Calling ALL Southwest Tennessee Community College Spring 2011 Hopefuls!!! - Page 11

I am just finishing the first semester (in fact, the last clinical check off today!!!!! Yea!!!) and I spent at least $1000 on books for the first semester. This included additional books that were needed, like care plan books, review books, study books, NCLEX books, fluid and electrolyte books, etc. I did not even open some of the required books that were on the list. It's unfortunate. Wish I had known that before I bought them!!

Nikkih901, can you PM me?

I would also like that list..... I live off the money from Pell grants and various scholarship money, and unfortunately the school dispenses the funds in a manner that is absolutely ridiculous. They've made these changes due to all the people they had getting their money up front and never attending, and of course it seriously effects the people, like me, that are working hard to do the right thing. My major bulk of funds comes the second and third after classes begin, so I'd really like to know the books that are "musts" for the first few weeks. Thanks to any responses...

Ok.... got my vaccinations and physical done. I ordered my background check/ drug test tonight and I'm attending the CPR training at Memphis Sat from 8-12, so I'm cooking with bacon grease now. So now just the $100 for orientation and the dreaded book purchase and I should be good to go. I'm still looking for info on those "must have" books. Who all is going to be going to the UofM CPR course this Sat?

You really won't use the med surg book until second semester. You could probably get away with not buying the pharmacology book at all and just get Davis drug guide for nurses. And do not buy that Doenges care plan book. It's a waste of money. Buy the Ackley book for care plans.

Your must have the first few weeks is the foundations book. You'll need a drug guide, lab test book and care plan book about six weeks in when you head to the hospital. You'll need the Fluid and Electrolyte book about halfway. And you'll need the Dosages book first day for that class.

As your foundations teacher will tell you, no one can tell you how to study. Scifihippie helped me tremendously with what books to buy for the first semester. She's (he's) right about the Doenges Nursing Diagnosis Manual. I never opened it. She told me to get Betty Ackley's Nursing Diagnosis Handbook. It's well worth the money. There's another care plan book that really helped and that was Sparks and Taylor's Nursing Diagnosis Manual. Both Ackley and Sparks and Taylor are not on the required book list. The study guide books that come with the Fundamentals and Med Surg books are not necessary, though some people found them helpful. The Fluid and Electrolyte test is the hardest (Test 3). I never even opened the required Fluid and Electrolyte book. I studied the Kozier and Erb book and the Med Surg book. I also bought Fluid and Electrolytes Made Insanely Easy by Lippincott. It explains things so you can understand. You will be listening to Fluid and Electrolyte lectures by Marlene Hurst. She is really good. Study her notes and listen again to her lectures. She has a pathophysiology book that some people bought that seemed to be helpful. I did well on the Fluids test, so I guess I did something right! You will need a good Lab and Diagnostic testing handbook. I bought the Davis Lab book. The best drug handbook is also the Davis drug guide. The Pharmacology book will be needed about mid term. That's when you start getting into drugs.

The Dosages class is a hybrid course. You will only be coming to class part of the time. You are pretty much studying on your own.