Going into Nursing School and Looking to get a jump

[rockallnight]

Hello all!

This is my first post, and I'm so excited to have found this community. It looks like a very active site for support, advice, and questions. I'm starting my Associates program for RN in a month and I'm looking for ways that I can start learning now to get a jump start on some tough topics. I'm not usually mister smarty pants who sits in the front row, but having already completed a degree that did pretty much nothing for me, I'm looking to really dive in and give 100% to this new path.

I thought about getting some apps on Anatomy to start getting familiar with different areas, but would anyone have any suggestions on some stuff I could do before I enter the program to make the "I know nothing" shock less harsh? Thanks everyone!

[sj20fame]

Hello!!!and welcome!=] i don't know much either;( and I'm barely taking the nurse entrance exam in a month....but i wish you the best of luck!:) this website is great!

[IndyElmer]

Here are a few areas that you can consider. If any of these appeal to you, I can suggest resources...

Have you taken anatomy & physiology already? Is that one of your first-term classes? There are some things that you can do to prepare for that without going overboard. (If you need resources, I can go find my stuff and make a couple suggestions.)

Also, how are your math skills? I had some classmates who struggled with the (relatively simple) conversions/calculations that we had to do in my physiology class. For someone with a science background, they were "gimme" points, but for others, they were a real challenge. There are books that you can take a look at to double-check that your foundation math skills are adequate and even get a jump on some of the drug calculations. (If you want to follow up on this suggestion, I know there are already threads about drug or dosage calculation books so I'll let you google those. There are quite a few opinions on the best book. I like my Pickar Dosage Calculation book, but it sounds like there are others that may be better.)

You can also brush up on medical terminology / medical abbreviations or some basic lab values.

Most of these things are relatively straight-forward memorization that can make it easier to learn/recall the info when you really need it, but won't require tons of context for them to be useful. (There certainly are aspects of A&P that would be difficult to learn without context, and you need to know so much more than just the normal range for a given lab value, but it's a start, and if it will make you feel more relaxed while wait to get started, why not.)

[JacAn001, BSN]

everything in the previous post and if you are a visual person get some A&P flashcards. Most of all enjoy it!