Care plan books..yes or no?

[LaBellaVita]

I'm getting ready to start nursing school in September, and have purchased all my required textbooks. They had two books on our book list that were recommended but not required, one of which is a "how to write a care plan" book. In your experience did you find a book like this as a must have? Thought and opinions appreciated, thanks!

[itsybitsy]

No, if its not required, I would save my money. They make you pay enough for books and courses. If I feel like I can't live without it later, then maybe I would think about buying it. But since it is a "How to" book, I would just google "how to write a care plan" and you get millions of results for free if you don't get enough information about care plans in class.

Another thing, it also depends on what other books were required. If they require NIC, NOC, and NANDA, then that should be all you need to be a care plan queen.

[NICUismylife, ADN, BSN, RN]

Do yourself a favor and get yourself an "All in one" care plan book. A used on is only around $15 and well worth it. All-In-One Care Planning Resource, 3e (All-In-One Care Planning Resource: Medical-Surgical, Pediatric, Matermaternity, & Psychiatric Nursin): 978

[LaBellaVita]

Do yourself a favor and get yourself an "All in one" care plan book. A used on is only around $15 and well worth it. All-In-One Care Planning Resource, 3e (All-In-One Care Planning Resource: Medical-Surgical, Pediatric, Matermaternity, & Psychiatric Nursin): 9783237429: Medicine & Health Science Books @ Amazon.com

Thanks for the tip, did you use one like this?

[LaBellaVita]

No, if its not required, I would save my money. They make you pay enough for books and courses. If I feel like I can't live without it later, then maybe I would think about buying it. But since it is a "How to" book, I would just google "how to write a care plan" and you get millions of results for free if you don't get enough information about care plans in class.

Another thing, it also depends on what other books were required. If they require NIC, NOC, and NANDA, then that should be all you need to be a care plan queen.

I know, between the 8 other required textbooks I really want to be sure that I need any other books that I decide to purchase.

[NICUismylife, ADN, BSN, RN]

Thanks for the tip, did you use one like this?

I used an older version. My clinical instructor was actually the one to recommend it. It allows you to look up a disease process and see what nursing dx are most likely to apply to that disease process, along with appropriate goals, nursing interventions, and rationales for everything. It was a lifesaver and timesaver for care planning. I felt like it was laid out in a way that was super easy to understand, much more so than the "recommended" text that my school suggested.

[LaBellaVita]

I used an older version. My clinical instructor was actually the one to recommend it. It allows you to look up a disease process and see what nursing dx are most likely to apply to that disease process, along with appropriate goals, nursing interventions, and rationales for everything. It was a lifesaver and timesaver for care planning. I felt like it was laid out in a way that was super easy to understand, much more so than the "recommended" text that my school suggested.

Thank you for sharing those details, sounds like it will be worth checking out :)

[WombatMedicine]

My care plan book was on the list of "required" books and it is one of the few I actually use(d). The over whelming majority of books that we are "required" to have see little to no use at all.

[jj224]

Care plans are literally the biggest waste of time. Just a stupid hoop to jump through. Don't buy any additional books - I agree with the previous poster that recommended using Google..

[Aliareza, BSN]

Fully agree on the usefulness of a care plan book. Not one that teaches you how to write them, just one that comes with a bunch of premade care plans. That's basically all you ever do with care plans as a nurse anyway; I type in the problem, get a list of premade care plans, pick the ones I want, and then evaluate the interventions daily. Spending time writing care plans isn't worthwhile when you can get a cheap book of them.

[medic981, ADN, RN, EMT-P]

Care plans are literally the biggest waste of time. Just a stupid hoop to jump through. Don't buy any additional books - I agree with the previous poster that recommended using Google..

Hmmm... "literally the biggest waste of time"? I graduated from nursing school June 10, and I hated every care plan that had to write. Yet, my fellow classmates and I who made an effort and worked on completing accurate care plans are the ones who passed the NCLEX with a minimal number of questions. Yes, in today's modern world, care plans are as easy as clicking a mouse. Care plans in nursing school are a teaching tool and require critical thinking to complete. It has been my experience that the lack of critical thinking skills is what leads nursing students to fail nursing school and/or failure to pass the NCLEX.

[jj224]

You can still cultivate your critical thinking skills without going through the scutwork of formatting and completing a care plan. You can think through the aspects of a care plan after you've completed a few. I'm glad you and your classmates found them useful. You just graduated and passed the NCLEX, so congrats on that. I, and pretty much every other nurse I've gone to school with or work with, think they were a waste of time. Once you've done a few of them, which I understand are a learning tool, you can work your way through doing one in your head. Doing a care plan every week, especially at the end of your nursing program, takes away time from studying. Don't get me started on nursing "diagnosis."