Just bought my textbooks - a mini-grumbling session

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Specializes in CMSRN, hospice.

I am starting my first nursing class in 2 weeks. Just spent almost $600 for the privilege of carrying three enormous textbooks on my back and barreling through them in 8 weeks. As I'm checking out, the cashier reminds me that our nursing student "kit" isn't ready yet so I'll have to come back and buy that too.

What in the world could possibly be left for us to buy??? I already have the stethoscope, BP cuff, bandage scissors, penlight, black pens, notepad, uniforms, and everything else we were told to buy.

Learning is expensive. Necessary, yes, exciting, hell to the yes, but very, very expensive. Just had to throw that out there.

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On the bright side any testing costs or anything extra that's $50 or less will seem like PENNIES!!!!

(Aka: HESI code, exam soft access, extra gloves, extra scrubs, etc)

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hell to the yes.

When I saw your avatar pic I thought "I will probably like this person", when I read those 3 words it was confirmed. Haha.

I feel your pain though. On top of what we had to buy, I'm still buying "recommended" books and supplements. But hey, better a couple hundred dollars than a few thousand. *shoulder shrug*

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Jess: you're a "glass half full" kind of person huh. :) Hahaha. Love the optimism!

I'm really, really hoping that I don't have anymore surprises. We're suppose to use ATI to test but hopefully that was just a one time payment. *fingers crossed*

I'm not even looking forward to the $300 for NCLEX. I'm already saving my pennies.. Hahaha.

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haha! I guess you can say that. But at the same time (sticking with my outlook!) you'll have a well paying job once you are all said and done.

So, while everyone else is paying thousands of dollars back in loans for a degree in something they end up not using, you'll make all that $ back in no time with a secure job.

Jus' sayin.

They do say the first semester is the most expensive tho! :)

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I'm graduating this semester and let me tell you something, don't waste your money on textbooks - RENT!!! I like Chegg.com a lot and have nothing but great experiences with them for years.

The only books you should be BUYING are NCLEX question books, maybe a couple of the Nursing Made Incredibly Easy or Reviews and Rationales books. You'll find the text books are VERY dense. They're fine for class because your Prof is going to be testing you on specific things, but aside from that, you just need to know the basics for the NCLEX and for reference. I really like the Reviews and Rationales books... get the Fluid & Electrolyte Balance one - that one really helped me a lot. Each of these books is like $40, by the way.... and when you graduate, pay for a Kaplan NCLEX review course or something.

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I'm graduating this semester and let me tell you something, don't waste your money on textbooks - RENT!!! I like Chegg.com a lot and have nothing but great experiences with them for years.

The only books you should be BUYING are NCLEX question books, maybe a couple of the Nursing Made Incredibly Easy or Reviews and Rationales books. You'll find the text books are VERY dense. They're fine for class because your Prof is going to be testing you on specific things, but aside from that, you just need to know the basics for the NCLEX and for reference. I really like the Reviews and Rationales books... get the Fluid & Electrolyte Balance one - that one really helped me a lot. Each of these books is like $40, by the way.... and when you graduate, pay for a Kaplan NCLEX review course or something.

I guess it depends on your program, because I wouldn't rent nursing books. We used most of ours throughout the entire program.

Cara, I feel your pain, my first semesters' books were $1150, the second semester another $400, and the third and fourth semesters we just used the first and second semester books. I'm doing RN to BSN and my books for the summer, non-nursing classes, are $300. I don't like to rent because I always find that I need to come back and reference and re-educate.

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So true. *sigh* Over $1000 spent on textbooks alone. Nursing school is ​expensive.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
I'm graduating this semester and let me tell you something, don't waste your money on textbooks - RENT!!! I like Chegg.com a lot and have nothing but great experiences with them for years.

The only books you should be BUYING are NCLEX question books, maybe a couple of the Nursing Made Incredibly Easy or Reviews and Rationales books. You'll find the text books are VERY dense. They're fine for class because your Prof is going to be testing you on specific things, but aside from that, you just need to know the basics for the NCLEX and for reference. I really like the Reviews and Rationales books... get the Fluid & Electrolyte Balance one - that one really helped me a lot. Each of these books is like $40, by the way.... and when you graduate, pay for a Kaplan NCLEX review course or something.

^Agree....moving forward future nurses, RENT your books and pay for supplemental reference books...they help you more towards understanding the material and supplemental to application during clinicals, the NCLEX and your career.

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I just calculated what I have spent and what i am intending to have to spend in future classes and it is somewhere along the lines of $3,000 in books alone.

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I just calculated what I have spent and what i am intending to have to spend in future classes and it is somewhere along the lines of $3,000 in books alone.

Oh my..

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Specializes in psych/dementia.

I buy from amazon.com It saves me a LOT of money.

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