Experienced Student Nurses...advice?

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Hello, I am one of many new Fall 2012 nursing students who is just dying for summer to be over to begin nursing school! Anyway, I was thinking about refreshing myself on some Anatomy and Physiology over the summer to keep me busy and curb some of my anxiousness. I am just wondering if there is any area I could focus on more than others, or should I just take a look at it all? I know it's going to be one of the harder nursing classes/semesters to weed out the unsure students, so I just want to be refreshed and prepared (well, as much as I can be). Any other tips for preparation before beginning school? Thanks in advance...I'm super stoked to begin this journey!!!

Birthday coming up before your school starts? Get someone to buy you a good recorder, I found taping lectures very helpful

Find out if your program allows recording before you ask for a recorder. Many programs / professors do not allow recording and you can be expelled if you are caught going against the policy. (In case you're wondering why you might not be able to record lectures, most people say HIPAA, whether or not that's the real reason, it's hard to say.)

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I'd say a&p is one of the easiest classes you'll take. I'd be reading over chemistry or microbiology if I were you--just saying that's where I had the most trouble. But like everyone said, ENJOY YOUR SUMMER. Don't even think about it, because I assure you, there will be times you will long for some time off with NOTHING to do (even your summers from now on will be preoccupied with tasks to get done before you get back in the fall!)

I just took my last nursing final, and am so very, very happy to not think about it for a couple weeks.... until I start studying for the nclex!(like i said... it never ends ;) )

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In case you're wondering why you might not be able to record lectures, most people say HIPAA, whether or not that's the real reason, it's hard to say.

my instructor says that recording the lecture discourages discourse in the classroom. People are less likely to ask questions if they think they might sound stupid. Let alone knowing that it will be recorded.

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Specializes in ER, Forensic Nurse, SANE.

I agree with tkm2005..ENJOY your last summer off!!! Maybe just volunteer at a local hospital but enjoy yourself!!!!

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my instructor says that recording the lecture discourages discourse in the classroom. People are less likely to ask questions if they think they might sound stupid. Let alone knowing that it will be recorded.

Interesting theory. I hope by the time they finish nursing school, these same people will have learned how to speak up to advocate for their patients -- even if they're afraid of looking stupid from clarifying, or possibly even contradicting, an order.

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Specializes in Radiation Oncology.

All of my instructors have been fine with recording until my OB/Pedi instructor. She absolutely forbid it because she said her lectures were her property and she had every right under law to state whether we could record or not since it was "her property".

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Interesting theory. I hope by the time they finish nursing school, these same people will have learned how to speak up to advocate for their patients -- even if they're afraid of looking stupid from clarifying, or possibly even contradicting, an order.

I think this policy has actually helped people do just that. they get practice questioning and clarifying in a safe environment. People are definitely contributing more this quarter. whether the no recording policy is the causative factor, i cannot say for sure. I think it can be hard especially for the younger crowd without a lot of life experience to speak up. I am 23 and I will admit, being in a room with the average age of 35 is intimidating.

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Best Advice? Enjoy you summer break because once it's over you will be working your tail off 24/7 and you will be exhausted...by second semester you will be desperate for summer break and will feel like you could sleep for days. Enjoy yourself now, plenty of time for studying once the semester begins.

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Specializes in ICU.

This has probably already been said, but aside from F&E and acid/base you'll want to know diabetes, cardiac, and respiratory inside and out.

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I don't know about you guys but for me the MORE prepared I am the less stressed I will be. Nursing school is going to be stressful enough when I feel clueless. If I can lower my stress level a bit because I am walking in with a good feeling like I actually learned from self teaching, then I am all over it. I am taking pharm over the summer and I have taught myself dimensional analysis and started reading the text. Of course it is based on a previous student telling me what the instructor would be looking for. None the less, I am sooo looking forward to being prepared! :)

I start the Nursing Program Spring of 2013! And this is all I can do to contain myself :)

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learn to do drug calculations, learn the cranial nerves, find out the modules you'll be covering in fundamentals and start on your reading. start to familiarize yourself with drug catatgories.

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Specializes in Public Health Nurse.

This might be true with some professors, but I did not encounter this AT ALL with any of the ones I had throughout nursing school. I will go as far as even saying that our skill lab professors allowed us to even video tape the sessions (how to insert a foley, start IV, etc), but frankly on the latter I used youtube where I found nurse educators posting them as well as lectures. The only time we were not allowed to use a recorder was while discussing a blue print for an exam and reviewing an exam we just took. In both scenarious our book bag were to be left at the front of the class and they did a walk around the classroom to make sure none of us had it on. Also on test day, most professors did not allow us to take anything with us, pencils and calculators were handed to us. So chances are you will not either, and if you do, it will not be all of your professors.

I find an Olympus that also had a flashdrive, I then put the lectures on a CD and listened to them while driving to and from work, sometimes I even fell asleep listening to them, it was a great tool. Some professor's voices are so engraved in my head that even when I was taking another class but being tested on that material that I learned before I could hear him in my head....LOL.

Keep us posted on your journey.

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