Skip to main content
Chamberlain University, College of Nursing and Health Professionals
Menu

Mobile Main navigation

  • About
    • Accreditation
    • Alumni
    • Blog
    • Chamberlain Care
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • History
    • Newsroom
    • Online Education
    • Our Vision
    • Student Consumer Information
  • Academics
    • College of Nursing
      • 3-Year Bachelor of Science in Nursing
      • RN to BSN Option
      • RN to MSN Options
      • Certificate Programs
      • Master of Science in Nursing
      • MSN - Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
      • MSN - Family Nurse Practitioner
      • MSN - Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
      • Doctor of Nursing Practice
    • College of Health Professions
      • Public Health Certificate Programs
      • Master of Physician Assistant Studies
      • Master of Public Health
      • Master of Social Work
    • Academic Resources
      • Academic Calendar
      • College Catalog
      • Curriculum Plans
  • Campus & Online
    • Campus
    • AZ - Phoenix
    • CA - Irwindale
    • CA - Sacramento
    • FL - Jacksonville
    • FL - Miramar
    • GA - Atlanta
    • IL - Addison
    • IL - Chicago
    • IL - Tinley Park
    • IN - Indianapolis
    • LA - New Orleans
    • MI - Troy
    • MO - St. Louis
    • NV - Las Vegas
    • NJ - North Brunswick
    • NC - Charlotte
    • OH - Cleveland
    • OH - Columbus
    • TX - Houston
    • TX - Irving
    • TX - Pearland
    • TX - San Antonio
    • VA - Tysons Corner
    • BSN Online Option
    • Post-Licensure & Graduate
      • RN to BSN Option
      • RN to MSN Option
      • Master of Science in Nursing
      • MSN - Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
      • MSN - Family Nurse Practitioner
      • Doctor of Nursing Practice
      • Master of Physician Assistant Studies
      • Master of Public Health
      • Master of Social Work
  • Admission & Financial Aid
    • Admission
      • Transfer Guide
      • Catalog
      • Academic Calendar
      • Military Information
    • Financial Aid
      • Tuition & Expenses
      • Types of Financial Assistance
      • Financial Forms
      • Educational Healthcare Partners
      • Loans
      • Work Study
      • Grants
      • Scholarships

Mobile Secondary Navigation

  • Apply
  • Request More Info
  • Request More Info
  • Call
  • Apply
  • Request Info
  • Request Info

Mobile Utility Navigation

  • Current Students
  • Prospective Students
  • Transfers
  • Military
  • Alumni
  • Partners
  • Employers

Top Utility Navigation

  • Current Students
  • Information For
    • Current Students
    • Prospective Students
    • Transfers
    • Military
    • Alumni
    • Partners
    • Employers
  • Chat
  • 877.751.5783
Chamberlain University, College of Nursing and Health Professionals

Main Header navigation

  • About

    About

    Chamberlain University has a 130-year history preparing extraordinary nursing graduates and healthcare professionals. 

    • Accreditation
    • Alumni
    • Blog
    • Chamberlain Care
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • History
    • Newsroom
    • Online Education
    • Our Vision
    • Student Consumer Information
  • Academics

    Academics

    Whether you're an aspiring nurse looking to launch a rewarding career, a nursing professional looking to advance your career, or a professional looking to impact public health, Chamberlain offers the degree programs, options and resources to help you succeed.

    • College of Nursing
      • 3-Year Bachelor of Science in Nursing
      • RN to BSN Option
      • RN to MSN Options
      • Certificate Programs
      • Master of Science in Nursing
      • MSN - Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
      • MSN - Family Nurse Practitioner
      • MSN - Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
      • Doctor of Nursing Practice
    • College of Health Professions
      • Public Health Certificate Programs
      • Master of Physician Assistant Studies
      • Master of Public Health
      • Master of Social Work
    • Academic Resources
      • Academic Calendar
      • College Catalog
      • Curriculum Plans
  • Campus & Online

    On Campus & Online

    Interested in becoming a nurse?
    Earn your BSN at one of 23 campuses located across the country, in just 3 years

