Preparing for 1st Semester of Nursing School

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I was hoping current nursing students, former nursing students, and future nursing students could all contribute to this thread. I wanted to have everyone write lists of the top 10 items you need for school. I know everyone has their own personal things to help them succeed. If everyone can contribute hopefully we can all benefit and better prepare ourselves for school.

I know I am very nervous for school to start in August. I would like to be prepared and feel very lost right now. I am going to start reviewing my anatomy and pharmacology books. I know there is more....

Thanks ahead of time everyone!!!

Here's an old thread that you mind find interesting - https://allnurses.com/general-nursing...-s-111796.html

(Toward the end, someone has compiled a list of all (or nearly all) of the suggested items)

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Also, for anyone know if Mary Ann Hogan's "Reviews and Rationales" series is any good?

It is a good series, but whether or not you'll find it useful during school varies by circumstances, so I wouldn't go out and buy every title in the series until you've tried one or two to see if you actually have time to use them.

If you choose to buy Hogan's series used, make sure you get the CD or you will be missing 60% of the practice questions. The book has 20 NCLEX style questions per chapter PLUS the CD has those same questions and 30 MORE that were not in the book.

Another series that is good is the Davis Success Series. It's ALL questions. No bullet point review as is included in Hogan R&R books. I'm not sure if the book has all the same questions as the CD or if you also want to get the CD should you choose to buy used.

If money is a concern, consider getting the Saunders NCLEX Review book. It's broken up by subject chapter with a brief review (similar to Hogan) and then NCLEX style questions. If you find that you are having enough time to do all of the relevant questions in the Saunders guide, then you could consider getting an R&R or Davis book to give you even MORE practice. If you aren't even using the Saunders guide much, then you know you probably won't have time for the other two book series.

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6. A recorder

80% of my instructors do not allow recording so you might want to find out from those ahead of you if a recorder is a worthwhile purchase before you get one.

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.
80% of my instructors do not allow recording so you might want to find out from those ahead of you if a recorder is a worthwhile purchase before you get one.

Every school is different, I've went through 4 semesters of nursing school and only had one teacher that didn't want us to record.

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Even if you find out that most of your professors will not allow you to record lectures, you may want to get a digital recorder anyhow. I have an hour drive to school and I have a dog who needs a daily walk, regardless of my schedule. I can record myself reading my notes (or "quizzing" myself) so that I can listen to it during my drives, walking the dog or even working out.

It's definitely an individual choice whether it's a worthwhile purchase, but if you're getting it mostly so you can record your instructors, make sure your instructors are like iluvpatho's and will let you record, rather than like most of mine who will not allow it.

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thanks so much for your comments! this post is much needed-i am jotting down all this info

counting down to begin an accelerated bsn in august

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I'm starting at Inver Hills in the fall. We're being tested out on CNA skills, and the nurses I work with said you need to make time to care for yourself! I'm a Zumba Gold instructor, and I want to have study groups with 30 min of exercise in them

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Love these tips. I am 48 and starting my first semester in August. Keep the tips coming! Thank you!

Congratulations!!! :yeah:

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1. A good pocket-sized notebook for my uniform pocket with plenty of my favorite pencils and black pens and scissors and tape to cut out crucial notes/charts and tape them in there.

2. Isagenix- Ionix supreme, shakes, want-more-energy, and cleanse-for-life...keeps my mind and body operating at 100%

3. 15 minutes in the AM for yoga, 30 minutes in the PM for a walk or bike ride...exercise/meditation/me time all in one. (this one I never make time for but really hope to).

4. Stethoscope, penlight, watch with a second hand, bandage scissors, small calculator, clip-board, and BP cuff

5. Friends in class to study with and a Facebook group for our class for encouragement and to stay connected.

6. Money for Starbucks (love it :))

7. The ability to be picked on by instructors, humiliated at times, spit on, vomited on, and s*** on by patients (you never know, right?) and the strength to take it all with grace and dignity.

8. A big 'chore list' and strict schedule for my kids and for myself to ensure that everything can get done and we can still have some time to have fun and just hang out together.

9. An open mind, the ability to never judge a book by it's cover, and a big heart full of warmth, caring, and compassion for my patients, my classmates, my instructors, and my family

10. The ability to never lose sight of my goals and to do my very best so that when things don't go as well as I'd hoped I know I did the best I could,

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1.) People said stethoscope, and I WOULD throw my money behind a high quality to start out. This allow you to actually hear things like gallops and murmurs more easily when you're learning them. Also, the volume is so low on our school's simulation dummy, i think I would have failed some skills pass-offs without this.

-Everyone will say to get a Littman brand one. After some research, I went with the ADC Cardiology convertible. It's about the same cost as a Littman classic on amazon, but it's a cardiology level scope (which means a louder fuller sound, and it is MUCH louder than even a decent twenty to fifty dollar scope).

2.) Hemostats! These are the all purpose nursing pliers/clamps/forceps.

3.) Penlight. I've had bad luck with these, they always get stuck on and burn out, or the light bulb breaks. My solution, the LED one. The batteries last for years even if you leave it on, and it seems much harder to break. The only problem is that it's very bright which patients don't like as much.

4.) Honestly, if I had a whole summer before school. I would use it to teach myself pathophysiology if you don't have a course for it specifically in your curriculum. I found some good lectures on itunesU that have helped. My school has it "integrated", which basically means I spend hours teaching myself as we go or looking it up on medscape during clinical.

5.) Bring with you your commitment. Nursing school is not hard (for me), but it is very time consuming. You will lose contact with some of your friends. Well, maybe. I saw a chart one time that said Nursing School, pick two: Sleep - Friends - Grades. Bond with your classmates, and make peace if you have to, nursing school is a bit of a long run.

edit:

6.) Consider caffeine pills, take with lots of water. It may save you a fortune on starbucks and energy drink. I got some 200mg ones at the vitamin store and they're easy to break in half depending on your needs. Alternatively, a coffee pot with a timer set to brew the night before seems to work for some people.

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Hmmm. I'm going to list things that you won't necessarily be told you need or what comes in handy. This is tough...:

1. Bic multicolor pen (the one with red, black, green and blue all in one)

2. Clipboard

3. Pocket sized ruler

4. Pocket-sized notebook

5. Elastics (if your hair is long, nurses must tie their hair up)

6. Advil/Tylenol (believe me, you'll get stress headaches during class. Kill them right away with analgesics so you can keep concentrating)

7. Good water bottle (always stay hydrated)

8. Recorder (if you have an iPhone or android you can use their apps...bring your charger)

9. Powerbar + extension cord (if you plan on bringing your laptop to class for lectures, you'll be in competition for electrical outlets. Save the day and come prepared.)

10. Hand cream (all that hand washing and hand sanitizer really dries the hands out...treat them right)

11. Sticky tabs (for your gigantic textbooks, drug guide and your notes)

12. Nail clipper (nurses need to keep their nails short for physical assessments involving palpating)

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Get in great physical shape! Lose weight and hit the cardio workouts hard. Besides entering Nursing School in the Fall, I teach high impact high energy aerobics classes at a health club! Upper body strengthing will come in handy for lifting/rolling patients. You will also experience more energy as your fitness rate improves! And most important KILL SUGAR. Start weaning off now. You won't want crazy blood sugar swings when you hit the clinicals!

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