Do I need this for nursing school?

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Hey all!

I start nursing school this fall :yeah:and I asked some of the current students for some advice.

One girl told me for anatomy to get an actual skeleton model (my program is somewhat odd in the way that A&P aren't pre-reqs) Have you done this? Does it actually help or will it be a waste of money?

Secondly, I asked what to get for a clip board. I've been told several things. Some say a calculator is a must, others say a storage compartment is necessary, and I've also been told an anatomy chart on the clipboard is something needed. I've seen these things in combination, but not all 3. What do I really need in a clipboard?

Any other must haves you guys recommend? Our school requires a medical dictionary and a specific NCLEX book, but I've been told to invest in multiple NCLEX books so I'll probably be doing that. Is the newest edition necessary, or if I buy one edition older (= less $$) will I be okay? Or does the NCLEX differ a lot from edition to edition in books?

Thanks for the advice guys!

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A skeleton model cost at least $1000, more like $5000, so if you can afford one go for it that would be helpfull.

All I used for clinicals was a stethescope, a pen, and a small notepad. Lots of students get clipboards with built in calculators but I didnt need one.

as for books I wouldnt buy any NCLEX practice books just yet, spend that money on the books you need to buy. (like a TABERS dictionary)

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A skeleton model cost at least $1000, more like $5000, so if you can afford one go for it that would be helpfull.

Oh really? This girl had told me she got hers for about $125. I don't think it was quite full scale and not made for anatomy specifically. But she said the major markers tend to be there even in non-anatomy models. But thanks for the heads up on price. I couldn't imagine investing that much!

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I just looked on ebay and there are a bunch of skeletons, well under $200.

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No, you don't need a skeleton model, bones are the easy part, lol. There are plenty of other things to spend your money on. ;)

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Specializes in Cardiac, OB.
No, you don't need a skeleton model, bones are the easy part, lol. There are plenty of other things to spend your money on. ;)

Agreed. Also, the school skeletons/bones/muscle men could be made available to us as needed in the bio lab(i.e. before an exam) should we feel the need to get more hands on to study. Is this available to you?

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Specializes in Public health nursing.
Hey all!

One girl told me for anatomy to get an actual skeleton model (my program is somewhat odd in the way that A&P aren't pre-reqs) Have you done this? Does it actually help or will it be a waste of money?

Strange...I've never heard of a student having to purchase a skeleton model for the nursing program. Your school's lab or library should already provide this.

As for the clipboard and NCLEX book are concerned, I bought a cute clipboard from Staples. I've actually gotten compliments from patients and even physicians about my clipboard :D. Having a clipboard is especially handy if your clinical site is short on desks. Also, I highly recommend Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN as a supplemental resource. Amazon sells it for $40; its cheap and is such a worthy investment. The book pretty much sums up what content you'll be exposed to during the program, but in abbreviated form. So, you've got health assessment, pharm, med-surg, etc. covered in this one book.The book is divided by chapters according to content, and after each chapter, there are Q&A with rationales you can test yourself with. I definitely found the book very useful throughout my nursing program.

Good luck!

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Specializes in Emergency.

Skeleton model? I'm with Studentsara, use the ones in the lab if they're available. Diagrams and pictures are enough for most people without having to break the bank on a model.

The clipboard: yes, you'll need the calculator for meds. Storage comes in handy for all the paperwork you'll be carrying around. You can find many with little charts with V/S's, lab values etc. for reference. I don't really think an anatomy chart is necessary but if you want one, sure why not.

The medical dictionary comes in handy, but for me the must haves are the NANDA books, Pathopysiology, a good Drug Guide and NCLEX books. Find ones you like and hang on to them! A lab values book will come in handy, though your mileage may vary.

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I just looked on ebay and there are a bunch of skeletons, well under $200.

how accurate are they? we needed to know every foramen, process, suture, plate, fossa, ect not to mention all 29 head bones, 51 trunk bones, 64 upper extrmeties, 62 lower exremties...And all of them we needed to ID disarticulated, some blindfolded.

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Specializes in Infusion.

Clipboard? for what? Might be helpful for writing down patient data (we do patient data preps the night or morning before clinicals). You'll want a pocket calculator, something cheap, you'll only be using the standard multiplication, division, add, subtract. NCLEX books are nice to see how test questions are asked. However, the tests do change every year so buy one book now and wait until you are closer to graduation to buy a study guide. Skeleton, sure, why not. I would never get one but it could be helpful for visualizing how the body is put together. The skeleton is such a small part of the bigger picture but it is the framework.

Here's what I needed for nursing school, besides the books, lots of printer paper and ink cartridges, filler paper, a good 2-1/2" binder, several pens, pencil, calculator, drug guide for nurses (get a nice fat one), good stethoscope, and Kaplan NCLEX guide.

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Agreed. Also, the school skeletons/bones/muscle men could be made available to us as needed in the bio lab(i.e. before an exam) should we feel the need to get more hands on to study. Is this available to you?

The cadaver lab is open for us to use until midnight. I'm not sure if there is a skeleton, I'd assume so. So I'm guessing the consensus is to forgo the skeleton. Now that $200 could go toward other things... Starbucks anyone?

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how accurate are they? we needed to know every foramen, process, suture, plate, fossa, ect not to mention all 29 head bones, 51 trunk bones, 64 upper extrmeties, 62 lower exremties...And all of them we needed to ID disarticulated, some blindfolded.

I'm not saying I'd recommend them but there are detailed descriptions if you search for 'human skeleton' on ebay. They say they are numbered with over 200 parts.

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