    • Campus
    • AZ - Phoenix
    • CA - Irwindale
    • CA - Sacramento
    • FL - Jacksonville
    • FL - Miramar
    • GA - Atlanta
    • IL - Addison
    • IL - Chicago
    • IL - Tinley Park
    • IN - Indianapolis
    • LA - New Orleans
    • MI - Troy
    • MO - St. Louis
    • NV - Las Vegas
    • NJ - North Brunswick
    • NC - Charlotte
    • OH - Cleveland
    • OH - Columbus
    • TX - Houston
    • TX - Irving
    • TX - Pearland
    • TX - San Antonio
    • VA - Tysons Corner
    • BSN Online Option Clinical in select states
    • Post-Licensure & Graduate
      • RN to BSN Option
      • RN to MSN Option
      • Master of Science in Nursing
      • MSN - Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
      • MSN - Family Nurse Practitioner
      • Doctor of Nursing Practice
      • Master of Physician Assistant Studies
      • Master of Public Health
      • Master of Social Work
  • Admission & Financial Aid

    Admission & Financial Aid

    Chamberlain is committed to providing quality and accessible healthcare and nursing education. Our team is with you every step of the way, providing the information you need to make the decisions that best serve you.

    • Admission
      • Transfer Guide
      • Catalog
      • Academic Calendar
      • Military Information
    • Financial Aid
      • Tuition & Expenses
      • Types of Financial Assistance
      • Financial Forms
      • Educational Healthcare Partners
      • Loans
      • Work Study
      • Grants
      • Scholarships

Secondary Header Navigation

  • Apply
  • Request More Info
  • Request More Info
  • Call
  • Apply
  • Request Info
  • Request Info

Featured

nursing student holding tablet and glancing out of a window
8 Great Reasons to Earn Your Master of…
Dr. Melani Bell mentors Chamberlain student
Why I Chose Chamberlain… Again
Nurse fist bumping with child
5 Great Reasons to Earn Your MSN Degree…

Tags

Browse articles by category
Alumni
Campus News
Careers
Health Professions
Nursing Today
Tips for Students

Share

Blog Social Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Home / Blog / Home / Best Practices for Study-Time Management

Best Practices for Study-Time Management

April 14, 2015 by Ryan Segovich
Time Management

Between classes, labs, homework and life, there’s no shortage of activities to keep a nursing student busy. It’s important to give adequate time to all the priorities in your life, but it can sometimes seem like there just aren’t enough hours in the day.

So what’s a nursing student to do when it comes to finding study time?

“Be realistic with their time and hold themselves accountable,” said Nicole Woodby, professional nurse tutor at Chamberlain’s Columbus, OH campus. “A lot of students work full-time and have families, so when it comes to their free time, it’s important that they make the best use of it -- whether that’s prioritizing study hours or focusing on family.”

Woodby regularly counsels students on how to manage their time throughout nursing school. She says that although not all students share the same time constraints, they can all benefit from similar solutions.

Primarily, she suggests that students make weekly study plans. “These incorporate writing out everything you have going on that week: When you have class, clinicals, when you take your kids to school and when you work. Everything."

She said the key is to have it all written out in one place.

“Now you can cross-reference this with your class syllabi and see when assignments are due, when exams take place, when you work, etc. and if you create this plan week to week, you can start to visualize your free time and anticipate what’s coming your way.”

Making use of the time you have

Once you’ve outlined when you’ll have free time, Woodby recommends making the most of it by avoiding some common pitfalls.

“Distractions while studying are very commonplace,” said Woodby. “The Internet can be a great resource for students, but distractions are just a click away.”

To help combat distractions she offers a few recommendations:

  1. Put yourself in a distraction-free setting If possible, study in a library, on campus or away from your home to eliminate potential distractions.
  2. Use web browser extensions to help limit time on distracting webpages There are a number of productivity enforcing apps which can be added to browsers like Firefox and Chrome. Many involve timers which, when enabled, will either block sites of your choosing for a specific amount of time or will limit the amount of time you spend on those sites. So if you find it hard to avoid checking your Facebook newsfeed, you can briefly block Facebook and eliminate the distraction.
  3. Put your phone well out of reach It’s not enough to just silence a mobile device or even set it face down. Instead, put your phone in another room or give it to a friend or family member to hold onto while you’re studying.
  4. Stop social distractions before they start You’ll know well in advance when your exams are, so let friends and family know that you’re unavailable for a night out on the evenings before exams. It’s much easier to avoid responding to text messages when you don’t get them in the first place.
  5. Reward study time well spent There’s no need to stress yourself while eliminating your distractions. For every hour of focused study, reward yourself with a 10 minute break and enjoy your phone and the other distractions you’ve avoided. These breaks can help rejuvenate you for continued study, and help keep your mind from further wondering about what you may be missing.

