Hi all Fall '07'ers! Gosh, I'm really spending some serious cash on all this stuff! I perused the thread about what we need most and that has been very helpful in getting my 'study room' together.
I bought some things @ Target and plan to check out Walmart. I've asked around to people I know that are in the health field and got a stethoscope and scissors! I ordered an all-in-one 3 color click pen off Amazon. I don't want to worry about pen caps!
Hey all, I heard the Littmann Lightweight II S.E. is the best stethoscope out there and the 'ceil blue' color goes well with our blue uniforms. It seems alot of others are heavy and a pain in the butt.
Hey all, I heard the Littmann Lightweight II S.E. is the best stethoscope out there and the 'ceil blue' color goes well with our blue uniforms. It seems alot of others are heavy and a pain in the butt.
That's the one I'm planning on buying. A friend in the program has the Master Classic and she said she prefers her classmate's Lightweights instead.
my shoes were $30 from Kohls and I am 58, and work 12 1/2 hour shifts at Beaumont... they are fine
my books were all amazon used or ebay
I had no pda (but would highly recommend one)
supplies were scrounged from around the house and kids except I paid top dollar for poster board fold-out type (but recycled it for several uses) and uniforms were under $70 (two tops and one bottom and one lab coat - but would suggest you buy one more of each). I kept my part-time job of like 12 hours a month
you know some people have a family to run so can't work, some have no money but use loans and pack meals. This is an investment in your future and so important to maintain your sanity, confidence, sleep and health....Do what it takes to keep yourself on track
I've been through 1 semester of clinicals. My stethoscope is around my neck every second except when I'm using it. I NEVER put it down. I really don't need to lay it anywhere because it just goes back around my neck, including when I'm walking from and to my car. At first i was worried about it falling off but after 170 clinical hrs it just sits there fine. This is what all the nurses on the floor do also. (Some even hook a roll of tape onto the end in case they need it. )
I use my PDA to look up drugs mostly as we have to tell our clinical inst. what the drug is used for before we give it. I also look at the doses recommended for each drug. It goes from my pocket to my hand and back in my pocket. I also NEVER put it down. It comes in handy because some of the drug books they have at the hospital are missing indexes or are too old. However, you can get by without it. It's just a nice to have. Other students in my group bring their paper drug guide to clinicals and leave it in the break room in their bag.
I have used my scissors at cinical but not my hammer or BP cuff. In fact someone else suggested you probably won't want to use your BP cuff at the hospital because you never know what you will bring home. (stethoscopes are easily cleaned with alcohol wipes but not BP cuffs). I did buy one online but I just used it in the school lab to demonstrate on other students for check offs and at home. I don't think I used it more than 10 times in class. There are plenty at the hospital and our teachers told us not to get one (Oakland Univ). Most of the BP cuffs at the hospital are hooked to the machines to take the BP's automatically anyway.
I also spent some money on books that were recommended but we didn't have to buy. And some I bought myself that helped me out because the textbooks we have to buy are not all the best. So save some money for that. And i wear white nursing support socks (6$ pr). It really saves my legs on those long shifts. One of the best investments I've made.
We have 3 clinical days a week so I bought 3 sets of uniforms and 2 lab coats because i didn't want to have to wash during the week, but they suggested we only buy 2 uniforms and 1 lab coat. I also did not buy the cheapest uniforms. Ours are white and you can see through the cheap ones really easy. Look for lots of pockets in both your pants and the tops. I don't carry a purse to clinical since we have no where to lock anything up.. My PDA goes in one pocket, drivers license, credit card, money in a small bifold in the other pocket. I always carry my scissors, penlight, pen, small notebook and a hand full of alcohol wipes in a pocket. Love pockets, lots of pockets.
I have yet to get my books (I would have but school doesn't start selling them for another few weeks)
But I did buy everything on my list. My instructor told our group about a wonderful website (allheart.com)to buy our scrubs, so I check them out and I am so happy I did because I bought everything from thier and didn't spend over 80.00.
I bought 2 sets of scrubs (not cheap ones, these were recommended by our instructor that they will last forever), lab coat, comfort crocs (w/o holes and leather) they are for allied health professionals, pen lights, scissors, patches, pens and some other things, (I already had a stethescope) and I spent 78.35 :) I was shocked.
Now I only have to get my books and paper and folders some odds and ends and I'm all set.
I have yet to get my books (I would have but school doesn't start selling them for another few weeks)
But I did buy everything on my list. My instructor told our group about a wonderful website (allheart.com)to buy our scrubs, so I check them out and I am so happy I did because I bought everything from thier and didn't spend over 80.00.
I bought 2 sets of scrubs (not cheap ones, these were recommended by our instructor that they will last forever), lab coat, comfort crocs (w/o holes and leather) they are for allied health professionals, pen lights, scissors, patches, pens and some other things, (I already had a stethescope) and I spent 78.35 :) I was shocked.
Now I only have to get my books and paper and folders some odds and ends and I'm all set.
They make crocs that are leather? I looked on that site but I don't think I saw the ones you were referring to. I wish that nursing students could wear regular croc shoes. We are supposed to wear white leather shoes at Macomb, not sure if clogs are allowed? Does anyone know?
They make crocs that are leather? I looked on that site but I don't think I saw the ones you were referring to. I wish that nursing students could wear regular croc shoes. We are supposed to wear white leather shoes at Macomb, not sure if clogs are allowed? Does anyone know?
I think the ones I got are clogs, but simular to crocs (I had to look on my order sheet), and it says they are leather. At my school my teacher teacher said we can wear any white, leather shoe as long as it was white and no holes. I hope you find out what you can wear.
NoviceRN10
901 Posts
I just realized this isn't a school specific thread! What programs are you all getting ready for :)? I'm at Macomb.