How should i prepare for nursing school? What should i be reading in advance?

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hello everyone, i am waiting to be accepted into at least one nursing program for spring or fall of 2011. i am quite confident that i will get in (i know, how cocky of me :coollook::lol2:), so i would like to know -which books are really good for critical thinking? what should i be studying in advance that you think is really difficult for you as a current nursing student? math is my weakness, so i knoooow i'm going to have lots of fun with dosages & calculations :uhoh3::o, but i'm wondering what else should i really prepare myself for? also, i have the basic concept of what a careplan is, but what exactly is a nursing careplan and why do i keep reading that they're a pain in the gluteus maximus and why or how does the nanda book help? thank you much!:p

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Specializes in Med/Surg, ICU.

Don't worry about careplans right now. Your teachers will explain what they are and how to do them (or more importantly how they want you to do them) and it will make more sense once you are taking nursing classes.

If you are bored and just simply looking for material to read to pass the time, I would say brush up on your A&P and if feeling motivated, go out and buy a good patho book and start chunking away at that. Otherwise I would just day enjoy your time off before you start. Read a bunch of novels or some kind of recreational reading so you can get it out of your system. Once you start, you might not have a lot of time for it bw tests, clinicals and your textbook readings. Future congrats on your acceptance when/wherever that maybe ;)

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Specializes in MICU - CCRN, IR, Vascular Surgery.

Just read for fun right now. I miss reading for fun so much. I sneak in a few pages here and there, but most of the time I feel too guilty to really sit down and get into a novel because I feel like I should be studying.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Postpartum.

My program sent a list of books and assignments that needs to be read and completed before the first day of school (which is in Jan). Then again, it's an accelerated program, so I should have expected this.

Before getting my book list, I borrowed my friend's Terminology book just to get myself familiarized. A terminology book ended up being one of the pre-readings I have to do, in addition to Clinical Calculations.

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Specializes in Pediatric Hem/Onc.

Maybe med term and a brush up on A&P, but honestly? Enjoy your free time now. Hang with your friends, family, and everyone else. Read a book for enjoyment. Go to some movies. Take a long weekend somewhere.

Once you start school they'll have plenty of resources for you to read. Don't even bother trying to teach yourself careplans. It's part of the curriculum.

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Specializes in Dialysis.

I have some extra time on my hands so I have been reading a Mosby's NCLEX exam prep book. I haven't started NS yet, but I think reading the study guide will prime me for when I learn it for 'real' to help me understand it better. I start this January.

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

Dont look at anything nursing. No reason to burn your brain out before you even get in/started

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I agree- other than maybe med terms and A&P, enjoy yourself, get your life organized, visit family and friends. Aside from not wanting to burn yourself out before you really get in to it, you don't want to accidentally teach yourself some wrong things.

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I personally feel the most important elements are physiology and pathophysiology followed by pharmacology and assessment. Bone up on that. I love it. Care plans are a learn, do, and forget thing. They're also not giving anyone in my program trouble so there must not be anything to it especially when instructors are telling us we only have to do this for school.

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wow! i thank you all for responding so fast! as far as taking time out for me to relax and enjoy -i had enough time to do that, having been unemployed for about 5 years now and mothering 4 children. i want and need to keep my mind sharp and focused, and i think by preparing myself for another long, stressful academic journey will pay off. i will be brushing up on the a&p, med. term., and pharm/math, but which pathophysiology book would you recommend? and assessment books? so, imthatguy -you're saying that careplans are only requested in nursing school by professors, not done in real life once you're an rn? anyone here from illinois/chicago area?

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wow! i thank you all for responding so fast! as far as taking time out for me to relax and enjoy -i had enough time to do that, having been unemployed for about 5 years now and mothering 4 children. i want and need to keep my mind sharp and focused, and i think by preparing myself for another long, stressful academic journey will pay off. i will be brushing up on the a&p, med. term., and pharm/math, but which pathophysiology book would you recommend? and assessment books? so, imthatguy -you're saying that careplans are only requested in nursing school by professors, not done in real life once you're an rn? anyone here from illinois/chicago area?

that's what they're teaching us, yeah. there are care plans out there, but they're not really like what you're going to do in school. i hear a lot of institutions have them already designed and you just pull one, if needed, based on what the patient is there for.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, OB/GYN, ER, Geriatrics.

I agree with the previous posters in brushing up on A&P, but you also might want to find out what Fundamentals book they are going to use and start reading that. This is where all nursing programs start and the books take you through the history of nursing to growth and development to pharmacology to nutrition. You learn about critical thinking, how to formulate a nursing diagnosis, etc.

Best of luck to you on your journey.

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