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!!!

What is the name of this little notecard book with medications? lol

I was at B&N tonight and saw this little book that seemed a likely candidate for what amarinez26 meant (though obviously I don't know). It was definitely a convenient "pocket-size" and seemed to have reasonably complete drug info (a mini drug guide just as the title suggests) -- for the drugs it included. I suspect it has the same types of problems the most drug card sets have, where not every drug you want is going to be in there and your definition of "commonly used" may not match the author's.

Delmar's Mini Guide to the Most Commonly Used Drugs

(Other noteworthy facts -- publication date is 2010. There's a 2012 Delmar "handbook" too that was not so pocket friendly but may have been more complete.) I thought it was interesting enough to be worth a mention if you're going to be at a Barnes & Noble in the near future, you might want to check it out.

I tried to find the Med Notes to see if that looked like it might be what amarinez26 meant, but my store didn't have that particular title from the Davis Notes series in stock. (I really like the RNotes and I'm starting to like the Lab Notes for its portability, though it's not as complete as the diagnostic/lab test manual I was requied to purchase. Since I like those two, I thought Med Notes might appeal too.)

The other drug "notecard book" that I saw was the pharmacology version of the Mosby Memory Notecards series. I don't think I would have described it as a "notecard book with medications" that would be a "must have" item for school/clinicals. It has some clever mnemonic devices in it and has a reasonable amount of info on a variety of drug classes, but I would rate it fairly low on the list of supplementals if your funds are limited (though the noteCARD version is significantly better than the noteBOOK version in my opinion). A lot of the most useful mnemonics/info is available on the internet for free. If it sounds interesting, I'd recommend checking it out in person before you spend the money

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Here's a simple list of things to consider. Most are common-sense, but ya never know!

1. CALENDAR - Get either a datebook or wall-calendar that you can write down assignment due-dates/clinical times/test-dates/etc. Your calendar just may become your lifeline. I know mine did.

2. READ AHEAD - It doesn't help if you're JUST learning the material when the teacher is only skimming through a powerpoint.

3. ASK QUESTIONS - If you don't understand something, don't be afraid to clarify.

4. COFFEE - If I didn't have my coffee, I'd probably fall asleep midway through putting a catheter in...How about THAT for violation of sterile technique? :p

5. PARTNERS - If in your first level you get lucky enough to have a partner for some of clinical, DO NOT do all the work/let them depend on you to do all the work. Which leads me to number 6.

6. OPPORTUNITIES - If your clinical teacher asks "Who wants to do a catheter?!," JUMP ON THE OPPORTUNITY! I was lucky enough to do my first catheter the first day of my hospital clinical rotation. Won't go into specifics, but I had practiced MORE THAN enough in the lab to be comfortable.

7. CONFIDENCE - ALWAYS, ALWAYS maintain an appearance of confidence for your patient-even if you feel like a nervous wreck on the inside. It also may help in case your clinical teacher comes behind you and asks your patient to evaluate you!

8. STUDY TIME - DO NOT wait until 2 or 3 days before a Theory or Health Assessment or whatever test to start studying your material. Nursing school isn't like the pre-req's. You can't wait until the last minute to *absorb* the information. You have to actually understand what the content is, and realize its importance in your care of the patient. YOU WILL BE LOST and WILL MORE THAN LIKELY NOT DO WELL on your test! Learned that one the hard way.

9. ALCOHOL PREP PADS or RED HOTS - I thought I had smelled the worst thing humanly possible until I helped clean a stoma for an ostomy bag. Let's just say I was wrong. Either swab the inside of your nose with the prep pad or chew a red hot or two before you start doing the not-so-pleasant duties that come with semester 1 (and beyond!).

10. LEARN ALL YOU CAN - What you learn in one semester will only be added to later on. All the little tidbits of information that floor nurse gives you during your clinical rotation? REMEMBER THEM! Ask questions, ask questions, and ask questions. You'll find that a lot of the nurses at your clinical site will be more than happy to share their knowledge with you. Watch out for the grumpy ones though...

11. SLEEP - Wait, forget that one. You'll forget what that is.

12. ALARM CLOCK - For the times you had to stay up until 2, 3, 4, or 5AM studying or doing papers and you have to be at your clinical site before 7. :)

--and finally--

13. JUST BECAUSE IT'S ONE WAY IN THE LAB, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT'S HOW IT'LL BE IN REAL LIFE - Case in point...I'll be as PC as I can here...no one has a perfect (OR PREDICTABLE) anatomy. This goes for bed baths and CATHETERS as well! (Again, trying to be PC here)...I'll just say that the models in the lab are MUCH easier to deal with. I won't go further than that.

