Accepted... should I get books and read ahead?

[sarahmizzou]

So, my ADN program starts in January and I was wondering if it would behoove me to get a few books and read ahead? I was thinking brushing up on my pre-reqs might not be a bad idea.... like Human Lifespan, micro and A&P. My only concern is that I might not need some of what I read but I figured it would help with familiarity. Any thoughts?

[caliotter3]

Insure with the nursing department and the bookstore that you are getting the correct books or wait until you are able to verify. Most bookstores will not accept for return books and packages that have the shrink wrap removed. At more than $200 a bundle, that could be an expensive mistake on your part.

[tokyoROSE, BSN, RN]

I don't think they will give out the book list to you, to be honest. My nursing department releases the book list ONE WEEK before class starts, despite calls and emails. Brushing up on A&P is good enough. I'm going to admit I didn't look over anything before hand and I'm still doing good. LOL! It is more important to enjoy yourself when you have time, that's my philosophy. Everything else falls in place, and I study hard while in school, not while i'm out of school.

[pitaya]

Ditto the last comment. I would not read ahead at all. You will do more than enough of that in nursing school. Enjoy your time off! Go on vacation! Work to save some money! Spend time with your family and friends, not with your head in a textbook.

[nurse simmy]

talk to the nursing program. We had an orientation about a month before classes started where we could buy the books and course sylabi. We had several assignments due the first day of class.

~simmy

[iPink, BSN, RN]

Just got my acceptance letter today and immediately reopened that A&P book.

[IWantBobatea]

There are ways to get the book lists. We have a online bookstore so i just go search under NUR and found all the books needed for the next two years. You can go to the campus bookstore, im pretty sure u can find them there. I am currently reading "Critical care & Emergency Nursing" and planning to read the Fundamental of Nursing after this book. I am starting my program in Jan 2012 so i have plenty of times to read. :yelclap:

[KristeyK]

@IWantBobatea- just keep in mind that there may be updates to whatever books you're reading now.

As for reading ahead...NO! Seriously, enjoy your free time for now, because it's about to disappear. Your program could very well be like mine and not go in order of the chapters anyway.

[IWantBobatea]

@KristeyK thanks, but I have too much free time at the moment. =( I know they usually don't cover every chapters in the book but I think it's always good to know more. I know new edition books usually added a few stuffs here and there but it's not a huge difference.

[MrsJessica]

I would brush up on A&P definitely and familiarize yourself with medical terms!!! That was my hardest by far because our instructors didn't give us a list of all of them, so I would write the word down and look it up!

[sunshiny]

It would be a month or so after I was accepted before they gave us the list of textbooks we would need. As soon as I was accepted I went to my library and borrowed a nursing fundamentals textbook. It was an edition behind, and the "other" textbook (Kozier - and my class uses Potter Perry), but still very useful.

I spent the month reading the first few chapters on nursing theories, the nursing process, law and developmental stages. It gave me a HUGE advantage! By the time we received the textbook list and reading assignments, the material was familiar, and my brain was already in "nursing mode".

I know this is the reason I scored very well on the first exam!

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Honestly, I would not read ahead and just enjoy the last few months before nursing school starts...because once it begins your free time is going to be very limited. So savor the free time now. But if you really feel compelled to read ahead, then do so. Just don't overdo it and end up frazzled before school even starts.

Lest you think that not reading ahead will have a negative effect on your academic performance...I never read ahead for the next class, nor did I read on school breaks: I used that downtime to recharge the mental batteries so I wasn't burned out when the next class began. I think one day during Christmas I thumbed through Fluid and Electrolytes Made Incredibly Easy but that was it. I graduated summa cum laude.