New Student - What do I need?

Buy the best stethoscope and the best shoes that you can find. You will be depending on them for the rest of your carreer. Well, not the shoes, you will have to replace those, but; oh, nevermind. Make sure the stethoscope ear-pieces fit well in your ears (they should point forward in your ears, not back) and block outside noises well. When you push the diaphram with your finger, you should feel a mildly uncomfortable sensation of pressure in your ears. If you do not, the ear pieces are not sealing properly in your ear cannals. (PS: if the clerk will not allow you to try out the stethockope, or does not have different size ear pieces for you to try out, smile politely, thank them for their time, and go somewhere that does.) Once you have established the best fit and seal in your ears, consider durability. This thing will be in your pocket, around your neck, falling on the floor, banging against bed reails, being yanked on by demented patients, and who knows what else for the rest of your working life, so get a good one.

Don't break the bank on a watch. These days, even $10 watches are more than accurate enough for anyone. What you SHOULD look for is a watch that is easy to read in dim light, INCLUDING THE SECOND HAND. That second hand is going to become a close, personnal friend of yours, and light in some parts of hospitals can be lousy, so give yourself a break and get a watch with a large face, large hands, and colors that are easy to see. Get one with hands and a dial, not a digital display.

Do you have any choices in uniforms, or does your school mandate what you wear? If you do have a choice, look for pockets. Big pockets, and lots of them. Get a uniform with more pockets than you think that you are going to need, BIG ONES! Then, buy a lab coat with even more pockets for the many things you do not yet know that you will need. I am really serious about this. I bet you that, after you get into clinical, you will wish you had even more pockets than you do. And please, do not whine about how they make your hips look! If you wanted to wear glamerous clothing, you should have picked another carreer. Wanna know what will really make you look frumpy? Being exhaused because of all of the trips that you have to make back to the nurses station and supply room to get stuff that you should have been carrying with you!

Get reference books that exceed the requirements of your school. Study the books you are assigned, then look for additional information in good medical, biophysiological, pharmaceutical, and nursing text books. (A good library works, and saves money. These text books cost a fortune.) Learn as much hard science as you can. I do not expect you to understand now, but I promise you, the more science you learn the better the nurse you will be. It will also make it easier for you to keep up with the rapid pace of change in nursing if you understand the science behind the practice.

Last thing: acquire a cheerful, easy-going attitude about people. You will be seeing them at their very worst. Learn to accept people as you find them, and to laugh at yourself at least three times every day (more prn).

Very best wishes to you!

Yes, I would definitely get the Nursing 09 drug book. I would NOT get the Davis drug book. I don't agree with everything Davis says, and I know a few other nurses who also agree. One thing, it would say to hold dig or beta blockers for heart rate of 50 or less. Well, all of the nursing school always tell you to hold for 60 or less. Whenever I hear a student tell me something that doesn't sound right, it seems they looked it up in Davis. Just my opinion.

Yes, you need ALL the equipment, but what you really need is a good plan on how you are going to be ORGANIZED using any and all the equipment. Organization is key to good nursing!
Let me know if you want info on how I do it.....

Taber's for the dictionary, Lippincott's Nurse Practitioner's drug guide.

Good luck

Im starting the night program at Baptist and was wondering about what we needed as well. I wonder if we will get a list?

Just wanted to let you know that I received the email today with the list of supplies that we will need for Baptist

Stethoscope - Good One
Manual blood pressure cuff
Pen light
Watch w/ a second hand Lab coat
White shoes
Required books and a couple of NCLEX study guides. (The questions of the subject matter here are the correct format and offer rationale as to why the right answer is the MOST correct)