Accepted and Looking for Advise!

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I am so excited! :w00t: I just received my letter of acceptance into the Associate of Applied Science in Nursing program in order to get my RN! I have finished all of my prerequisites, including anatomy and physiology one and two, so I only have to worry about nursing classes. I am all set to start this coming fall. I was wondering if anyone had suggestions on really good books that I could start studying this summer to try and get ahead? Does anyone have any recommendations about their favorite books, that I could buy to get a head start on basic nursing information?

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Specializes in Infusion.

You will be buying bunkloads of books in no time. Here's what I would spend a little cash on. I would get yourself one of the newest N-CLEX guides to see what you'll be tested on when you're done with school and to get an idea of what your test questions will look like in nursing school. I would also just look up how to do a head to toe nursing assessment on youtube. Practice your vital signs skills, like taking a blood pressure with a manual cuff. I wouldn't even bother trying to read ahead as you will be getting so much in depth information, you won't be able to keep it all in your head.

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I agree, you will be buying PLENTY of textbooks - so I wouldn't worry about that as much. I would start learning normal ranges for lab diagnostics. Also for the electrolytes - those signs and symptoms are so annoying to learn but so helpful!!

RBC

WBC

Platelets

Hgb

Hct

O2Sat

(make sure you know hyper/hypo signs)

Na

K

Ca

Mg

Congratulations and good luck!!

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Thank you for your advise!

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Keep in mind there are many great resources online and they are free. Youtube has some excellent lectures and videos for all kinds of nursing subjects. If you want to get a jump start you can also look for videos on nursing fundamentals and assessment skills. They will give you some idea of the things you will be learning. Good luck!

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I know this is not advice to prepare you in advance, but a study aid that really helped me in my first Adult Health/Fundamentals class was the Davis series Fundamentals Success. I didn't do quite as well in the beginning of the semester but I googled study aids halfway through and got that one, and it helped me a ton. Look it up on Amazon, there are a ton of good reviews. Nursing school is tough, especially at first, because the way the questions are asked are completely different. Having something to look at before the tests will definitely help you read the book from a "nursing" perspective, and you'll have a better idea of what the teacher is looking for!

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Nothing. Enjoy your free time, because you won't have much of it once school starts.

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