Have off for summer... Don't want to get behind

[Faada]

I have off for the summer (job is not an option because it will mess with my grant); I just completed first semester (of four) and we have off during summers. I don't go back til mid/end of August.. They gave us a summer reading list for next semester... I've heard a lot of negative things about reading ahead... (That it's a waste of time, it doesn't help, professors always change the pages)

I want to get ahead, I barely skidded through one of my classes first semester and I don't like that feeling.. Any advice???

Also I did amazing well the first 6-8 week (out of 15) but then started to dwindle, got hard to focus to study, etc... Any pick me up advice so that doesn't happen next semester??

[Faada]

I guess I'm super nervous for MedSurg one

[barcode120x, RN, NP]

Continue what you were doing but step it up a bit. I excelled well throughout 1st semester fundamentals then during summer break, I kinda slacked and didn't start reading until about a week before 2nd semester started and fell way behind the first few weeks. Read early! And don't read just to get content done, actually read and re-read to understand the content. That's really all the advice anyone can really give. If you really wanna get some hands on experience but can't work, you can always volunteer at a local hospital or healthcare related organization. But don't forget to enjoy your summer!

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

Do the reading. It doesn't matter if professors change the pages. Read to learn instead of to get a grade.

Do practice questions. Use Elsevier or whatever you can access for free.

Watch YouTube videos. I like nurse toot.

But my biggest piece of advice (I'm in the final stretch of nursing school right now) is to memorize normal lab values for calcium, potassium, magnesium, hgb,wbc, etc. Spend some time trying to understand fluid and electrolyte balance. so much is based on this and while you may not understand it now, just memorizing the normal values will put you ahead of the game.

If you have time and the desire it is useful to go over the circulatory system. Spend some time trying to understand ekg, the electrical conduction of the heart.

The above two topics are the most difficult and most important in my opinion.