Do you sell back your textbooks???

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Hey everyone! I have a question for you all.... I am a "pre-nursing" student right now and was wondering if most of the nursing students sell back their textbooks or keep them for future reference?? I'm planning on keeping my Anatomy book, just because it is extremely detailed and I have highlighted and written in it up and down and all over the place... But I'm planning on taking Physiology next semester, and 2 Chems next year and I'm wondering if they will be useful in the future or not....

The Physiology book is $140 (as was my Anatomy book), so I guess I'd like to return it once I'm done... I just don't know... Any ideas??? TIA

I save all of my science textbooks. To date I have around 30 textbooks related to chemistry, anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, sports medicine, nutrition and physics. You never know when you may want to freshen up on a subject or may need to look something up. Granted you can get a lot of information on line, its still nice to have the textbook laying around.

I do however sell all of my gen ed and other textbooks back.

Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

Hang onto anything related to your math and sciences, especially your anatomy and physiology. You will need them for reference and wish you had them if you get rid of them. If you have anything related to writing style like and APA or MLA handbook keep that also.

Specializes in Med-Surg/Cardiac/Surgical Stepdown.

I also hang onto all of my math and sciences textbooks. Nursing instructors have a habit of testing on things from previous classes without bothering to review them in class first.:banghead:

Thanks everyone! I kind of figured that might be the case.... Thanks again!

I sell back ALL my textbooks. I have a complete set of power point slides and notes from the lectures that covers anything pertinent. If I need to **refresh** on something, there are myriad internet sites to look at, that span a wide range from layperson-targeted to physician-level.

I see no reason to hang on to textbooks that become obsolete before you even get them off the shelf at the college bookstore. Our Med Surg book was telling us to use Celebrex...LOL. So even if you keep your book, you would have to wonder if the information had changed.

I have three textbooks from community college- a microbiology book that hasn't been cracked since 1996, an A&P book that I use to show my kids anatomy, and a zoology book that has been referred to twice in the last 20 years. I learned not to hang on to books.

btw, the best thing to do is sell them to a classmate who is on the track the semester behind you. You sell them for half price and everyone wins...except the bookstore...

Specializes in RN, Cardiac Step Down/Tele Unit.

I kept most of my science books from my prereqs, and I refer to them often. I use my nutrition text for patient education planning. I have referred to my Micro book often as well because they have good discussions of many diseases caused by microbes. I refer to my A&P because of the great description of the inflammatory process, which darn it just keeps coming back to haunt me! I have used my growth and development text when writing care plans (using Erikson's stages, etc.) I know I could probably find this info on the web, but it is easier for me to find it in the text than google and it is comforting to know it will be there even if the computer crashes when I have an assignment due the next day!

I sold back english, sociology & others that I didn't think I would use again, but I agree w/ the other posters that you shouldn't sell back a&p, micro, math, or god forbid any nursing books when you get to that point!

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