Anyways, those are just a few tips I have. Take them for what you may. Hope you do well in your classes!

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Specializes in Hospice.

I know this is an old thread but so happy to see someone my age starting in nursing school! I start in August, hope your first year was great!

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I agree great tips, I'm 42 and starting at the end of August also :)

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Get the Saunder's NCLEX book. Maybe not so much for fundamentals, but for med/surg classes it is great! The cd that comes with it has tons of questions to help you study for tests.

Organize and clean your house now, top to bottom.

Make sure you know how much nursing classes cost. They likely will charge by the contact hour, not the credit hour. Sticker Shock if you aren't expecting it. and grants/loans may not cover it all.

For clinicals: make yourself useful and valuable to staff nurses (answer their call lights!) and they will return the favor by letting you watch (or do) procedures with them and generally being helpful in your learning (you may only have one clinical instructor for every 10 students - do you want to learn stuff or stand around for 2 hours waiting to pass your meds?)

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Hello and congrats! I just started nursing school a little over a month ago (absn program) but we are in the full swing of things so I will try to give you the best possible advice based off of my experience.

1) Printer supplies (ink and paper).

- I have tried many different methods of note taking, but I've found that the most effective way to keep good notes is to print off the slides for lectures beforehand (provided your lecturers post them). Then you can follow along and write additional detailed notes from the lecture and also from coinciding readings. Although it's best to try to get the reading done beforehand.

2) Different colored pens/highlighters.

- I've found it helpful to take notes from lectures in one color on my slides and any additional notes from my readings in another color, so I can differentiate between them.

3) the Kaplan NCLEX-RN drug flashcards. These things are AWESOME. Buy them now and go through a few a day, every day just so you can start making your brain think about pharm a little. It will help tremendously. Plus they are organized well and already made, saving you a ton of time.

4) An easy to clean, easy to use water container. I like the ones with the circle through the lid so that you can put a straw through it. For some reason, I tend to drink more out of it, not sure why. But anyway it is REALLY important to stay hydrated in nursing school so that you're less tired, feel better and can concentrate better. drink a lot every day.

5) Caffeine. Buy yourself dunkin donuts or starbucks giftcards, or ask for them for your birthday. Self-explanatory.

6) This is really cheesy but a quote book. I have a book of inspirational quotes and I try to read a new one each day to keep me motivated. It's difficult to stay motivated sometimes, especially when you start and realize that it actually can be as difficult as everyone keeps telling you! Keeping an inspirational quote in your head all day helps.

7) Binders & dividers

8) This is more of a tip but make friends with people who are motivated and friendly, and steer clear of those who aren't. You will quickly become close with your classmates and will be relying on one another for academic and emotional support.

9) Another tip. Save your money starting NOW. I'm assuming you will be working less once you start school and I promise you your money will go faster than you ever expected. A good tip is to spend like you have five dollars in your account.

10) I will leave you with a final pep talk. Nursing school is challenging. You will be forced to learn in a different way than you have been learning your entire life. You will be shown a profession that somehow manages to find a balance between the scientific and the caring with a dash of goriness (it's a word, I checked). Prepare yourself now by practicing time management skills. Once you're in school, remind yourself every day why you wanted to be a nurse and that you CAN and WILL do so successfully. When you are so caught up in schoolwork and studying for exams that you start having a breakdown, take a step back and really think about what the profession is, as a whole - do some research if you have to. You will regain motivation once you remember how fulfilling your path is, I promise =).

Good luck and don't hesitate to DM me for anything!

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Obviously you will need to have everything your school requires. When I was in the LPN program, I found these items helpful (or would have found them helpful if I would have spent the money on them).

1. Good shoes

2. Clipboard for clinical

3. Large calendar for fridge to keep everything straight

4. Many pens (make sure you have at least 2 with you)

5. Notebooks, big and small

6. Cooler/lunchbox

7. Containers to bring food

8. A good sized bag, one on wheels would be beneficial.

9. Healthy food

10. Highlighters, note cards, paperclips, hole punch, stapler, printer (ink/paper)

My shoes weren't good, I didn't have a clipboard (other people did and it looked like it was easier than holding a bunch of papers, I lost a lot of pens, my bad was too small, I never ate breakfast, and rarely ate lunch (which I bought at the clinical site).

I didn't need the general office supplies (other than the printer) but I know a lot of people benefit from them.

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