Finds textbooks to be antiquated

[mario_ragucci]

Hi everyone. I have been attending college now for almost 2 years, getting my nursing prereq's completed AND I MADE THE PROGRAM, STARTING FALL/02.

Before I decided to go for my RN, I studied computer science, but didn't get a degree. I also worked for an internet service provider as a tech. In other words, I know how to harness the power of the internet pretty well, as I'm sure many of you do.

College textbooks are expensive. Very. When I started taking my prereq's, beginning with A&P, the cost of the textboook was >$225.00 with the CD's and all. So I did some key word searches and found everything I needed to know was all ready on the internet, in various media formats. I am proud to say that I did not buy a single high-dollar textbook for my science prereq's; anything I wanted to know was on the internet, and many prof's from various universities created websites that dealt with EVERYTHING.

The college bookstore is a business. The information on the internet is free, and I could print whatever I needed at the computer-lab. The other students all paid for the expensive textbooks like lambs, not knowing all the same knowledge was available online.

The internet beats the textbooks in several ways. It's always there, it's interactive, it's updated, various formats, etc...and I don't have to sell it back, and I know where the information is so I can get it anytime, anywhere, print it if I need to. (I'm paying a "technology fee" anyway, to use the computers and printers on campus

At orientation tonight, it was mentioned that textbooks for the nursing program would run very high, close to $1,000. or more. I could tell by the voice of the speaker, that it was a "pitch" for the bookstore. The internet can not replace actual classroom learning, but when it comes to text and pictures, which is what a textbook is, I know that all I have to do is plug keywords into a search engine and I'll have more information about a topic than you can shake a stick at. Plus, now I am used to harvesting information from the internet, and it seems like a backward step only using a single, and expensive, source for nursing knowledge.

Does anyone who is currently in a nursing program have any comments about textbooks? Do any students out there belong to a school program that bases the knowledge from a website, as opposed to expensive, antiquated books? Thanks for any comments.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

I still have my ancient tombs er textbooks from 1973 thru 1982. Some things HAVE changed (tests, treatments, meds), but basic disease process and assessment has not in all this time. Some things are returning (e.g. leech therapy in reattached linbs that are engourged with blood). I know I'm unusual, but return to those books once a year or so for some reference.

You are paying for all the cost involved in information gathering, editing, nurse/medical reviewers, changing formats along with "intellectual property" (someone has to think of this stuff), legal review and printing costs.

Education needs to be BALANCED a blend of both old and new techniques.

Mario, your prior posts re giving a bedbath to fellow student brought back my LPN education roots---how scared we were and how important we found it to drap someone to protect privacy and maintain dignity. You remember that all your nursing career.

RN program had the same thing in 79. By early 1980's it was considdered " Passe" as 'Student privacy' deemed more important and you could learn as well from a manequin.

I saw TOO MANY nurses and assistants bathing confused or semi-conscious patients by stripping them naked, pulling down the sheet totally exposing the patient to whomever walked into the room and sloshing water on them with the cleaning process completed in less than 5 minutes. If they had been the receiver of a mock bedbath they NEVER would have bathed a person that way.

Nursing tapes were considered a new tool along with transparencies in late 70's with some teachers and students fearful then too. Patients are often fearful...we teach/coach them to get over their fears. We should do the same with older/hesitent students and instructors to enable computer proficiency in everyone.

[fnimat1]

Well for me this semester, I'm taking the 2 pre-req's to get into the nursing program...A & P 1 and Chem 101. About 3 weeks before the semester, I e-mailed the science dept. and they told me the titles of all the books. So I went to the bookstore and got all of my books used.....I didn't pay more than $75.00 per book. And my A & P book is $145.00.....so I saved big. Also we are only using half of the book for A & P 1....we're using the other half for A & P 2....so the price was worth it. We are using the lab book for A & P 2 also. So I think it's best to just plan ahead.

Fatima'

"RN 2B from Jersey"

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

I kept all my texts from the first 2 trips into student land. They're here somewhere.

The third and final, I just went to the library if and when an actual text reference was needed. (rarely I might add)

The bookstores have the newbies over a barrel. The freshemn don't know about the library and the habits of professors to repeat the same info every class every semester.

I also believe that the administrators and the booksellers are in cahoots to decide to CHANGE the books every year or so in order to prevent them being handed down to incoming students.

I kept almost all my journals though. In fact my DH just tossed some of my Nursing[/] from 1974!

Oh well, maybe I really didn't need them .

[pebbles, BSN, RN]

3 years after graduating in canada, I'm now studying some old stuff that I haven't used since school, so I can write the NCLEX. There is something to be said for buying and keeping textbooks. Not everything changes with a few years, and the basics are still relevant from my old books. :)

[tapper]

For some prereques not buying the "required" text will work. You can quickly find this out after the first day or so of class.

When I got into the actual nursing classes, I found out it would be impossible to NOT have the text. During lecture you are expected to have already read the text and you better be prepared to discuss/understand what you read.

The exams test far more than what could ever be covered in lecture. Ya have to know the information and apply it, far better than you can grasp it by sitting in lecture.

You would be wasting a lot of time by searching the web for info that could be found in the text. Our school does not have a book store, but has the texts available through a local university.