making a list...

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Hey!

So I'm starting nursing school in the Fall and I'm trying to come up with a list of things to be done before hand.....

So far I have

  • Buy books & review them at least a month early
  • Get personal life organized, car payments, bills, lots of cleaning, so I don't have to later
  • Get some meals pre-made and frozen lol
  • protein bars
  • Buy an extra uniform for clinicals

and then I started thinking about school supplies and study techniques

  • Notebooks
  • laptop
  • endless supply of flash cards
  • highlighters/pens/pencils
  • review books? dont know which ones to use throughout the semester

so what would you guys recommend? what should get done before and how did you guys prepare?

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.

Do some meal planning, and think about things you can carry to school and clinicals. Find out if there's a microwave at school (this makes a difference!). When I cook dinners, I make huge portions and portion some out for meals and freeze a few. Your crock pot can be your friend here, too.

Some people like Saunder's NCLEX book (I can't remember the exact title) for review during school. I've heard this from a few people, but can't attest to it myself. I found that there was so much reading to be done that adding additional books would have just been even more overwhelming. Don't overdo it on the supplies until you find you need certain things. I'm a note card person, too, so yes, stock up. I also like those little Post It tabs for marking pages for review or whatever. I would tab the chapters of my textbook before open book exams (some were open book) so I could reference things easily, and if there were graphics or other specific sections I knew I'd want to access, I marked those as well.

Laptop, YES. It's my only computer, and I love being able to take my course notes on it, take it to Starbucks and the library to study, etc.

Only other thing I can think of is a hard folder or clipboard for clinicals. You'll want something you can easily carry with you and write on for receiving report. I like having one that closes so that patient info is covered. Mine is a hard folder with a pocket on the inside and a pad of paper on the other side. I like being able to tuck away the papers for my patients, and stick the one I'm working with on top with the folder closed. I also keep a copy of the NANDA nursing diagnoses and misc notes that I use frequently (like glucose protocols, FLACC score, what to have ready for a post-op pt, MD lab value diagrams, etc for postpartum). You'll accumulate these over your time in clinicals- don't go printing them out now until you know what YOU need. I have had SO many nurses and fellow students ask where I purchased my folder!

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Specializes in Neuroscience.

Buying an extra uniform for clinical is great. Get it in the next size up ;) If you don't have a laserjet printer, I would suggest it. You will save money in the long run between inket cost and laserjet toner. Don't forget a stethoscope and a pen light.

Congrats on getting accepted!

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I have had SO many nurses and fellow students ask where I purchased my folder!

I was originally thinking about a note pad or folder to carry around for clinicals, but I don't know why a clipboard escaped my mind! i have seen some too, some have like a storage thing built in, others calculators on top, and notes/cheat sheets of sorts printed on the back.

which one do you recommend, and where did you buy yours?

and definitely going to have extra scrubs, cant do laundry everyday and im a clutz as it is, and im pretty sure clinicals are going to be messy lol

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also what stethoscopes do you recommend starting out with?

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.
I was originally thinking about a note pad or folder to carry around for clinicals, but I don't know why a clipboard escaped my mind! i have seen some too, some have like a storage thing built in, others calculators on top, and notes/cheat sheets of sorts printed on the back.

which one do you recommend, and where did you buy yours?

and definitely going to have extra scrubs, cant do laundry everyday and im a clutz as it is, and im pretty sure clinicals are going to be messy lol

I bought my folder at the campus bookstore. This one on Amazon is very similar to what I have:

Amazon.com : Samsill 70810 Professional Pad Holder, Storage Pockets/Card Slots, Writing Pad, Black : Planning Pads : Office Products

I don't find there's any use for a calculator, and these days, many (NOT ALL) professors realize we have Epocrates and calculators on our phones and allow us to carry them in clinicals for these reasons (so long as we don't abuse them, of course!). I like the pocket inside my folder for storage (as I described), and being able to keep my own cheat sheets in it. Mine also has a clear pocket on the front and back, so if I wanted to store a cheat sheet or photos or whatever there, I could (and may as I get into my nursing practice).

Definitely more than one set of scrubs! I bought one set for each day of the week I was in clinicals (in our case, two). Clinicals aren't generally TOO messy, but after working with patients on contact precautions all day, you don't want to wear those things back to back!

Stethoscopes- go with Littmann. They're not the cheapest, but they are, by far, the best. It'll carry you through school and well into your nursing practice. I don't know how people can hear ANYTHING on other stethoscopes, and I've used quite a variety over the years. Pretty much any model of Littmann will do, I like the Master Classic, but I see a lot of people with the Classic.

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I personally use a binder with dividers. I found that it was much easier to organize my pts and odds and ends this way. Most of the nurses at the hospitals I did clinical at used them too and I will continue to use one. I personally love my Cardiology III from Littmann.

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Make some HEAVY documentation of all your vaccination records. As a 28 year old, it was a pain to try and find all of my records. I was literally in my parent's attic looking for a crumpled, yellow piece of paper with a baby bear on it to prove that I had my MMR in 1985.

Now that I'm taken care of, I have everything I need (and some photocopies of it) in a folder.

You'll definitely need it all again, come time for employment.

Also, I would suggest a small planner with a monthly calendar. Write your important dates in it...it just fills a need that a smartphone can't. I like being able to flip to an entire month, instead of clicking through my phone.

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Also, keep a folder for your certifications and stuff like that. CPR (a photocopy), receipts from getting your fingerprint and background check, drug screenings, etc...

You just never know! And put a alarm-memo in your phone when it comes time to renew those things. They tend to creep up you!

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only 7 weeks left!

i can't believe how time has flown... and still so much more to do

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Specializes in ICU/ Surgery/ Nursing Education.

If you have time search Nurse Nacole on youtube, she has a great deal of information about what to bring to class and to clinicals. She also talks about taking notes and a bunch of other valuable information. I wish I had found her early in my educational career..

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I'm in your shoes, starting NS next month. OMG, next month, already!?!?!

I decided to go ahead and get all my medical stuff out of the way for the next few months (dental cleaning, stock up on meds if you take them, GYN appt if you're female, etc.)

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