How To Prepare for Last Semester Nursing

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As a student in a ADN program that just passed 3rd semester, I'd like to get an early start on next semester to help the transition.

What do you think I can do right now in this month left prior to the last semester to prepare me to do well?

It's interesting I've had a really tough time finding the answer out to this question.

I have been reviewing my Saunder's NCLEX book, looking at EKG's, etc. Focusing currently on cardiac.

Thoughts?

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Wait until you get your syllabus for the last set of classes. Get ahead on any papers you're assigned and try to get a jump on whatever NCLEX prep they give you to do. Look at the topics being covered and do some of the reading.

I stressed myself out on my last winter break of nursing school attempting to teach myself to interpret EKG's. I got nowhere with it and had a week long class upon being hired that taught me everything I ever needed to know about strip interpretation. Just goes to show I should have trusted the process!

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Wait until you get your syllabus for the last set of classes. Get ahead on any papers you're assigned and try to get a jump on whatever NCLEX prep they give you to do. Look at the topics being covered and do some of the reading.

I stressed myself out on my last winter break of nursing school attempting to teach myself to interpret EKG's. I got nowhere with it and had a week long class upon being hired that taught me everything I ever needed to know about strip interpretation. Just goes to show I should have trusted the process!

I'm not a big fan of the process at our program. I learn better in my own way. I already have EKGs down since my last post.

I have a month to prepare and put me ahead of the game, but I'm not sure what exactly to focus on.

The syllabus isn't available for another month. I'm trying to get ahead of the game to put myself in the best position I can as I have to continue to manage a full-time job along with finishing out school.

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Specializes in LTC.

What clinicals will you be in? Do you know? I know each program is different, but in ours, we made a huge jump to critical care in our final semester. My first patient was on "arctic sun" treatment, just about every tube and line and med you can think of (ha, or so it felt at the time). I was like a deer in headlights ~ yes, confirmed by my nurse at the time. :)

I'm all done with school now, and jumped right into Uworld for NCLEX. I am finding it really (REALLY) helpful, and wish I'd have had time to start it sooner. It's addictive for me -- I am plowing through those questions and rationales. If you can afford an extended subscription, I say go for it now. It is 100% money well-spent, IMO. It will expose you to all sorts of things they just don't have time to cover in class or clinicals with every person. And also get you thinking more like a nurse, bringing all of the things you've learned together in one place, where you have to make real decisions using that knowledge. I have a love of learning and I want to understand "ALL of the things" ... so for me, it's like the best Christmas present ever to have that available at my fingertips whenever I am ready to sit down & do questions. It will help you sort out gaps in knowledge and you will know where to focus, for sure.

Best wishes!

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Specializes in Critical Care.
I'm not a big fan of the process at our program. I learn better in my own way. I already have EKGs down since my last post.

I have a month to prepare and put me ahead of the game, but I'm not sure what exactly to focus on.

The syllabus isn't available for another month. I'm trying to get ahead of the game to put myself in the best position I can as I have to continue to manage a full-time job along with finishing out school.

Unfortunately, each program is different and you won't know what topics your program will focus on until you have the syllabus.

If it helps at all, I can tell you the most useful topics covered in my last semester, which were liver failure and shock. Understanding liver failure in particular has really helped me. The liver is a really complex organ and causes a complex cascade of problems when it fails. It took me FOREVER to understand all of it and I'm glad I took the time to do so during school because I have had to care for a lot of liver failure patients on the job! Shock was also helpful to have a good grasp on, but I'd recommend that anyone brush up on liver stuff!

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Appreciate the responses, and I'll look into both recommendations.

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If your last semester is critical care: interpreting ABGS and treatments, heart failure, respiratory failure, hemodynamics, most common emergency/ critical meds, and all the emergent presentations in your medsurg book. There's a highly recommended book entitled, The ICU Book by Marino. Take a look at the table of contents in Amazon to get a look at the critical care topics covered.

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Will have to check out the ICU book you stated as this is the area I'd like to focus on when I get out.

Appreciate the responses.

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