Just bought my textbooks - a mini-grumbling session

[NightNerd]

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.

[luvnlfe,LMT]

Buying all used (when available from Amazon) will still cost me 565 dollars for 3 classes. Microbiology, Health and Wellness, and Pathophysiology

[missnurse01, MSN, RN]

I like to check dealoz and craigslist

[truckinusa, BSN, LPN, RN]

I find digital copies of most textbooks free. I couldnt justify wasting taxpayer money on such ripoffs. I like having every book on a tablet though.

[duckyluck111]

If you're wondering what is in the "kit", it's going to be a lot of different kinds of syringes, wound dressing kits, foley catheter kits, IV bags and tubing, lots of gloves, alcohol wipes and all that other fun stuff you're going to practice with. Expect to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $50-$100. There's just no getting around it, nursing school is an expensive proposition. Hopefully it will pay off for you.

[KJM-RN, BSN]

If you're wondering what is in the "kit" it's going to be a lot of different kinds of syringes, wound dressing kits, foley catheter kits, IV bags and tubing, lots of gloves, alcohol wipes and all that other fun stuff you're going to practice with. Expect to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $50-$100. There's just no getting around it, nursing school is an expensive proposition. Hopefully it will pay off for you.[/quote']

Wow they make you purchase that kind of stuff!?!? We didn't need to purchase anything like that, but we reused stuff in the labs. So instead of each person opening up a new sterile kit, we would reuse the same one by putting everything back into the kit the way it was found. Obviously this was lab and it was being used on dummies. Glad I didn't have to make that purchase, since textbooks are so expensive.

I agree with others that say first semester is most expensive though, certainly was for me.

[rob4546, ADN, BSN, MSN]

I know it sucks buying the kit but it does come in handy. As for reusing the supplies, yes you will and you will want your own. There were 24 in our class and if we all had to reuse the same foley kit it would have looked awful really quick. I think the idea is that everyone starts out with their own and then we reuse them ourselves over and over for practice. I think I used my foley kit nearly 15 times before I finally trashed it. All our gloves and alcohol prep pads were supplied for us. In the second semester you will need sterile needles and IV start kits cause we had to practice on each other, not plastic dummies... Ohhhh, fun times!!!

[nekozuki, LPN]

Ugh, and editions update so fast you can barely resell before they are irrelevent! What's worse is that many courses now require you to have online access, so any used book doesn't include a new activation code! My wallet weeps!

[rubato, ASN, RN]

The cost of nursing school books is ridiculous. And, you don't use a lot of them. But, I LOVE my med/surg, pathophys, and drug guides. As for the weight, I dismantled my big med/surg book. I 3-hole punched it and put it in a 2 inch binder. I just bring the parts I need. Saved my back big time.

[happyhousewife]

Where do you look to find free digital copies of textbooks? I've always had to buy them electronically and they STILL seem to be quite expensive (Biochem $150).

[hunnybunches]

As for the weight I dismantled my big med/surg book. I 3-hole punched it and put it in a 2 inch binder. I just bring the parts I need. Saved my back big time.[/quote']

This. Is. GENUIS!!!!

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

In the future, buy textbooks online at a site like half.com and then sell them back when you're done with them. You can more or less break even. I even made some money off a few books in school.

[Chilled1121, BSN]

I rented my pre req books except for my anatomy stuff as I heard they will be useful for med surg. However, we reuse a lot of our text books so it would be too much trouble for me and more costly to rent the same books each semester.

They give use new supplies to use so luckily we don't have to buy our stuff in kits.

I never buy from the book store because I found amazon is at least 30 cheaper and that is just for new books. Prime membership gives you two day free shipping too!

Good luck in school!