How to Involve Family in Your Education

Remember the old adage, there's strength in numbers? How about another cliche - it takes a village. That especially rings true when it comes to striving for and obtaining a health care education. Studying and working toward a health care education can be a lot of hard work and take discipline and perseverance.

That's where the support of family members and friends comes in. Family can make great resources when it comes to studying for tests, working on projects, or preparing presentations. Family members are great for bouncing off ideas, engaging in quizzes and holding flash cards. Also, it's just more fun to share the learning experience and health care education with a loved one. If nothing else, you have someone to complain to about all the hard work and anxiety.

Involving family in health care education can be tricky, however. We want our Concorde students to go about involving family in the right way. So, we sought the advice from one of our resident experts, Mary Fry, Director of Student Affairs at Concorde's campus in Memphis, Tenn.

Tips on involving family in your health care education

"If you have children in school, stay determined to lead by example and make school attendance a priority," Fry said. "Be a role model by scheduling a time to study immediately after school when the information is fresh and can easily be reinforced.

"Let that become a family study time. Then, enjoy a family fun time before going to bed."

Fry said it also is a good idea to dedicate a weekly time for going to the library. Let your children pick out a book to read while you do research or read.

Have your children make flashcards for their classes while you make flashcards for yours.

"If your children are young, let them play the game Concentration with their picture flashcards," she said. "If your children are older, engage them in calling out questions from your flash cards while you provide the answer."

Try role play when practicing health care education skills

Fry said, when practicing skills, involve the family in role play.

"When your children see you having fun with your studies, they are more likely to approach their studies in a fun way," she said. "Also, things your children say or do while helping you with your studies will aid in your recall of an answer, especially if it makes you laugh."

Adult family members also can help in health care education

If you have an adult family member who is available to help, Fry said to give them a set of questions to review with you. Demonstrate a skill for them and tell them the steps involved. Let them critique you on your presentation or skills assessment.

"Remember to follow up with them to let them know the outcome of your actual test or skills assessment and thank them for helping you," Fry said. "Then, when you walk across the commencement stage, they feel like they helped you make it there, and their heart is walking across the stage with you."