Taking study notes: Nursing student success

Note-taking involves writing down key information from different sources, such as lectures, textbooks, or recorded modules.

Since class time is limited, instructors often focus on the most important concepts, leaving students to explore learning gaps independently.

As a nursing student, taking good notes can help you understand and remember complex material and make studying more effective. Good note-taking can also enhance critical thinking and help develop clinical judgment by linking theoretical concepts with practical applications that support high-quality patient care.

How you take notes can vary due to your own learning preference and the material you’re studying.

You may choose to take notes by hand using paper and a pen or pencil; or you may choose to take digital notes using a computer, tablet, or smartphone.

Taking handwritten notes can be time-intensive, but some research indicates that it enhances memory retention and recall due to the psychomotor act of writing.

On the other hand, taking digital notes, like typing on a computer, can be fast and efficient, and they’re easily saved, stored, and edited. There are even digital programs and applications that can help you format your notes in different ways.

Lastly, there’s a hybrid of these two note-taking forms which involves using a touchscreen device such as a tablet or smartphone to write notes using a special pen-like tool called a stylus.

Now, there's no single "best" way to take notes and there are several styles and formats to choose from. As a nursing student, you’ll find what works best for you which may evolve over time or depend on the material you’re learning. So, let’s explore a few note-taking formats you can try.

Starting with the Cornell method, this involves formatting your notes into dedicated sections to help keep them organized. This method can be used during a class, while reading your textbook, or while watching a video.

Start by putting key information at the top of the page such as the subject or course, date, textbook name and page numbers, or topic.

Then, divide your paper or electronic page into three sections with a horizontal line across the page near the bottom and a vertical line from the top of the page to the horizontal line, making the section on the right side larger than the left.

On the right side, capture the information you want to remember during the class, video, or while reading the text. For example, when studying the topic of Crohn disease, you might write down the symptoms and nursing interventions.

In the smaller section on the left, write questions, like “How is Crohn disease different from ulcerative colitis?” or keywords or themes like “inflammation” that are cues to help you clarify concepts or identify key information in your notes.

Then, at the end of the learning activity, you’ll summarize key takeaways and note your personal reflections on what you’ve learned at the bottom of the page. Although it can be time consuming, the Cornell method can support organization and efficient retrieval of information.

Next up is the outline method, also called outlining, where you’ll organize information using bullet points to indicate main concepts that are then supported by details and examples.