2 more weeks!!! Any last advice??

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Hey guys I start nursing school in only about 2 weeks!! Any last minute advice on how to prepare myself for the program?? I am very nervous but excited any advice will be helpful! Thanks!:nailbiting::yes:

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Specializes in Hospice.

It's so much information thrown at you at once, there really isn't much you can do to prepare, besides make sure you have personal life loose ends tied up. That's not always easy, and doesn't always work as planned because life happens. My first year I lost three of my five dogs, my mom is sick, and don't even get me started on financial difficulties in paying for school out of pocket. You just have to push through and keep the big picture in mind even when you want to hide under a rock for days. I didn't try to read ahead fortunately because I just would have confused myself. Our instructors jumped all over the book. It would be good to memorize normal lab values and to brush up on A & P and dosage calculation math. Other than that just try to enjoy your two weeks of remaining peace and quiet! And good luck to you in your program!

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Oh wow I'm sorry ? I just finished A&P 2 this summer actually yesterday so I have a good background with that! But good idea I know nothing about calculation dosages I'm taking a class this semester for it so maybe I will look in the book I have to get started. But thank you! I will enjoy these last 2 weeks of freedom!! Lol

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Specializes in Hospice.

I'm math challenged so I got Medical Dosage calculations for Dummies last year before the program and it helped me. We have to take a dosage exam every semester (as will you, likely) and it's either pass with a 90% (you get 2 chances) or get kicked out. :eek:

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Specializes in ICU.

I start a week from Tuesday. Getting everything done that I needed ahead of time has been a pain in the butt, lol. But I have been enjoying every spare moment with my boyfriend because I know it's going to be hard once school starts. Fortunately he is super supportive of me going to school.

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My school "strongly recommends" that we work on problems in the first 14 chapters of our dosage calculations book before class starts on the 4th, so I'm chipping away at it a little every day. Other than that, I'm having a tag sale this weekend to de-clutter my house a bit, relaxing on the beach with my family next weekend, and cramming in dinner dates with friends I know I probably won't have as much time for in the fall. Part of me is anxious to dive into my other textbooks but I think (hope) I'm doing it the right way by enjoying the last couple weeks of my summer.

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Specializes in Geriatric and Mental Heath.

First of all, RELAX. I was the same way before I started, and Now I'm about to start my senior year. So much info will be thrown at you, but take it all in stride. I will be scary and nerve racking at first, but you will get used to the craziness. Don't buy books from the bookstore unless you are required to. www.alibris.com saved me so much money!!! I'd buy old editions of books for 0.99 cents when my classmates paid 100+ for was the latest edition. it basically the same book. no thanks. Invest in a goo stethoscope. trust me, it will hurt to pay 60+ bucks for one, but it will be worth it during assessments. I f you can hear anything, how will you be able to learn anything? I have a littmann cardiology one that I got off ebay. BEST BUY EVER!! Good Luck!!!

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Thank you so much everyone for the advice!! Math I would say is a weak subject for me so before classes I will start looking into that and also relaxing and organizing up my room also to get rid of the clutter I have around. Unfortunately we are required to buy a lot of the books from school along with lab bags, got a few books on amazon and saved money spending over $1000 over all which sucks ? I learned that we have 6 1/2 lectures once a week the first 4 weeks of school which sounds tortuous.

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Also my medication simulation class requires an 80% to pass and you only get one try if you fail you get kicked out the program it is a 7 1/2 week class.

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I used "Dosage Calculations Demystified" to prepare for the first day of class dosage calculation test. It is really straightforward and helped a lot.

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Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care.

Good day,

For dosage calculations, I strongly recommend DosageHelp.com - Helping Nursing Students Learn Dosage Calculations including signing up for daily practice emails. In addition to learning the formula method for dosage calculations (Desire / Have * Quantity) I also recommend learning dimensional analysis.

is a good video to get one started. The formula method can be error prone especially if you have to do conversions before you start; make a mistake in the conversion steps, the D/H*Q steps don't matter (wrong answer); the same goes for making a mistake with the unit values during D/H*Q. If you know both methods, you can cross check your work.

Thank you.

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My advice would for you to remember to be flexible and open to learn from any and all situations! Be ready to work the hardest you ever have. Also in nursing school you will not always have the best clinical/classroom experiences but you should just try to learn from it regardless. While I've had clinicals on awful units where all the nurses hate the students and our instructors, I also discovered my love for nursing and met some truly dedicated and inspirational nurses that I aspire to be like! Just realize that the clinical or class isn't forever, do your best, and before you know it you will have graduated.

And it might seem crazy at this point for you, but now is the perfect time to start thinking about what type of job you want once you graduate. Networking at you clinical sites, doing an externship, or working as a tech are great ways to make the job hunt easier on yourself. I discovered in nursing school that I love pediatrics and was able to work as an extern in a childrens hospital and did my practicum on a peds unit. All of this helped my acquire my absolute DREAM job once I graduated!

Best of luck to you!

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