What do we REALLY need to be successful during school?

[blessedx2]

To everyone in school all ready, what do you find really useful to always have with you?

I dont want to go out and buy a ton of stuff and find that it's not really what helps. I bought a ton of index cards of Ebay while taking A&P and probably have a couple thousand (*gasp* yes, I'm serious) left so I'm good with that. But what else REALLY helped you? Do you carry around a laptop? A digital camera? A recorder?

Thanks in advance!:cheers:

[NoviceRN10]

A good drug guide (with nursing implications, which some do not have!), or a PDA, and a voice recorder if your program allows the lectures to be recorded. Besides that, you will need tons of binders (our instructors give us power points for lecture) and a million black pens :). A med-surge care plan book will help too.

[blessedx2]

We actually get a PDA when we start our first class. So, that is going to be helpful - it was part of our tuition and I guess it's loaded with programs such as meds, etc. Oh, and thanks for your help!

[NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN]

Nclex book for practice questions.

[Bobylon]

Coffee !!!!!!! .... or, the caffeinated beverage of choice - my choice would be yerba mate, but few Americans know what it is, so .... coffee suffices as an answer

[melsman1904]

Like others have said, black pens and a good drug guide. I keep both in my backpack. My backpack goes everywhere I go. I also rely on my Taber's a good bit.

[RNDreamer]

NCLEX review books have been enough for me so far. Our school gave us PDAs to use, but we rarely use them. Oh, and browsing through this website, especially the Student Assistance forum was very helpful, even when I was in pre-reqs.

[princesasabia]

Great thread! I hope more people post, I have been wondering the same thing!

[inspire]

I use my MP3 player to record lectures. I listen to it anytime I am away from my books. Great for the car, while exercising, shopping, etc.

[USCarolina]

In addition to those references listed above, I have found that any quick reference guide can help while in the clinical setting. The F.A. Davis Company has a variety of Nurse's Clinical Pocket Guides: RNotes, IVNotes, OBNotes etc. They cover all important info related to that topic and are waterproof! If you are looking for a starter book and are not sure whether these would work for you, I suggest the RNotes version. I carry mine with me during all clinicals!

Also, I have created a notebook of important lab values to remember while in school. This notebook is added to during every class and has given me a very organized way to a quick reference.

[smartin13]

I have two binders one for lecture the other for labs and clinicals and each one has about 10-15 dividers in it. Besides all the things mentioned above I would figure out how you organize yourself and start there, it has helped keep me sane.

Oh and I forgot, I take my backpack with me everywhere, and usually any books that we are using at that time are in my car if not in my backpack so that no matter where I am at I can always look at them.

[locolorenzo22, BSN, RN]

Voice recorder, drug guide(paper because you don't want to have the digital one fail), black pens, dry-erase markers, sharpies, bandage sissors...etc.