Any advice for a prenursing student?

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Hey everyone, I just got accepted into nursing school at my local community college and I was wondering if anyone has any advice on how to best prepare myself for my first semester (fall 2016). I completed all of my prerequisites, however I never took pharmacology or medical terminology. I was wondering if it's a good idea to get books on these topics (or any other for that matter) to better prepare myself for school? I have a friend who is currently enrolled in the program I will be attending and her experience with it has me scarred! I really want to be prepared to the best of my ability so that I don't have a miserable time as she has. Thanks!

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

You can never go wrong with a good drug book/app and a medical dictionary.

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Medical terminology definitely helps, but you probably know a lot already from a&p, micro. There's free med term courses online. When you study it, don't just read the definitions of the prefix, root, and suffix. I think it helps more to write it out and break it up. For example "ataxia" write like a/tax/ia. A=without, tax (is)=muscle movement, ia=pertaining to.

I just got the book "Pharmacology Made Insanely Easy" and can't love it more. If you learn good by pictures and mnemonics, it will be great for you too. It's strictly about medications.

Actually and I've said this before on here a lot so probably sound like a broken record but the no1 way to prepare that I'd say is the most helpful is the book "Illustrated Guide to the Nclex" I read it before I started the nursing program and it gave me such an edge for the classes. It has a chapter for dosage calculations too. Every chapter includes medications. I didn't understand everything when I studied but it helped to just aquire a good idea about the concepts, know the nclex style question format, brush up on a&p...like I said I had an edge going into my classes. Stuff I didn't completely understand I recalled as I learned in class and that helped I didn't just learn a whole new concept like abg's or half life of medications.

Remember you are you, not your friend or anyone else who scares you with stories about the nursing programs!

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Oops posted twice!:x

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Thank you! I've definitely been researching and trying to find the best way to prepare myself for nursing school. I live on my own and I'm planning on working somewhat during the program, so I'm trying to take on some of the learning work load before the semester starts so that I'm not too overwhelmed with all the information. Any advice on working during school? I've been working through out college but none of my classes have been that demanding so I don't want to go in over my head.

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So far I haven't had too hard of a time working while in school, but I used to work at a supermarket and dog walking so it was so good to have flexible and pretty short hours. I'm not sure what will happen next semester though. I start harder nursing classes and work PRN as a patient observer but it's longer hours and at night plus I want to do so much more with school too.

I'm going to see how things go then decide, that might be good advice for you too, adjust as needed you know? Stay on top of the readings no matter what though. I'd bring my books with me in bed last semester to study and I'd bring them with me when I went out somewhere. Just grab the study opportunities whenever you can.

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