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I thought I'd start a thread for us students who were accepted for Fall to share things we are buying in preparation for school. Since I haven't bought anything yet I'll have to come back and post;)
Okay, let's see... over $850 of required and suggested textbooks. A penlight, folding pen and small Moleskine notebook. A small soft suitcase with wheels and collapsible handle. (I'll be bus commuting and crossing a long campus.) Binders, erasable tabs and filler paper. Required scrubs with my school name and logo for clinicals.
Two books for the NCLEX to come: Kaplan NCLEX Review and LaCharity Prioritization and Delegation.
I have a stethoscope and BP cuff from CNA class. Stetho is a $50 model but I don't want to put out big bucks until I know more what I may need for actual practice; I figure it got me certified so how bad can it be? I can always buy another from our university bookstore which has a good selection of Littmans. I have comfy shoes, Propa walkers, but they're black and I may be required to get white ones. Hope not.
Last, but not least, an academic-year planner and dry-erase monthly calendar. I'm going to schedule everything. From what I've heard, nursing school requires excellent time management skills. I haven't had to be super efficient about my time use for years; I hope it's like riding a bike and comes back quickly.
We got a list in out orientation packet with scrub prices, patches with the school's logo, labcoats, etc... Everything thing is pretty affordably priced. I am looking to my fellow all nurses homies for reviews on Littmans, etc...
Not more than a few hundred including book (used are available at the school's bookstore! YES!!!!!). I'll be the first in line.
So far, I've bought:
This medical terminology study guide: Medical Terminology:The Basics (Quick Study Academic): Inc. BarCharts: 9781572225381: Amazon.com: Books
This "How to Succeed in Nursing School: Before, During and After" book that I do not recommend at all as it was a complete waste of time: How To Succeed In Nursing School: 9781467950251: Medicine & Health Science Books @ Amazon.com
And I plan on buying these:
Nursing student planner (to write my assignments/test dates, etc in, plus it has random info all throughout that I think will be very helpful!): http://www.amazon.com/dp/0323296548/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1UR30D6CDOTD7&coliid=I2J9ZYW8F2L7YH
Nursing terminology study guide: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1423208617/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1UR30D6CDOTD7&coliid=I2MHNZWCNI8VO1
Anatomy and Physiology for Dummies: Anatomy and Physiology For Dummies: 9780470923269: Science & Mathematics Books @ Amazon.com
Anatomy QuickStudy Guide: Anatomy (Quickstudy: Academic): 0654614204912: Medicine & Health Science Books @ Amazon.com
Littmann Stethoscope: Amazon.com: 3M Littmann Classic II S.E. Stethoscope, Black Tube, 28 inch, 2201: Industrial & Scientific
I start in August, and I'm so nervous/excited! I also have to get a watch and a book bag. Anyone have any other suggestions?
Thanks for your response @toucheturtle. My intention was to be prepared to ease through my first semester but things just got out of hand. My promise is to stop shopping as of today.
Orientation for me is August 12-13, and classes for the fall semester begin the week of August 18th. I will be taking Fundamentals of Nursing, and Intro to Pharmacology. I've been scouring the internet for a planner that will work for me, and I've ordered the Uncalendar. I looked at the Erin Condren planner, and loved it, but there is no option for the academic year, and that is important to me. I have also ordered a pocket organizer that came with a penlight, pen, notepad, and bandage scissors, all of which are on the list of necessary items to buy. I've bought the textbooks for the pharmacology class, a total of $150 for 2 books and an access code (they were over $300 at the college bookstore). I've purchased a desktop calendar, and a set of highlighters. I've also done everything but the TB test as far as things that require going to the doctors office. I'm checking things off my list, little by little.
toucheturtle
46 Posts
Wow FutureBSNurse, you won't need most of what you listed. I just finished my ADN and BSN, and I just want to caution you not to get too much before you actually start school. Here's what I used throughout my whole 3-year journey in school.
Timbuk2 messenger bag - worked great for school and clinicals.
Scrubs - 2 complete sets. One to wear and one to wash. You'll never want to see your school scrubs again after you're done with school. Don't invest in too many sets.
Stapler
3-hole punch
Post-it flags
Pens - find a brand you love using because you'll do a bunch of writing with them.
Pencils for test-taking
Highlighters
3-ring notebook with reusable divider tabs. I used the same one all the way through school. I just erased the tabs each quarter.
Laptop computer, though I didn't take it to school very often.
Decent printer - $100 HP Officejet from Costco
Full size iPad during my BSN, as it was lighter to haul to school than my computer. Could have lived without this though.
Littman stethoscope
Cheap penlight (you'll lose it or loan it out, never to see it again)
Bandage scissors
Small (1/4 page size) Moleskine notebook with blank pages - made this into my personal reference notebook that I took to all clinicals.
"...Made Incredibly Easy" - Only get these as you need. I think I only used pharmacology one
Saunders NCLEX RN Examination
Assigned school books
You'll want a comfortable place to study, but you really only need a decent desk or tabletop, a chair that you're comfortable sitting in for hours (and hours), and a good desk lamp.