Do I need this for nursing school?

OB-nurse2013, BSN, RN · May 20, 2011

Hold off on gthe extra books. I know everyone says to buy one and I almost did but honestly I'm glad I didn't. I know every school is different but at mine the practice questions in the books themselves along with the study guide and supplemental instruction stuff we have at my school, ati practice tests online, and study guides our professors give us I really have more practice nclex-style questions then I need without buying a book. As for the clipboard, well I wish I had one but don't yet I may invest in a clipboard but I don't think you need a super fancy one.

strawberryluv, BSN, RN · May 20, 2011

So A&P is part of your nursing school program and not the pre-req phase? Interesting, thats the same way with my school. I've done some research to prepare for my A&PI class and I chanced upon this coloring book

http://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Coloring-Book-Wynn-Kapit/dp/0805350861/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305918148&sr=8-1

Supposedly, it has sold 4 million copies and its suppose to help with your kinesthetics sense to retain information on anatomy. I bought it for like $12.00 and it looks really concise and it'll be fun coloring and learning at the same time.

When you use different senses to memorize and retain information then its easier to learn it.

Good luck!

OB-nurse2013, BSN, RN · May 20, 2011

So A&P is part of your nursing school program and not the pre-req phase? Interesting, thats the same way with my school. I've done some research to prepare for my A&PI class and I chanced upon this coloring book
http://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Coloring-Book-Wynn-Kapit/dp/0805350861/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305918148&sr=8-1
Supposedly, it has sold 4 million copies and its suppose to help with your kinesthetics sense to retain information on anatomy. I bought it for like $12.00 and it looks really concise and it'll be fun coloring and learning at the same time.
When you use different senses to memorize and retain information then its easier to learn it.
Good luck!

Heheheh those are teh same ones we used in my A and P class and they are fun until you get into it and tehre are soo many different tiny parts you won't believe how long tehy can take to color! But anything taht helps with retaining info in A and P is good :)

ro2878, ADN, BSN · May 22, 2011

During clinicals I would see some of the RNs using clipboards for the daily patient reports they printed out. Some also used the clipboard as a tray to put meds on when going from room to room.

I wound up buying a clipboard and never used it! It was easier to keep papers folded up in my pocket.

turnforthenurse, MSN, NP · May 29, 2011

ne 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!

First off, congrats on getting into nursing school! :)

As for the clipboard: I carried around a storage clipboard that had a calculator up top by the clippy thing. Got it for around $10 @ Walmart. It's kind of bulky BUT it carries out what I need, and can hold some of the pocket guides I like to bring to clinical (instead of keeping them all in my pockets or locked up where they can't be utilized). If you cannot find a storage clipboard with a calculator on it, then just buy a cheap calculator and throw it in your clipboard :)

A medical dictionary would be good to have. I like Taber's - very informative. And definitely invest in an NCLEX book, especially from the start! You can use it to study and practice questions relating to whatever you are learning in class at the time. I highly recommend either Saunders or Pearson Prentice Hall Reviews & Rationales for the NCLEX-RN. Make sure whatever book you get reflects the CURRENT NCLEX TEST PLAN. The NCLEX-RN just recently went over revision last year and the NCLEX-PN just went over revision in April. Revisions generally happen every 3 years.

Other must-haves and an investment: A GOOD STETHOSCOPE! I recommend the Littmann Classic II S.E.. I ordered mine from Redding Medical (Google it) and ended up paying $74-something for it (including tax and S&H), which was the cheapest I found. Everywhere else has insane shipping costs or they were $84 in store + tax = paying $90+ for a stethoscope. That was 4 years ago so I don't know if their shipping increased, but it definitely saved me a little money :)