when should I start studying

[Futurenurse..2010]

I know that this sounds insane but....I'm starting an accelerated program in June and have some time on my hands. I bought the Saunders review book and Mosby study cards....will I be messing my self up by starting to go over some of this stuff now with out any nursing classes. I'm guessing that it couldn't hurt or do people think going over this stuff out of context will ultimately undermine my sucess.

One book said that you have to memorize normal lab values.... which in my anxiousness to move forward I've started to do. So....I now know that the normal range for creatine is .6 to1.5 mg/dl but what the hell is creatine...did I learn this in Anatomy and Physiology?

Any advice?

[suzanne4, RN]

Please, please do not start one thing in preparation for the NCLEX exam, you have not even started to study yet and this is going to make it harder on you. The exam will focus on what you have learned in school and how you are going to appy it.

Would actuallly recommend that you do not even look at a thing specific to preparation for the exam until a year from now at the earliesrt. You are going to have some much information that you need to focus on just to be able to remain in your program. That should be your first priority, and then everything will fall into place.

And I am sure that there will be changes made to something by the time that you are ready to test. The Saunder's book is great if you have questions while you are in school, but trying to use it to get a jump on the exam is not a smart idea to be considering at this time. No matter how much time that you have available.

Best of luck to you.

And if you have the time now, just take it for you.

While you are in your program, it is not going to be there.

[caliotter3]

If you really want to work on something then practice med calculation and math problems if you know that your program will be giving you periodic tests that must be passed in order to remain in the program. Several people have had to go back and reapply or have been dropped totally from the program because they did not pass these math tests. Good luck with nursing school.