Did any of you read/study anything, before starting your program, that helped ....

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...stuff "click" better with you. I have heard that CNA experience is WONDERFUL. In fact, many of the CNAs in my nursing program seem to "get" things a bit quicker. They know the basics, and it seems to make things a bit smoother for them. I, on the other hand, have NO experience whatsoever.I also don't have the opp. to go back to become a CNA...nor the free days, as of now.

Did any of you study a book on the "generals", before starting a program you know you were accepted to.., that helped things "flow" better, per se? I bought this book (it's a self-teach guide), and even though I have started, I am going to continue with this to familiarize myself a bit more.:

http://www.amazon.com/Medical-Terminology-Demystified-Dale-Layman/dp/0071461043/ref=pd_sim_b_4

Any other suggestions? I just need something that is kind of self-teach, or work-book style, for the "basics". I am going to be doing this in my "free" time and while I'm traveling on the plane, bus, train, etc.

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Specializes in Holistic and Aesthetic Medicine.

If you are in a ADN program, pharmacology is usually the toughest course early on. Get started studying drug classes now. If you are in a BSN program, pathophysiology is often the toughest course. Even if you just start with pathophysiology for dummies, you'll have a little bit of a head start. Check out https://allnurses.com/nursing-blogs/?prefixid=blog_vickyrn Vickyrn has done a great job of putting educational links together to support students.

Best of luck to you!

Seth

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The above advice is excellent - especially about the pharmacology - and a book on pharmacology calculations is a wise investment...my pharmacology course was very heavy on the calculations. I also spent waaaaaay to much time on allnurses.com, reading everything I could about what to expect in nursing school, etc. I am amazed at all that I learned from here that I can regularly apply. The problem is now I'm addicted to allnurses.com and have a hard time staying away ;)

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

The best thing I read was a book about how to study. Sorry I can't remember the name, but I'm sure that there are newer, better books out there about the subject.

Studying nursing is a combination of internalizing theory and memorizing data. It is definitely a unique subject. Just learning how to approach the subject material made all the difference in the world.

Try searching Amazon.com or Borders for How to Study for Nursing Classes, or some variation.

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Specializes in ER.
The best thing I read was a book about how to study. Sorry I can't remember the name, but I'm sure that there are newer, better books out there about the subject.

Studying nursing is a combination of internalizing theory and memorizing data. It is definitely a unique subject. Just learning how to approach the subject material made all the difference in the world.

Try searching Amazon.com or Borders for How to Study for Nursing Classes, or some variation.

Can I guess? The book is Test Success by Nugent & Vitale. This was the most helpful for me before I started nursing school. Everything else was like looking at information in a vacuum. What was important? How much of this did I need to know? Will my program present material in the same way. The answer was mostly "no" but that Test Success book has gotten me through everything and I bet it helps with the NCLEX when I finally see it next summer!

If you want some real advice, try taking a deep breath, a vacation, get your tires rotated and have a nap. There is little to be done before it starts and too much to do when it starts. Enjoy your free time!

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Specializes in Psych, med surg.

I, too, had no experience in the medical field before nursing school. My fellow students who had been CNAs seemed to have a much easier time with clinicals than I did. The one book that helped me was How to Survive and Maybe Even Love Nursing School by Kelli S. Dunham. It kept me sane and helped point me in the right direction many times. It is not a book about learning particular skills or memorizing facts but how to navigate nursing school and stay sane.

The book is in its third edition. The author also has another book about the first year of nursing practice, which I didn't find as helpful as the one about nursing school. Ask your instructors about the book. One of them likely has a copy and you can check it out and see if you think it'd be helpful.

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Specializes in mental health.

I would recommend reading "Applying Nursing Process: A Tool for Critical Thinking" by Rosalinda Alfaro-Lefevre. The first time you read it, it will probably feel like it's all Greek to you. But if you are patient and read it through twice, thoroughly and carefully, you will find it absolutely invaluable once you start nursing school. Last year when we started out, everyone in my year was so terribly confused about the "nursing process" for the longest time - if we had had to read this book, it would have all made so much sense. This year it has been made a required text for the first-year students - they're lucky.

If you want to get a head start on pharmacology, you can pick up a user-friendly pharm book like Saunders Nursing Survival Guide: Pharmacology and go through that a couple of times too. Same thing for Pathophysiology.

The reason I say to read through twice is because in the absence of a teacher or other students to discuss things with, it can seem very confusing and discouraging at first, but on a second reading you'll find you get things that you didn't the first time around.

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