For those current nursing students.......

Nursing Students General Students

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Since I won't be starting nursing school until September, I was wondering if there is anything that I could get a head start on, such as dosage calculations, memorizing medicines, anything?!

Thanks! :)

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Specializes in Acute Care.

Become familiar with a drug guide, and if at all possible work or volunteer in a healthcare setting.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Cardiac, ICU.

Your best bet is to just work in a healthcare setting. Get your CNA. If you can survive working in a nursing home, you should be able to survive anywhere. Just don't let the bad nursing homes turn you off though. There are good ones and bad ones out there.

Working in a nursing home will help you deal with psych patients too ( trust me on this).

Getting your CNA will begin to familiarize you with the foundations of nursing. You will learn how to administer enemas (though you may never do one for real as a CNA) and you will learn about body mechanics, turning patients, time management,(have you ever had to bathe and dress 32 pts. in two hours?), ambulation, and a some medical terminology that will help you a lot when you are in foundations or fundamentals or whatever your school calls it.

I know having my CNA made my first semester of nursing school a breeze. You will not get everything you need to be a nurse by getting your CNA, but it will make that first semester very easy.

A job as a unit secretary would be helpful also.

Good Luck and Congrats on getting in.

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Specializes in med surg, tele, ortho, preop, recovery.
Since I won't be starting nursing school until September, I was wondering if there is anything that I could get a head start on, such as dosage calculations, memorizing medicines, anything?!

Thanks! :)

Nursing Math Simplified ---get this book.

Also be aware that nursing school is all about the application of what you have learned. Being able to recall facts is easy.... but that's not what a nursing exam will ask for. Develop your critical thinking skills.

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Work on your math (division of decimals, mulitplication of decimals), simple algebra. Other than that, get your house in order and get organized.

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Specializes in NICU, High-Risk L&D, IBCLC.

Do the best you can in your prereq classes - they will be the stepping stone for all your nursing courses (especially the sciences). You do that, and make sure you are fresh on your basic algebra skills, and you'll be good to go. No need to stress yourself out now by trying to prepare for nursing courses....just concentrate on your current courses and enjoy yourself!

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Specializes in NICU.

Review math if you're worried about it...review A & P if it's been a while-there's not too much pathophysiology in the first semester, usually, but after that it REALLY REALLY helps to have a strong understanding of A & P. Work hard on your pre-reqs if you still have some left...you're expected to remember that stuff!

Most of all, enjoy your time. Spend time with your family and friends (while you can ;))

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Cardiac, ICU.
Review math if you're worried about it...review A & P if it's been a while-there's not too much pathophysiology in the first semester, usually, but after that it REALLY REALLY helps to have a strong understanding of A & P. Work hard on your pre-reqs if you still have some left...you're expected to remember that stuff!

Most of all, enjoy your time. Spend time with your family and friends (while you can ;))

It depends on the school on whether or not there is a lot a of patho. My first semester we actually had a patho class and second we were constantly hearing" You have already had patho, so I won't spend much time on it".

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I start in January and since A&P is a coreq instead of a prereq, I have been reading through a study guide to refamiliarize myself with the topics. I'm not trying to learn all the facts, just regain the basics since its been 6 years since I've had an A&P class. I cant say yet whether this will actually help, but here's to hoping!

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Enjoy your time right now. Trust me. lol

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I would say buy a dosage calculating book and start learning the different ways to do dosage calculations, so many people freaked me out before I started nursing so i went and ought a book before school started and it really helped. Also if you still have to take A&p make sure you learn as much as you can from that class. And another thing i wish i would have done before hand was try to learn as much as i could about the different classes of drugs, what they are for, how they work etc. Ohh yeah and start if you can subscribing to professional nursing magz like RN, Nursing MADE easy etc, those have been wonderful resources and my school and alot of other schools make you pick topics out of magazines to discuss, plus they will help you stay current with nursing and pass time until you start, good luck

Andy

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

Do nothing if you can. Stay in your pajamas until noon. Rent movies and eat the whole tub of ice cream. Read a book you have been wanting to read. Spend time with your friends and family. Take a vacation, even if just for the weekend. Go shopping and by yourself something nice. Take a long relaxing bath, get 8 or more hours of sleep a night....because these are all things that you will not be doing whatsoever for the next 2-3 years.

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