Ep #129: Holiday Tips for Effective NP Studies

Welcome to the Real Deal NP Club. Whether you’re hoping to become a real deal nurse practitioner or you already are one, this is the place for you to get the resources you need as you tackle this massive transition into practice. We’re your hosts, Sarah Michelle, Chief Nursing Officer of Blueprint Test Prep, and Anna Miller, Director of Nursing Content. And we’re here to hang out with you each week like your best friends in the NP space. Let’s dive in. 

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Real Deal Nurse Practitioner Club podcast. Today we have a very quick and special holiday episode for you all, and we’re going to keep it pretty light. Your last few weeks have probably been filled with hopefully some holiday music, buying gifts, planning time with friends and family, and hopefully some relaxation too. But then we’ve been there, the guilt hits. You realize you need to fit some study time in during your holiday break. 

So what should you do? How can you stay on top of your studies while also enjoying a little holiday break? And trust me, you’ve definitely earned a little bit of a break, that’s for sure. Whether you’re going to be moving on to the next semester in school, or you’re gearing up to take your certification exam after the hustle and bustle of the holidays is over, it’s important to keep your NP knowledge and information fresh. 

And either way, I have your back. I’m going to give you some very quick helpful tips on how to make the most of your holiday time. From creating a plan, to tips on how to study when you’re traveling, to how to prepare for the next semester, or maybe even your exam, I will help you find a good balance between studying and also having fun. 

So get yourself a cup of a peppermint mocha or a hot cocoa and settle in for this episode. First and foremost, you need a plan. So think, how much time do you have off? Are you going to be working during this time? Do you have travel plans to account for? And once you know what that general schedule is, you can start to carve out and schedule some time for studying. 

One thing to keep in mind is that it’s important to find the right time to study. So don’t book yourself study time during a layover at the airport, just so you can tell yourself that you studied. You want to be able to study when you’re relaxed and you’re able to focus. 

And another issue is creating a study space. Are you going to be in a home full of a busy, loud family and friends? If so, maybe plan a quick time out at a quiet coffee shop or a local library for an hour. Remember, in order to maximize your study time during the holidays, we are focusing on the quality over the quantity. An hour or two of relaxed, quiet, focused time is going to be way more efficient for you. 

Next, think about if you have traveling, right? Does your break include planes, trains, and automobiles? Because if so, you can still get some quality study time in, keeping in mind about that good study place. One way to do this is to find something like our SMNP question bank, where you can access it on your smartphone and your laptop, right? 

You can access over a thousand board-style questions, multiple unique exams on top of that, keep track of your progress, switch between phone, tablet, or laptop with ease. Hey, maybe you want to focus on cardiac questions, or maybe you only want to work through 50 questions on a particular day. That’s perfect, we’ve got you covered. You can customize your practice sets to meet your needs with options to change their size, the time to complete, the subjects you want covered, or even the question type. 

All right, next, we’ve got our study plan. Now we have to create the boundaries. So this means sharing your study plan with others so that they know when to give you the needed space. And creating these boundaries is going to allow you to focus on what you need to get done. 

And don’t forget that this schedule should include fun things. You may not be able to go out for lunch one day with friends, but make sure you’re setting aside time for a fun holiday party with them another day. You have worked so hard during school, and you absolutely deserve a break. And having something fun to look forward to will give you the motivation during your study sessions. 

And speaking of breaks, make sure you take lots of them. And I’m serious here. Taking frequent small breaks, think like 10 to 30 minutes in length, reduces brain strain, it increases retention of material, and it actually helps to keep you focused. So for example, maybe you’ve set aside a two to three hour block of time to study. That’s awesome. 

About once every hour, take a small break, grab a snack, go for a walk, do some reading unrelated to your studies. Our minds tend to remember the first and the last things we study the best. So those brain breaks are not only going to reduce your stress, but they also allow you to recall the material better. It is a win/win, trust me. 

And then finally, just looking briefly past the holidays for a second, think about your schedule for the new year once your festivities are completed and your traveling is done. What is next? First, you’re going to want to think about what you were able to accomplish and if you got as much as you planned to do done study-wise. And it’s okay if you didn’t, give yourself some grace. This is just a good time to take stock of where you’re at and create an updated to-do list. 

If you are still going to be in school, think about what you need to get done before the semester starts. Or if you’ve graduated, make sure you’re looking at scheduling that board exam. In other words, we just want to be looking at what we need to do to achieve our next goal. 

If you’re on track to take your board exam, consider signing up for a live study group or a self-paced course. We have a ton of options to meet your needs at SMNP Reviews to prepare you for your board success. And ultimately, remember, please enjoy your holiday break. It can be a very useful time to get in some studying and remain focused on your NP education, but it should also be a time to relax and recharge. 

It’s absolutely possible to balance work, school, and life. And hopefully, this episode gave you some ideas to help you do that during this busy holiday season. So thank you for quickly tuning in. I hope you enjoyed this episode. Be sure to follow us. Have fun, happy holidays, and I can’t wait to talk to you all in the new year. 

As an extra bonus friends, if you’re looking for support no matter what phase of your nurse practitioner journey that you’re currently in, I have communities available for both students and new nurse practitioners. In these communities, we work to uplift one another and grow this profession together every single day. Links to join will be included for you in the show notes. 

Thanks for listening to the Real Deal Nurse Practitioner Club. If you want more information about the different types of support that we offer to students and new nurse practitioners, you can visit npreviews, with an S, dot com. We’ll see you next week.