Five Ways Picmonic Benefits Nursing Students and Faculty

Rising attrition and declining first-time exam pass rates have driven nursing institutions to seek innovative ways to support their students and educators. Audio-visual mnemonic platforms like Picmonic could be a viable solution, due to their ability to convert complex facts or concepts into memorable characters tied to humorous storylines that are easily remembered – and recalled – by nursing students.

In a randomized, double-blind, controlled study, students who used Picmonic showed 331% improvement in long-term memory retention and 50% improvement in test scores. Below are five ways Picmonic powered by TrueLearn helps set nursing students and educators up for success.

1. Complements how our minds work behind effective memorization 

Picmonic takes the keywords or attributes of a medical concept and converts them into wacky visuals tied with humorous stories. This combination of strong audio-visual cues with humor creates strong impressions that align with how our mind encodes and commits information into memory. Compared to rote memorization, nursing students that use audio-visual mnemonics tap into the natural way our brains work, strengthening memory retention and recall.

2. Supports Practice of Low-Stakes Recall 

Absorbing huge amounts of information is one thing; nursing students must also be able to retain and recall that information during stressful events like board exams and clinical practice. Picmonic incorporates multiple-choice quizzes that allow students to practice low-stakes recall, spot gaps in comprehension, and further study to master the material. Once students grasp the facts, they can test their ability to think critically and apply knowledge by taking board-style examination questions through TrueLearn.

3. Guides student improvement with data

Both students and educators can tap into the data algorithms and analytics within Picmonic and TrueLearn to monitor student performance, identify knowledge gaps or weaknesses, and begin remediation. Educators can leverage collected data to refine the curriculum, align lessons to the needs of students, and initiate meaningful discussions with the data at hand.

4. Combats the ‘Forgetting Curve’

Because nursing students have so much information to absorb every day, they likely feel the full effects of the “Forgetting Curve”, where memories fade over time. This can be counteracted by reviewing information over spaced time intervals, which evens out the curve and pushes information a step closer into long-term memory. Picmonic and TrueLearn leverage proven cognition science and AI algorithms to fight memory loss and support learning by re-exposing students to Picmonics, practice questions, and missed key learning points at precisely the time memories begin to fade.

5. Ensures better classroom and exam preparedness

Taken together, the above learning platforms ensure that students are better prepared for their lessons and exams, while educators are equipped with real-time data to meet the unique learning needs of their students. The result? Nursing students who are confident in handling the rigorous demands of their coursework, leading to fewer failures, lower attrition, and improved first-time pass rates on the NCLEX.