[daisey_may]

So...it is now summer and I have a few months before 2nd year nursing starts. I just bought an NCLEX review book and it has not yet left my side and I'm reveiwing my MedSurg book and previous semester books to keep up with my studies. But, I'm looking for some other books to read, too. I went to the local library and there wasn't much. I love to read the incredibly easy books, yet pricey to own ALL of them.

So, I'm looking for some reading advice!

*It doesn't only have to be textbooks, sometimes it's nice to get away from them but still be able to read something that wil help me in my studies!

[MIA-RN1]

Echo Heron's books---the fact, not the fictional stuff.
Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series---interesting medical stuff but really just an awesome, powerful, out of the world series.
I am trying to read "Nursing Against the Odds" but I only get thru a chapter or so at a time.
"On Duty: A Nurse's Notes on Life and Death" by Carolyn P Fink, RN.
There are more but I can't remember just now...

[daisey_may]

Thanks Coopergrrl! Those were really helpful. If you think of anymore, please share them!

[Daytonite]

You can read many of the continuing education articles that appear in nursing journals such as Nursing 2006 and others published by Lippincott for free at their publisher's site. Many nursing instructors list some of these articles as suggested reading for their students. The good thing is you don't have to buy the magazines to read them. Here is a list of all the CE websites that I have. You need to look for the links that will take you to a list of their continuing education courses. There are probably many more sites out there. These just happen to be the ones I visit regularly looking for articles.

http://www.nursingcenter.com/home/index.asp - click on "CE Collection"
http://www.aacn.org/AACN/conteduc.nsf/vwdoc/MainCEs#MAIN%20MENU
https://nursing.advanceweb.com/Common/CE/Main.aspx
http://www.mededcenter.com/lessons.asp
http://www.netce.com/search.php
http://nursingeducationofamerica.org/
http://www.nursingspectrum.com/ - click on anything under the heading of Eduational CE at left side of page
http://www.rnweb.com/rnweb/ - click on "CE Library"

Something else you can do is if you know what some of the subject areas are that you will be studying in the coming year is to do some searching on the Internet for websites that might be helpful. There is so much free information out on the Internet. It is like having a library at your fingertips.
http://www.matindalecenter.com is a large database of healthcare related links that I still am checking out. There is so much there. There is a section for nursing and an even larger section for medicine. I still search medicine links because some of the information for medical students is still applicable to nursing students. So, you might want to try http://www.medicalstudent.com . Many of the diseases have organizations devoted to their research for a cure and help and information for the people afflicted with those illnesses. You can find a link to a list of these organizations in the Site Map page of http://medlineplus.gov

Make sure you have virus protection on your computer if you want to download any thing you find. I find it much safer to select text, copy and paste it onto word documents by using the "Paste Special" command and then clicking on "Unformatted Text" when the pop up box appears. That way you get text pasted onto a Word document in whatever font you have set as your default. I have files extensively organized and stored in "My Documents" so I can find them easily.

[Daytonite]

Here's an older thread with an extensive list of books about nurses.
http://allnurses.com/forums/f198/helpful-books-nursing-studies-135816.html

[Achoo!]

I love love love Patricia Cornwel books! Medically related/ CSI type stuff. So good!

[altonice]

Originally Posted by daisey_may

So...it is now summer and I have a few months before 2nd year nursing starts. I just bought an NCLEX review book and it has not yet left my side and I'm reveiwing my MedSurg book and previous semester books to keep up with my studies. But, I'm looking for some other books to read, too. I went to the local library and there wasn't much. I love to read the incredibly easy books, yet pricey to own ALL of them.

So, I'm looking for some reading advice!

*It doesn't only have to be textbooks, sometimes it's nice to get away from them but still be able to read something that wil help me in my studies!

Hi, I am also out for the summer and awaiting my second semester in nursing. I was wondering; You said that you were reviewing your MedSurg book. Do you already have yours for next semester? I was also wanting to get a head start on next semester and wanted some good ideas on what I could be going over.

[Lesli61]

I just finished 'A Nurse's Story' by Tilda Shalof. It is about her many years of experience in the ICU in Toronto, Canada. I found it a profound look into what the ICU is really all about (helping people die with dignity). It does get a bit emotionally intense at times, and the themes raised are very similar to Echo Heron's books, which I found depressing. Might be a good read if you are thinking about specializing in ICU.
I also highly recommend 'Fatal Sequence' by Dr. Kevin Tracey; an amazing story about septic shock and sepsis. If you know the basics about the immune system it is fascinating and informative (and well written)
Enjoy your summer break!

[JaxiaKiley]

If you are looking for entertaining fiction, I second Patricia Cornwell.

[daisey_may]

Originally Posted by altonice

Hi, I am also out for the summer and awaiting my second semester in nursing. I was wondering; You said that you were reviewing your MedSurg book. Do you already have yours for next semester? I was also wanting to get a head start on next semester and wanted some good ideas on what I could be going over.

Actually, I took MedSurg last semestere. My book was Medical-Surgical Nursing: Clinical Management for Positive Outcomes BY: Black and Hawkes

This book (like all medsurg books) is massive! Let me give you a suggestion that I wish was passed to me. I bought this book off of the internet as cheap as I could find it, and after i had bought it, I found out I could have bought it in two books, so the book was halved so it was easier to carry. Also, toward the end of the semester, the instructors told us about book debinding, where you take your book to like kinkos and they debind it, so you only have to carry the book a few chapters at a time!

Some of the things we covered were major systems. Pt care pre-op, during operation and post-op care. Pain management. Ivs, NG tubes, foley catheter procedures. Disorders of the entire gastric system. Disorders of urinary system. Disorders of Lymph, cardiovascular, etc... Men's and Women's health. Definately study your anatomy before you go in. It helps out SO MUCH.

And thank you everyone for you helpful books! I have been searching the websites and I've been looking at a lot of journals. This is helpful information!