STUDY HALL
FOR NURSING STUDENTS
WE HAVE WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED!
>OVER 600 CONCEPT MAPS ON OVER 600 TOPICS
>BLANK CONCEPT MAPS TO CUSTOMIZE
>TEST TAKING STRATEGIES
> NCLEX PRACTICE TEST
>NURSING JOURNAL
>2025-2026 CALENDAR
ALL RESOURCES ARE COMPLETELY FREE!
ABOUT CONCEPT MAPS
CONCEPT MAPS AND HOW TO USE THEM ON THIS WEBSITE FOR STUDYING
CONCEPT MAPS
Concept maps are graphical tools that organize and represent knowledge. They use nodes (usually circles or boxes) to represent concepts and lines or arrows to illustrate the relationships between them. Developed in the 1970s by Joseph Novak and his team, concept maps foster a meaningful understanding by connecting new information to existing knowledge. Research shows that visual learning aids like concept maps improve long-term memory retention. By actively engaging in the construction or interpretation of a concept map, nursing students process the information at a deeper cognitive level compared to passive reading. The visual structure helps them recall not just isolated facts, but the web of connections among various pharmacological principles. Concept maps are highly effective tools for exam preparation. By consolidating extensive information into a single visual format, students can efficiently review key concepts and their interrelationships before an exam. Use the Blank Concept Maps as needed to be tailored for emphasizing drug classes, therapeutic areas, or disease states, in alignment with the exam material.
HOW TO ACCESS THE CONCEPT MAPS ON THIS WEBSITE
Review each nursing subject listed in the sidebar to familiarize yourself with the layout of each page. Each primary nursing topic—such as pharmacology, fundamentals, adult and pediatric nursing, newborn/maternal, and psychosocial nursing—offers access to related subtopics. These subtopics provide links to individual concept maps within their respective areas. To view a concept map, click on the subtopic, then the concept map you would like to review. Each concept map is available for printing. Take a look at the Blank Concept Maps Section. These Blank Concept maps can be customized and tailored to your specific needs.
HOW TO USE THE CONCEPT MAPS TO PREPARE FOR EXAMS
Exam Preparation: To prepare thoroughly, create a comprehensive list of all topics required for your upcoming examination. Use this list as an index when selecting concept maps to review. Engage in multiple, focused reviews of each map, and actively visualize applying these concepts in practical, real-world situations. In nursing, exam success depends not only on recalling knowledge, but also on the ability to think critically about how to apply that knowledge appropriately. Review the Test-Taking Strategies to identify key methods used when making clinical decisions. These strategies are proven methods that will help you use critical thinking during your exams and in practice as nurses. Last, but not least...practice! practice! practice! to build your test-taking skills before your exam. Best Wishes! On all of your exams and your journey to become a nurse!
FOUNDER
MEET GAYLE MEBANE, RN, MSN/Ed
Gayle is the founder and creator of Study Hall for Nursing Students. She believes everyone has the capacity and a desire to learn. How learning takes place depends on an individual's learning style. Concept maps are a superior form of learning that is particularly useful to nursing students, because they are expected to absorb a great deal of information. Gayle developed and designed each concept map as a resource for nursing students, to help them master an enormous amount of information through the visual organization of the content. Concept maps are visual representations of information and a powerful learning strategy for critical thinking. This study strategy enhances the learner's critical thinking skills by helping them to see the big picture, making it easier to remember, understand, comprehend, and analyze important details.
Gayle earned an Associate Degree in Nursing from Florida State College at Jacksonville, a bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of North Florida, and a Master of Science in Nurse Education from Jacksonville University. She has 40 years of clinical experience working in hospitals, outpatient clinics, and home healthcare agencies. Her clinical expertise includes Medical/Surgical nursing, Psychiatric nursing, Hematology/Oncology, Hospice, and Critical Care nursing. She is a nurse educator dedicated to providing excellent learning experiences for students both in the classroom and in clinical settings. She aims to promote successful outcomes for all students. Gayle's love and dedication to the nursing profession inspire her to motivate nursing students and help them reach their highest potential.