Getting ready for nursing school... what to bring? What to bring?

Wiggly Litchi · Apr 13, 2018

Hey hey everyone! I am going to begin my pre-nursing in August. I would love some tips and advice on what to get so I can be well prepared. Anything from materials to study techniques will help.
Xoxo
Marbel

What subjects are you taking? All pre-nursing prereqs or just a few of them?

Only carry what you need for that day - Save your back, it loves you
If you're able to get an ebook of something to save some money, do it. They're really handy to read on a cheap tablet / pc / your phone
Some people greatly underestimate the amount of time they need to study, so study - even if you think you don't need to. I tutor the pre-nursing classes at my local CC and the #1 thing that could help my students get the material is spending enough time with it. That means 3-4 hours study time at home per credit hour taken - MNIMUM you might be extremely sharp and catch on to detailed concepts quickly, my hat's off to you! However, most folks are looking at say 16hrs of study time per week alone for heavier subjects like A&P / Microbiology.
If your grades are slipping, don't take days off. - Take breaks here and there, sure, but if you're slipping and you wanna get that A, you've gotta put more time in
If there's a concept you are unable to grasp, then research - a lot of my students haven't quite gotten this one yet, but they're learning! If you don't understand the textbook or the powerpoint, there's a myriad of (free) resources out there that can explain tough concepts in a variety of ways until it finally clicks. This action of seeking the answer instead of being fed it can be extremely beneficial to retention!
If an A&P professor says you don't need the textbook - Ignore them. I know this one from experience... One of the professors likes to tell students they don't need the book, but 70% of their test questions come from it, so....
Make lots of notes, make them pretty - I'm not kidding - keep everything uniform too, color code your stuff, keep it organized. Terms in one color, headings in another, tidbits in another! This way when you skim your notes you can see what is what
Make your own flashcards - I'm a huge advocate for quizlet, or any other online flashcard set. DO NOT USE PREMADE SETS. Sure, it can seem like a nice shortcut, but these work in 2 ways - 1: When you make the cards, you are engaging with the material. This step is important because it really makes you think about the questions you are creating. 2: Now that you've got your flashcards - use them, and use them often. Immerse yourself in that material and spend time with it, and I promise it'll start sticking.
Brush up on basic math! Khanacademy has a wealth of stuff. Learning this and dimensional analysis now will help you later

Good luck!!

bgxyrnf, MSN, RN · Apr 13, 2018

[*] Make your own flashcards - I'm a huge advocate for quizlet, or any other online flashcard set. DO NOT USE PREMADE SETS.

I couldn't agree more.

If you're particularly computer saavy, I'd learn to make your cards electronically.

If you check out my pharmacology cards, you might be surprised at how little time it actually took me to make them (as well as ones I made with the same template for physiology and microbiology).

Half the learning and retention happened through the research and creation of the flashcards.

Wiggly Litchi · Apr 14, 2018

I couldn't agree more.
If you're particularly computer saavy, I'd learn to make your cards electronically.
If you check out my pharmacology cards, you might be surprised at how little time it actually took me to make them (as well as ones I made with the same template for physiology and microbiology).
Half the learning and retention happened through the research and creation of the flashcards.

Yesyesyes!!

I love electronic flashcards because you can use them at anytime - I like quizlet since I can make them on my pc and then access them on my phone :)

A lot of my students have tried to use premade sets, then complain when they get bad test grades - the sets often don't pertain to their class (each teacher has their own way of covering the material), and you lose a lot of immersion time if you aren't engaged in the material and making those cards yourself.