I'll be a new student Jan '05. Any tips?

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Hello all,

I've just applied to college to start on my AS. January 2005 is a long way off, and I have quite a bit of time on my hands right now.

Can anyone recommend any good books or textbooks that I could pick up for "summer reading"? I'd love to get a head start on Nursing with some learning materials that are respected and not "out of date".

Any help is appreciated. Thank you so much!

MM

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I'll be a new student in the fall as well...(does a jig ) and I know I'll be brushing up on my Kreb Cycle because does it ever... REALLY sink in?

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Hello all,

I've just applied to college to start on my AS. January 2005 is a long way off, and I have quite a bit of time on my hands right now.

Can anyone recommend any good books or textbooks that I could pick up for "summer reading"? I'd love to get a head start on Nursing with some learning materials that are respected and not "out of date".

Any help is appreciated. Thank you so much!

MM

Although you might not consider it educational, I would recommend reading Echo Heron's "Intensive Care." I think it is the first of her books, and it chronicles her life thru nursing school up until the point in her career that she gets burned out. Very realistic view of nursing and based on her true experiences. :)

You might want to brush up on your A&P, also. Good luck!

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Specializes in ICU, cardiac.

Echo Heron's books are GREAT! she wrote a follow up to intensive care called Condition Critical. Another book by her is Tending Lives: Nurses on the Front. This has various stories from nurses all over the U.S including some from the Oklahoma City bombing. A few others include: MOsby's Tour guide to nursing school, majoring in nursing by Janet Katz and Life Support by Suzanne Gordon. Some of these are great resources about the realities of nursing school and others give you career advice after graduating. Another great one for real life stories is Chicken soup for the Nurse's Soul. Hope that these help. They sure did for me. Good luck in school. It's tough but oh so worth it in the end. Also, if you can get a part time job working in the hospital or a nursing home as a patient care aid that will help concrete a lot of the stuff you learn in school and help you feel more confident in your clinical skills. Plus the little bit of money you earn will help with school costs. Most places love to hire student nurses and are willing to work around your school schedule. Oops! I forgot one more book: HOw to survive and maybe even love nursing school. Very good book!

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Check out the student section here. There are LOADS of helpful threads on that forum. You will also find out that you will get TONS of help and empathy from others in your situation. It's an invaluable resource for students, really.

BTW, Congrats on your acceptance!!

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congrats on getting in. i am a fourth semester nursing student in an adn program in texas, so i know of a bunch of great books to help you out.

first, mosby's "fluid, electrolyte, and acid-base balance," by heitz and horne. you won't be able to make much sense of this one yet, but you'll thank me later. this was one of the hardest things for me to grasp. without this book i would have really had a hard time. next, get mosby's "medical, nursing, and allied health dictionary. i love this book. the pictures are great. i can't ever pick it up and just look at what i intended to look at without getting distracted by some disgusting/cool picture. you can learn a lot by reading a little extra now and then. i would also get a medical surgical nursing textbook and look it over. i would suggest getting on the internet and finding one that is a year or two old so you won't have to pay too much. if you buy a new one i'm sure there will be a newer edition out by the time you start school. save money while you can. you'll be eating "ketchup soup" when you start school! i saw that someone else already recommended kelli s. dunham's "how to survive and maybe even love nursing school." this book is great. it lists a bunch of web sites for you to check out and has a lot of good tips for before, during, and after nursing school. i really liked this one.

enjoy your free time while you have it. nursing school can be very demanding and you won't find much down time later on.

good luck!

hello all,

i've just applied to college to start on my as. january 2005 is a long way off, and i have quite a bit of time on my hands right now.

can anyone recommend any good books or textbooks that i could pick up for "summer reading"? i'd love to get a head start on nursing with some learning materials that are respected and not "out of date".

any help is appreciated. thank you so much!

mm

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Don't waste your Summer or time before class.

If you can get a hold of any books you will be using in advance, like a health assessment book, read it cover to cover and find someone to practice on as you will learn by practice.

Also, get organized as successful people seem to be organized. Also when you do arrive at class get with a cohesive group to study with. You each bring a different perspective and what one person has trouble with another person may find incredibly easy.

Go to class and enjoy learing for learning's sake. Listen to the instructors as what they say may (or most likely-will) be on the test(s). Good luck and I'm right in there with you.

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