Advice for new nursing student

U.S.A. New Hampshire

Published

Hello. I will be entering the nursing program in Concord in the fall and was wondering what suggestions you may have for me as far as what I can do to prepare? I know one of the things that has been mentioned in other threads is a med calculation / math book? I was wondering if there was any book in particular that would be a good one to purchase? Have others found that it is helpful to record the lectures, or do good notes suffice? As far as scrubs and shoes, should I wait until after my orientation in June to purchase these or can I be on the lookout for a good bargain now? Thanks so much for all your help and advice!

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Specializes in Cardiac/Progressive Care.

Hi,

I assume that you are going to be going to NHTI?

For the math, they use Clinical Calculations, by Kee and Marshall, 6th Edition. I don't know if there will be a new edition out by the time you start, but you'll be getting a required book list at your orientation, so if you haven't picked one already, it's wise to go to the earliest orientation you can. That gives you plenty of time to order your books online (because trust me, it's WAY cheaper than the bookstore).

A lot of students do choose to record the lectures, and some bring laptops and type them. It all depends on the way you learn best. Having the lectures recorded can be nice, because then you can listen to them in your car on the way to and from class and clinical. I personally find that just writing the lectures works for me. Most of the instructors use powerpoint and will post them online, so you can print them off and add handwritten notes as they go along.

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Specializes in Cardiac/Progressive Care.

Sorry, posted before I was ready

Anyway, for uniforms:

At orientation, you will have time to go in and try on the different styles, and order them. The scrubs are all Cherokee Brand, wine colored, but the tops have the NHTI ADN patch on the left sleeve. The labcoat does, also. You will also have to order name tags. NHTI goes through Uniformly Yours, in Laconia. So for those, you do need to go through the school.

The shoes, you would be better off getting yourself. As long as they are white, with nonskid soles and closed backs, and no holes in the front (like the Crocs with the punch-outs), then you are fine. If you wanted, you could wait until orientation to see the styles the uniform place offers, then go and get your own. A lot of peopel choose just to get plain white sneakers, which work just as well.

Good Luck! It's an intense program, but it's totally worth it!! :)

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Thank you so much for your reply ParvulusPuella, it is a great help! And yes, I will be attending NHTI. I am very excited, but also definitely nervous at the same time. I have already signed up for the orientation, the first one which is in June, so I'm sure I will find out a lot more at that time, I just figured I'd get a jump on what to expect and how I could prepare in advance. Thanks again!! :D

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hi leisabc. how did you know you got into nhti already? just curious because i havent gotten a letter yet and it's killing me!

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They sent a "congratulations" letter, and received a bunch of other paperwork, such as signing up for orientation, sending in the deposit, medical forms, etc.

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Well Congrats!! That's exciting. I wonder if that means I didn't get in??

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Hi Leisabc!

I found that a book of labvalues is super helpful in nursing school. It can answer a ton of questions and will really help you begin to put all the pieces together when it comes to patient care :idea:!

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