How to Take Notes in Nursing School: Best Strategies for Success

Taking notes is essential to learning, yet students are rarely instructed on the best strategies for retention and knowledge application. As a nursing student, these skills are crucial, as your ability to employ what you learn could be the key to your future patients’ well-being.

At Xavier University, our Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program operates on a faster timeline than a traditional nursing curriculum, allowing students to graduate in as few as 16 months. The ABSN faculty and professors at Xavier are dedicated to ensuring our nursing students are prepared to tackle their careers upon graduation. Still, it’s up to you to take the tips, tools and information they offer and apply it in practice.

Effective note-taking strategies can help you succeed in your nursing education and beyond.

Why Effective Note-taking is Crucial in Nursing School

A 2024 study published in the International Journal of Instruction found that students who took notes during learning activities saw greater academic success, with higher GPAs and better information recall. The researchers emphasized a positive correlation between effective note-taking, approach and GPA.

There are multiple reasons why note-taking makes such a difference in academic performance, including the following:

• Condensing information into a well-structured record allows for easy review of key concepts.
• Taking notes can reduce the opportunity for distractions and focus your attention.
• As you absorb new information, you can build connections between older concepts and organize main ideas.

If note-taking is such an essential aspect of nursing education, how can you ensure your notes are effective?

Best Way to Take Notes in Nursing School

There is no best way to take notes in nursing school, only the best way for you. Every professor will have a different approach to the material, so it’s best to determine your individual note-taking style and adapt it to a specific class or professor.

As you develop your personal note-taking procedure, consider incorporating the following components into your strategy.

Structuring Notes

Many students are not taught how to take notes during their education, so they write down everything the professor says verbatim and hope the essential information is included. If you want to save yourself time and energy, employ one of these note-taking strategies to root out and prioritize key ideas:

• The Cornell Method: This method is efficient and allows you to organize by topic. Start by splitting your paper into two sections, creating a vertical line about two inches from the left margin. Then, you take your main notes in the right section and note any keywords, phrases and questions on the left. As the content moves on to a new topic, leave a few lines of empty space and continue with your note-taking.
• The Mapping Method: This method is great for visual learners or for learning a concept with many related ideas. Begin with a central idea in the middle, then branch off with related ideas, separating them into sub-categories. While this method can be great for simplifying concepts, it can get messy as the topics become more complex. It is best to use this method in tandem with another method so you can organize concepts while still noting important details.
• The SOAP Method: This method is useful for transitioning into patient work. SOAP stands for Subjective, Objective, Assessment and Plan. As you take notes, ask yourself what information the patient reveals, what information, like vital signs and observable symptoms, is present, what your clinical interpretation is and what steps should be taken next.

Summarizing and Simplifying Complex Information

In a guide published by the University of Toronto, summarization is defined as condensing the main ideas of a source into a shorter version, providing an overview of the key arguments and capturing the essential points while omitting minor details. Practicing summarization in your notes helps you engage actively with the material and teaches you to quickly sort through information to identify important ideas.

An effective summary is concise without sacrificing accuracy and strikes a balance between brevity and containing enough supporting details to provide context and evidence for the main points.

Reviewing and Revising Notes

It’s easy to save all your studying until right before an exam, but cramming before every test isn’t worth the accompanying stress. By creating a study schedule and periodically reviewing your notes throughout the semester, you can ensure that even the material from week one remains fresh in your mind. This method also allows you to revise your notes in a way that makes more sense to you, rather than leaving it in the format and order that the professor presented it. It’s important to remember that in nursing, the content builds from semester to semester so retaining information is important.

Digital vs. Handwritten Notes: Which is Better for Nursing Students?

Digital note-taking can be more efficient and convenient but at the sacrifice of learning and memory retention. Recent studies have shown that writing by hand sparks higher levels of brain activity across brain regions in charge of sensory processing and memory. You may be able to take digital notes by hand, using a tablet or a similar device, as long as you ensure you are making the fine motor connections necessary for learning.

How to Transition Your Note-taking Skills to Clinical Practice

After graduation, your note-taking skills will continue to serve you in your clinical practice. When you begin working with patients, you must be able to provide clear and concise records of your interactions. Your notes should document objective and subjective data, limit abbreviations and mention any relevant remarks from family members or decision makers. Always take notes with the mindset of “If another nurse read my notes, could they be used to provide safe, effective care?”

Jumpstart Your Nursing Education at Xavier University

At Xavier University, we aim to educate leaders prepared to improve and safeguard the health of individuals, families and communities. The notes you take in your studies will be the roadmap toward this goal. Throughout the program, you will tackle the curriculum’s three main components: online nursing coursework, nursing simulation labs and clinical rotations. Each aspect of the program plays an important role in readying you to graduate and sit for the NCLEX exam. If you’re ready to get started, don’t wait.

Contact our admissions team today to learn how Xavier University can help you become a nurse on an accelerated timeline.