What should I do to prepare before school starts next fall?

ready4crna? · Nov 13, 2007

I will offer advice that I got from someone much smarter than me: Relax, sleep, enjoy your friends and family. School will arrive and it will be the last time you get any of the four things on a consistent basis. You can bust your butt now, but really, your prof's will take care of any "getting ahead" probably in the first three weeks of school. You will feel behind,overwhelmed, and/or dumb-no matter what you study now-so- Enjoy the accomplishment of getting in....that was the easy part. Congratulations and welcome to the best profession in the world.

mauxtav8r · Nov 13, 2007

What is the planned course of study? I'm in a BSN program and this is what I did . . .

Visit the professors, introduce yourself, ask THEM. My A&P professor recommended reading his alternate text (this was the book he really liked, but was no longer published, so the class text was a different book).

I bought it on one of the used book sites delivered for $9. As it turned out LOTS of his lecture came from that book, not the class text.

Also, he suggested reading a book on the Latin and Greek suffixes, prefixes and bases. THIS WAS HUGE!! So much of our knowledge is based on picking up the lingo. Just look through any description of all the anemias and translate them into plain English to see for yourself how useful this is.

Get a manicure, take a trip, see those relatives that you never get to see, because you will find it difficult to find time for those things after the ball gets rolling.

Best of luck.

snowfreeze, BSN, RN · Nov 13, 2007

It looks like you will have medical terminolgy covered as you already have a job in CCU. Have you taken all the english, sociology. math and science classes? Getting those out of the way makes the nursing part a bit easier; I found the nursing classes required a lot of focus and the clinicals required an enormous amount of paperwork.

I worked full time while doing my pre-reqs and part time during nursing school.

allthingsbright · Nov 13, 2007

I'm getting a resource job in PACU to familiarize myself with surgery/anesthesia etc
I currently work in CCU
anything else I could be doing?
a class I could take at community college/the local university?
a book I could be reading?
I don't mind spending a little money to get ahead

Have you taken A&P for your program yet? I would review each system of the body in terms of that and you could look over Microbiology and keep that fresh as well.

Pharmacology would be a great class as well as medical terminology if neither one is in your program.

Review basic math--get "Math for Nurses" a great little book that starts w/ basic math and teaches drug calcs in an easy way. You could start learning that stuff.

Hm.....I would also say spend some time doing things you like to do. I've been MIA from family and friends the last couple years and miss having fun. See some movies, enjoy a hobby, etc. Relax a bit--school will rock your world!

(OOPS!!!!! Sorry this wasnt more CRNA focused-I kind of popped into the wrong forum! )

Natkat, BSN, MSN, RN · Nov 13, 2007

Yes, the best advice is relax, enjoy life, spend time with family and friends.

Nursing school is so stressful, and no matter how much you think you're prepared, it's always a surprise. Don't be scared because you'll adapt to it just fine. But to do that you will have to give up having a normal life for a very long time.

HM2VikingRN, RN · Nov 13, 2007

Get a PDA....

Burnt2 · Nov 13, 2007

What is the planned course of study? I'm in a BSN program and this is what I did . . .

I'm starting nurse anesthesia at case western in '08

I've heard from many sources that the best thing to do is relax and spend time with the fam.....I'm just looking to get comfortable with anesthesia, since my main focus has been medical ICU so far

nurselizk · Nov 13, 2007

If you read carefully, you'll see that the original poster has already been through nursing school and is awaiting the start of a CRNA program. Yes, nursing school is stressful and time-consuming, but nothing (from what I've heard) to compare to CRNA school. I'll find out in January....

*ac* · Nov 13, 2007

I wish I'd taken a course in phlebotomy.

ready4crna? · Nov 14, 2007

I'm starting nurse anesthesia at case western in '08
I've heard from many sources that the best thing to do is relax and spend time with the fam.....I'm just looking to get comfortable with anesthesia, since my main focus has been medical ICU so far

I know you won't believe me on this, I certainly didn't when I got in, there is not much you can do to prepare. SRNA's are like hungry wolves and thrive on stress and challenge, the problem is- prior to the actual start of your first class you really can't study anything that will help you. Trust that the admissions board knew what they were doing when they said you have the right stuff to make it through.(Concept to internalize- they are smarter than you right now, by the time you are done with school you may approach their knowledge base.)

Getting comfortable with anesthesia is the purpose of anesthesia school, if you could do it before school you wouldn't need to attend. (And waste all that tutition/time/energy.) Your faculty will expect you to know nothing, and will teach accordingly.

Really- relax, kick back, see friends and family, SLEEP. Wallow in the victory of admission.

allthingsbright · Nov 14, 2007

If you read carefully, you'll see that the original poster has already been through nursing school and is awaiting the start of a CRNA program. Yes, nursing school is stressful and time-consuming, but nothing (from what I've heard) to compare to CRNA school. I'll find out in January....

Yes, sorry about that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) Best wishes to the OP!