Do you use your TEXT BOOK?

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I feel sick when I think about the money I spent on my text books when I have hardly had to opened them. I have so many handouts, notes I take in class, notes others took, online component, computer CDs, and reference books that I haven't needed my text book much at all. I'm getting good grades too. I was told (by a student further in the program) that some students in her classes swear they never did crack the text all semester. They just did online quizes and study guides and got A's on the test. Anyone else not using their very expensive text books?

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So far, I have really used about 3. Our main fundamentals book, Davis's drug guide for nurses, and the Tabers medical dictionary.

Plus our school uses ATI so we have been given all of those books... which I also use.

We have had required reading from our Pharmacology, Med-surg book, and nutrition book but Ihave not had time to actually get to that reading.

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I know I don't have time! We have 18 pharm chapters we are supose to read but we only have 5 simple objectives for the test. The teacher is crazy if she thinks any of us are going to read all those chapters when the answers to the objectives are all on about 3 pages in the book.

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Yeah, I feel like our our Pharmacology book is very poorly written so I just don't really bother. I have found most of the concepts from our objectives in my Fundamentals text book and have read that instead. The reading is really starting to get overwhelming!!!

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I think it depends on what type of learner you are. Our school had these 18 DVD's that cost over $100 they wanted us to buy. The movies were visual explainations/scenarios of clinical experiences. (one is on vital signs, one on giving IV meds, etc) I did not buy them because I know that I do not learn like this but I do use the books - not as much as what we are assigned to read but I do think I would miss out on a lot if I did not have them. I could probably still get good grades without them because our exams are based off lectures moreso, and I could use our skills cd's, the class hand outs etc. but I don't think I would want to go out in the workforce with only that limited knowledge. The book goes over alot of important things that we just don't have time for in class but will be useful once I am a nurse. Like I said though, that is just the kind of learner I am, others might pick up the same skills/info I read in the books from their clinical experiences or elsewhere. Oh, one thing that does drive me crazy is the little pocket guides like Nutrinotes - why do they cost $25 yet are the size of a deck of cards, why do we need them when the facilities we go to have them, we do not carry them in our pockets and could easily grab it from the station just as quickly or quicker than we can grab it from our bag!

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I use my books unless I am assigned more then 3 chapters to read.

Then I just kinda shrug n skim.

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I used my book for my med surg 2 and 3 classes. I did not crack open a book until then.

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Specializes in Taking one day at a time....

The first few weeks I read every word of the assigned chapters--Now, after the first fundamentals exam, I realized that 90-95% of the exam is STRAIGHT from the powerpoint notes. I'll only use the textbooks to clarify information I dont know. It makes more sense to just focus on the powerpoints, because the textbook chapters contain SO MUCH information-- I wont remember any of it! I need concrete information to learn, not pages & pages of endless reading, what will I learn that way? I am glad that I purchased the textbooks (except, I took a hint from a former nursing student & purchased the edition below the required edition, therefore I spent much less money and have pretty much all the same if not the exact same info) but really, they arent going to be used all that much...:no:

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Specializes in HCA, Physch, WC, Management.

I use all of my books for different things but not as much as I thought that I would. My Math for Meds book gets more use than any of the other ones do. It's very practical and helpful.

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I used my texts more than anything else.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

I do use most of them, and often not for the class they were originally intended for :)

There's a couple of workbooks they made us buy but we've used only once or twice...what a waste :banghead:

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I can't learn from books. They're just not good teachers, I think.

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