Books That Will Give Me An Edge in NS

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I know some people say that you shouldnt try to get ahead and that you should try to relax before starting nursing school but I almost feel like I have to try and get ahead. I have 2 kids (4 and 1) and I'll be moving to a different state to attend NS so I dont have a support system. Because of this I want to just review some material before school starts.

The first semester I will have health assessment and nursing as a discipline (Im assuming this is what other schools call fundamentals). Are there any books you suggest I look over just to give me an edge? I've heard that the Fundamentals Success book is good but I would like to know some others, including some for health assessment. I really want to build up my critical thinking skills before starting school too! I dont start until August so I just want to maybe look at the books once per week just to get a feel of what things will be like in NS (especially the exams!).

Thanks!:D

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

Just make sure your A&P is really really solid and your microbiology. Other than that, the only thing I would suggest is to start educating yourself on how to read and understand NCLEX questions. There are a lot of websites and books out there for that.

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Specializes in Peri-op/Sub-Acute ANP.

Get a good careplan book and get some idea of the language and format used in careplans.

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Find out which books are being used in those classes (or your first year classes) and get them now so you can browse them. Email the profs if you need to find out the names. I would not choose random books on my own, as they could be different from what you will be taught and that will only confuse things (and waste your money!).

FWIW, I use my fundamentals and skills books on a regular basis. I also refer back to my anatomy & physiology books once in awhile.

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Like someone else said, get a nursing careplan book before u start school. I was at a big disadvantage because I wasn't fimiliar with the terms used,like nursing diagnosis interventions evaluations and outcomes. Also, invest in a good comprehensive review book for the tests u will have and flag things as u cover them in class. A good one I just bought is the prentice hall comprehensive review for the nclex rn. Also, if your not already, get very familiar with APA format!! It will be tough, but it will be soooo interesting and rewarding!!

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i have a really good careplan book (private message me if you want the name of it) and this book is ESSENTIAL in the first semesters of nursing school when writing care plans, it makes it SO much easier. also get a good NCLEX book - I prefer Saunder's (it's blue) because it provides rationales.

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I am in the exact same position as you! I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old but I also have a 10 year old. I am recently single and although I am taking courses this semester (starting NS in fall--I hope, waiting on my acceptance letter) I feel like it would be advantageous to me to attempt to prepare myself. The challenges having 2 small children while in NS are going to be huge but doing some prep work would help me feel better about it! :)

@ Sophie: I would love the names of your books...I dont think you can PM until you have 15 posts in a threat though.

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I am in the exact same position as you! I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old but I also have a 10 year old. I am recently single and although I am taking courses this semester (starting NS in fall--I hope, waiting on my acceptance letter) I feel like it would be advantageous to me to attempt to prepare myself. The challenges having 2 small children while in NS are going to be huge but doing some prep work would help me feel better about it! :)

@ Sophie: I would love the names of your books...I dont think you can PM until you have 15 posts in a threat though.

Exactly!!! Most people say to not worry about studying nursing stuff until you actually START the program, but I feel like in my situation I have to be ahead. I just want to feel a little more comfortable before starting the program. And since I have small children, I dont want to be too overwhelmed during my first semester, so every little bit of knowledge I have before August 23rd will be extremely helpful.

You're lucky to have a 10 yr old though. At least the oldest child can help you out somewhat. Good luck, hopefully you'll be getting that acceptance letter soon!

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Exactly!!! Most people say to not worry about studying nursing stuff until you actually START the program, but I feel like in my situation I have to be ahead. I just want to feel a little more comfortable before starting the program. And since I have small children, I dont want to be too overwhelmed during my first semester, so every little bit of knowledge I have before August 23rd will be extremely helpful.

You're lucky to have a 10 yr old though. At least the oldest child can help you out somewhat. Good luck, hopefully you'll be getting that acceptance letter soon!

HAHA, my 10 y/o is a boy and he is not down with baby care! LOL. He does help out some but with his age group comes soccer practice, soccer games, school programs, after school programs, and all kinds of extra curricular activities that also consume a large amount of my time. So its a pro and a con. I agree...I've looked on amazon to see what kind of ratings the NCLEX review books have and which ones have rationales...that way I can look them over and at least know what to expect when everyone says the tests are like nothing you've ever taken before and will be a whole new world. I have a very analytical planning type personality and going in blind is not my idea of fun! So I have ordered a few books and am waiting for them to arrive. Everyone is different and in a different situation and I think that for people like you and I that already KNOW we're going to face challenges with small children and the demands of being a mother we should prepare however we choose. If nothing else it at least provides us with a better more positive mentality when entering the program. And like this board is filled with....NS is all about how YOU handle it and what kind of attitude you have towards it.

I have several friends that are RNs who have advised me to brush up on A&P, pharmacology, and review NCLEX style questions. I refuse to accept that NS is going to be this God awful horrible scary experience so I'm going to do everything I can to make myself feel better and be prepared for the next 2 years of my life! NS will be what we make of it and I don't think there's going to be anything negative about mentally preparing ourselves for the journey ahead.

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