Anyone use Potter & Perry 7th Edition Nursing Fundamentals?

serenity1 · Mar 16, 2009

I use it. We are told by the instructors to study the nclex-style questions at the back of each chapter, online(evolve) and disk that came with the book. They are helpful. I skim the chapters, paying attention to anything in bold or italics, and then do the nclex questions. There is a very good tutorial on the disk for electrolyte and acid base balance. I'm not crazy about this book, but it's ok. We are barely using it in Block 2. Good luck!!

dblpn · Mar 16, 2009

I use it. We are told by the instructors to study the nclex-style questions at the back of each chapter, online(evolve) and disk that came with the book. They are helpful. I skim the chapters, paying attention to anything in bold or italics, and then do the nclex questions. There is a very good tutorial on the disk for electrolyte and acid base balance. I'm not crazy about this book, but it's ok. We are barely using it in Block 2. Good luck!!

unfortunately, i'm using P&P 6th edition because i'm to cheap to buy the 7th. i've read some bad reviews about P&P that it's too verbose, some of the skill steps were out of place, just really full of mistakes. i try to read the whole chapter if i can to reinforce what i've learned from lectuer.

XYnurse2B · Mar 16, 2009

Yep. I think it depends on how your prof's are testing. Mostly from lecture or from the book. No matter what, reading the whole chapter isn't going to do anything but help...sometimes. I have run across instances where the book plainly contradicts what the seemingly correct test answer is (most of the time it was info from lecture).

CarlSagan's Maid · Mar 17, 2009

Don't bother with the optional study guide, it is useless.

Serlait · Mar 17, 2009

Our class is using P&P 7th Edition also. I do read the chapters, the key concepts ANYTHING that is in a box, chart or table and NCLEX questions online. First read through, I highlight the important stuff, then when going back to study, just reread the highlighted and all charts, boxes, tables, etc. I also do any extra activity available online. (evolve) One caution is that there are errors on the NCLEX questions both online and in the book. They sometimes contradict each other. I also use Fundamental Success by Nugent and Vitale....can get at B&N or Amazon. It ties in really well with P&P. P&P is really verbose. I agree with all the criticisms voiced previously. If you're allowed to keep your tests, might try to see what your instructors pulled from. As another poster mentioned, best to see what the instructor is looking for. I know it's hard to know what to focus on sometimes. So much info I've had to start studying days in advance for tests. That way most info gets a second look. Good Luck!

shadownurse9 · Mar 17, 2009

I used P and P 7e last semester for Fundamentals. Our school switched to a new book after I already bought the P and P book. I happen to really like fill in the blank study guides. They work for me. I saw someone said the study guide was useless, but I didn't find it to be. I filled in the study guide and read the chapters at the same time. I did all the question on evolve. Plus I got another books free resources on evolve, I think Basic Nursing. I didn't but the book, but did the NCLEX questions on Evolve, there were more of them than there were on the P and P books evolve. I also did a lot of the Fundamentals questions on RN 3500 on the web. I pulled the only A in Fundamentals at our school last semester using the P and P book, I really like it. I think it all depends on how you study and what your learning style is. I am in in depth person, I need depth to help me understand the simple stuff if that makes any sense. Potter and Perry gave me the depth I needed over the textbook my school had switched to.

Just what worked for me, hope it helps someone! :)

melmarie23, MSN, RN · Mar 17, 2009

we use it too. Its very dense...some of those chapters are super long! What I do is skim and do the NCLEX questions as the end plus online (evolve). That seems to help

Carrie_MTC · Mar 17, 2009

I only did the questions at the end of each chapter and I didn't really think it was helping me that much. I prefer doing lots of NCLEX style questions from a book such as Saunder's or Lippincott's. I don't really think this book is a necessity for Nursing School. I would however, recommend Brunner's Med-Surg book. It's organized much better and is helpful is preparing for clinical.

FUTURE_ER_RN · Mar 18, 2009

My school also uses the p & p 7th edition book, but I have noticed that *most* of the exam questions come from the lectures. So I really only the use the book to help clarify things that I might not have fully understood in lecture. You are not going to remember everything that you read for every chapter you are required to know so I just use to to help with clarifications and such. When I first started nursing school I made sure I read every chapter for that first exam because I didn't know what to expect from the professors. But now that I have taken the first exam and realized that the majority of the material came from lecture I don't have to memorize every chapter. But really you have to do what works for you. If you read every chapter before the exam you just took and only got a 79% maybe reading the whole thing isn't a good idea. Sometimes I find that if I read too much at a time or try to cram way too much into my brain it just makes things worse. So just try things out and see what works for you!

STL2008, RN · Mar 18, 2009

Im currently using the book now. The chapters are long, wordy, and repetitive. I read/skim the chapters, concentrate on anything in a box, do the nclex questions on each chapter, as well as the ones on evolve. Study your power points and notes and you should do fine!

aerorunner80, ADN, BSN, MSN, APRN · Mar 18, 2009

We use this book. The CD that comes with it is terrible. At least mine is. I'll put the right answer in three times because the CD tells me it's wrong and then when it finally gives up, it will tell me the "right" answer which is what I was putting in the whole time. It's frustrating!

What DOES help me is doing the study guide. It may not be exactly what is on the test but by doing the SG, I get the general idea of the chapter and can identify the main points in the questions on the test.