing down as much as I can on a blank sheet of paper.'

It's something like that, but it's okay if you can't answer well.

In fact, the state of trying to remember and failing to do so is not a failure.

Because,
it's not that you're bad because you couldn't recall it; at that very moment, your brain determines that information is important and begins to connect the memories.

So, there's no need to feel down here,
the act of trying to remember itself is the gateway to long-lasting memory.

What's important here is how you act the moment you stop.

For example,
today, check 'the causes and characteristics of the 4 types of shock' in a book for just 10 minutes.

After that, close the book and...

1. Hypovolemic shock

2. Cardiogenic shock

3. Distributive shock

4. Obstructive shock

Try to recall
the 4 types of shock and their causes/characteristics mentioned above. (If you have time, try reproducing them on a blank sheet of paper.)

This,

'Recall → Correction → Re-recall'

This is the main event!

Reading is just the entrance, not the core part of retaining information. The core is
trying to recall it.

Moreover, this doesn't mean you have to do it for a long time.

You don't need a solid two hours.
Read for 10 minutes.
Try to recall for 1 minute.
If you get stuck, look at it just a little, then try to say it again.

Even just doing that makes it much easier to "remember" than just following the pages.

Also, on days when you are exhausted at night, you don't have to push yourself here either.
Just remember this much today and finish.
That is enough.

If it fits your lifestyle, go to bed a little earlier, andin the quiet time of the morning, continue properly from where you left off yesterday.

I think this flow works better for many people.

📖 Distributed (Interval) Learning | Don't finish it on that day. Pull it out again the next day, and a few days later.

Active recall (recall learning) is important because it is about
trying to recall iton the spot.

However, if you only do that, there are times when you still feel uncertain.

For example, you could say it yesterday, but it's shaky three days later.
If asked a week later, you get stuck for words again.

That happens, doesn't it?

That is where it becomes important to take a little break and recall it again. This is a concept called
distributed learning.

These two (Active Recall and Spaced Repetition) are different things, but they become incredibly powerful when combined.

I think this is extremely important for busy nurses. This is because it's hard to find the time to do a thorough review every single time.

However, spaced repetition isn't about reviewing for hours.
Just pull the information back out when you're about to forget it.
That alone leads to memory retention.

Therefore, rather than a study method for people with free time, it's actually closer to a study method for busy nurses.

For example, if you read one case study from "Nursing Visualized Vol. 4: Development of the Nursing Process" today,

• once you've read it, close the book immediately and recall (try to remember) it.

• Within that same day, try to recall it once.

• When you wake up the next day, try to recall it for just one minute.

• A few days later, try stating the three main points just one more time.

• One week later, try explaining it again as if you were talking to a junior colleague.

You can do all of this studying in your head without any materials. Of course, writing it out on a blank sheet of paper is also an option.

Through this repetition, you move from "understanding" to "memorizing," and then closer to "getting used to it."

📖 If you find yourself just reading, stop there. From that point on, it's more about "design" than willpower.

I used to make this mistake often. Even when I felt exhausted, I'd think, "Just a little more. One more page. I'll finish once I read this far."

I was trying to keep going like that.

But what's important here isn't pushing yourself to the limit, but stopping before your brain is completely drained.

Heavy mental tasks like recall and reconstruction drain your brain, and recovery is necessary.

Therefore, continuing after you've used up your energy doesn't lead to much learning. You tend to enter a state where you're just inputting information without building any structure.

There are also signs for when to stop ↓

• You find yourself unable to do anything but read.

• Trying to recall information feels heavy.

• The thought "just a little more" keeps popping into your head.

• Correcting mistakes becomes a chore.

When you start feeling these things, that's when you should wrap it up.

It's okay if you're in the middle of something.
It's okay if it's incomplete.
It's important to finish while you still have the energy to recover.

In that case, it's fine to stop right there.
"That's enough for today" is perfectly fine.

Because that is a way of cutting it off so that it stays with you next time..

If it fits your lifestyle, just try to recall things lightly at night and go to bed a little earlier.
Then, in the quiet of the morning, do a little bit of deeper work.
I think this routine works better for many people.

📖 Summary | If you're going to do it tonight, this is all you need

For those who have read this far, there is one thing I want to leave you with.

You don't need to blame yourself on days when you couldn't keep up with your studies.

Rather than becoming someone who can do long sessions,
being able to learn in a way that actually sticks, even in the same amount of time.
That is probably more important for the busy daily life of a nurse.

So, this is enough for tonight.

1. Open just one theme

2. Read for just 5 minutes

3. Close it

4. Try to recall it for just 30 seconds

5. Take a quick look only at the parts you couldn't remember

6. Say it one more time and then finish

Perhaps not everything will change immediately.
But these kinds of modest, steady efforts will have a gradual, effective impact later on.

I myself failed many times by relying on rote memorization.
I spent the time, but it didn't stick.
I worked hard, but felt no sense of progress.
That was quite painful.

However,
Read.
Close the book.
Try to recall.
Pull it out of your memory again on another day.

Since changing to this flow, the struggle of studying has changed a little.

If you are currently unsure about how to study,
start with just one topic tonight; that is enough.

Don't just finish by reading; try to recall it once.
Starting from there is more than enough.

☘️ What I want you to take away from this article.

• Written by: Certified Nurse | Chibikan

(Certified Nurse in an acute care general hospital / Engaged in education / research and paper writing)
With a 'dual approach of clinical practice and research,' I am committed to practical care that ensures junior staff don't get lost at the bedside.
*References and citations are provided at the end of the article as appropriate.

📘 Related Books

For those who want to learn more broadly about the concepts written in this article:
'Don't just finish by reading'
'Try to recall'
'Leave some time and pull it out of your memory again'

When I was thinking about this theme myself, the perspective in this book was the most helpful.

*Includes disclosures for Amazon Associates approval.
*Stated due to qualifying purchases.
Please take a look only if you are interested.
Reading it at a bookstore or library is, of course, perfectly fine.

📚 References

• Roediger HL, Karpicke JD. Test-Enhanced Learning: Taking Memory Tests Improves Long-Term Retention. Psychological Science. 2006;17(3):249-255.

➡️ A representative study showing that learning involving recall is more likely to lead to long-term retention.

• Nicholas J Cepeda, Harold Pashler, Edward Vul, John T Wixted, Doug Rohrer Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks: A review and quantitative synthesis. 2006 May;132(3):354-80.

➡️ A review summarizing the advantages of spaced learning.

• Karpicke JD, Blunt JR. Retrieval Practice Produces More Learning than Elaborative Studying with Concept Mapping. Science. 2011;331(6018):772-775.

➡️ A study showing that practice in recalling information also leads to meaningful understanding.

• CDC. FastStats: Sleep in Adults.

➡️ At least 7 hours of sleep is recommended for adults.

📗 Reference Books

・The Best Evidence-Based Study Methods (Hardcover) – 2024/2/15
Kosuke Yasukawa (Author)

・Thinking Methods to Become Smarter, Taught by a University of Tokyo Tutor (Chukei Publishing) Kindle Edition
Kenichi Yoshinaga (Author)

・Memory Methods to Become Smarter, Taught by a University of Tokyo Tutor (Softcover) – 2009/2/20
Kenichi Yoshinaga (Author)

・Study Methods to Become Smarter, Taught by a University of Tokyo Tutor (Chukei Publishing) Kindle Edition
Kenichi Yoshinaga (Author)

(*Each claim in this text is based on the primary sources and public institution materials listed above. Please apply them according to your hospital's regulations and local circumstances as necessary.)

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