Tips to keep in mind

Woodby called out not having a study plan as another common pitfall. “Since your study time is extremely valuable, you’ll want to make the most of it with a plan. Use exam review sheets if your professor provides them or outline the topics you want to cover in a study to-do list.”

She says that having a to-do list can not only help you study more effectively, but it can give you a sense of accomplishment as you check items off your list, bolstering your drive to continue.

When it comes to the material itself, Woodby recommends staying fresh on your previous weeks’ notes as you progress through each course. “It’s tempting to wait until the days before a final exam to go back and revisit notes from chapter one, but going over them week to week can help with information retention.”

Additionally, she said that while studying you should focus on the information you’re not comfortable with, rather than reviewing what you already know.

Woodby noted that not all of these solutions work for everyone, and that each student needs to find the study routine that works best for them. “Everyone studies in different ways and has different time commitments, but there’s always a way to find a study method that works for you.”

By Ryan Segovich

More from Home

View all >
girl holding resume
5 Tips for Writing a Nursing Resume
Read more
travel nurse poses in front of new york city skyline
Chamberlain Grad is Travel Nursing on the Front Lines of…
Read more
headshot of Sandy Pratt
Family of Front Line COVID-19 Nurses “Zoom” in to Stay…
Read more
nurses on boards coalition partnership
Chamberlain Supports the Nurses on Boards Coalition through…
Read more
Show more >

Request More Information

To receive the Chamberlain University Program Guide, including associated career paths, please select a program of study.

Chamberlain University, College of Nursing and Health Professionals

Secondary Footer Navigation

  • Apply
  • Request More Info
  • Request More Info
  • Call
  • Apply
  • Request Info
  • Request Info

Student Portal Login

Main Campus
Addison Campus
1221 North Swift Road
Addison, IL 60101 

National Management Offices
500 W. Monroe St, Suite 1300
Chicago, IL 60661

All Campus Locations
Contact

Footer Menu Column 1

  • Online Programs
  • Master of Physician Assistant Studies
  • Alumni Association
  • Chamberlain Marketplace
  • Military
  • Leadership
  • Catalog & Viewbook

Footer Menu Column 2

  • Student Portal
  • Student Consumer Info
  • Accreditation
  • Parent Organization
  • CA Performance Fact Sheets
  • CA BPPE Annual Report
  • CA BPPE Website

Footer Menu Column 3

  • Careers
  • Privacy Policy
  • Online Cookie Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility
  • Student Disability Services
  • Office of Equity and Access

Footer Social Media Navigation

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

2022 Chamberlain Universtiy LLC. All rights reserved.

Footer Menu Line 1

  • Online Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Use
  • *140,000 Chamberlain students, alumni and faculty

    † Chamberlain University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master’s degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program, and post graduate APRN certificate programs at Chamberlain University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, (https://www.aacnnursing.org/CCNE). The Chamberlain University Doctor of Nursing Practice (delivered via distance education) is accredited by the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA) located at 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20037 (202-909-2526). Chamberlain University’s Master of Public Health Program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, www.ceph.org. For the most updated accreditation information, visit chamberlain.edu/accreditation. Chamberlain University’s Master of Social Work degree program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation, www.cswe.org. The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. has granted Accreditation-Provisional status to the Chamberlain University Physician Assistant Program. 

    To report unresolved complaints to the Illinois Board of Higher Education visit their webpage at https://complaints.ibhe.org/ or by mail to 1 N. Old State Capitol Plaza, Suite 333, Springfield, IL 62701-1377. View Chamberlain's complaint process.

    Chamberlain University confers online degrees from its Main Campus in Addison, IL.

    Chamberlain University is a member of Adtalem Global Education, Inc. www.adtalem.com
    ©2022 Chamberlain University LLC. All rights reserved.