hi and congrats to all of us! i made this thread so we could all exhange info for out ft cohort. that way we won't get mixed up with the other p/timers and ao track! congrats to them too!
for those who are just tuning in:
our orientation is july 18th, the ati assessment is july 19. mark your calendars!
we do need to get titers for 2 tb's, mmr, varicella and hep b is highly suggested! i think hep a too!
the program is 4 semesters. we graduate in december 2012!!!!!!:yeah:
we have to turn in all our paper work for orientation, which includes our drug screen, health record, background check(i think they receive this from the actually company though)
make your ati account!!! atitesting.com
what i have left to do:
get my drug screen and 2nd tb! should go tomorrow.
uhhh all my titers actually
my unform--although i've already gotten my skirt for clinicals (don't wear pants), i don't have the top or lab coat!!!
get my books-- i've gotten supplementals like an nclex book and stuff but not the actual texts.
what i have done to get ready:
i am going on a diet! healthy meals all day! i don't want to gain 10+ lbs--don't like the idea of being an unhealthy nurse lol
going over some, but not all a&p--mostly bones, muscles, heart, endocrine, and stuff like that.
cleaning out my room to make more space.
i got an extra desk--its big and spacious for those late night study sessions. i have another one but its small. mostly for the computer. but it has lots of shelves for my "enjoyment books".
i am cleaning my shelves(i have lots) and organizing the books by subject (anatomy, physio, patho, bio, chemistry, dictionaries, etc) and as time goes by, i'll put the nursing books as follows: (fundamentals, health assessments, pharmacology, patho, medsurge, specialties, references/dictionaries, review books)
i'm cleaning my filing cabinet out but i am making copies of all my important documents, including my health record incase mdc loses it, lol. so i'll have files for my health docs, extra copies of my other valuable docs(house docs, car docs, insurance etc), and drug screen results. i'm also going to keep file of my ap notes. this is all for simplicity!!!
i'm going to buy those under-bed storage bins to store my extras-- extra back packs, extra office supplies, and my sewing supplies(yes i love crafts)
make sure my dental appointments and my dog's shots are up to date!!!
i printed a ton of "grocery list/menu planner" sheets. i am going to put it on a magnetic clipboard and put it on my white board. every week or month i am going to pick out a day just for meal planning and grocery shopping. i am going to work it out so that the first semester i only have to go shopping twice a month. most of my meals, if they turn out alright lol, will be freezer meals.
i think i need to buy a mini freezer lol
i'm going to do all my fun stuff before school starts. i want to go to the zoo and see some museums and other geeky stuff with my mum. might not be able to for a while
what other misc stuff are you doing to organize your life? i *love* organizing :redbeathe any tips would be great!!!!!can't wait :redbeathe:eek::rolleyes::clown:
What do you think of the idea that we all try to get the same flashcard app so that we can share back and forth between us? That way we wouldn't have to create them all on our own, but can share files among us.
That is a great idea. I am actually not that tech savvy and was checking out some more flashcard apps today. I almost went crazy because each one has different controls, glitches, protocols, etc. That site FlashcardExchange seems to have the biggest database of shared decks - but many are total garbage. I've checked in there before for material from textbooks (like my Human Development class) and couldn't use any of the stuff.
Learning is so individualized and some people learn better with a question phrased one way, while others like a sentence with a word left out, etc. When I found that medical abbreviation list, I was happy because that one is pretty straightforward (no multiple ways to phrase it). But still you have to double check because even in that file I linked to, there were a few typos (gastronomy instead of gastrostomy, etc).
It also depends on the teacher. When a teacher gives multiple choice tests and uses exact wording or definitions out of the text or some handout - that is the best for flashcards. Because you can sort of ingrain a visual reaction to certain exact word patterns. So as the semester proceeds, we can post in here links to whatever we create in FlashcardExchange, Quizlet, Google Spreadsheet, etc.
BTW, don't be fooled into thinking I'm a studious person from any of my comments. I tend to get sidetracked on trivia and stuff without actually getting anything done. Like when I was double-checking those abbreviation flashcards (not studying them), I just spent about 3 hours trying to figure out how to make the subscript in
D5W, then went on a tangent reading about why "centigrade" is no longer used (now Celsius), they why it's now "mL" instead of "ml", where the Rx symbol came from ... ad nauseum (I had about 8 browser windows open). I need to break that habit or I will never be able to keep up this semester.
Can we put FlashcardExchange on our ipods? I saw one that is ipod specific - Flashcard Touch on iTunes.
Flashcard Touch looks pretty cool. I had not seen that one yet and will check it out. They show in
creating a card while using the iPod (which most of the apps can do). But if you make a significant number of cards, it's a lot easier to create them using a regular keyboard and then synch to the PDA (Flashcard Touch synchs to Quizlet).
You could conceivably use FlashcardExchange from Safari in the iPod if you are near wifi (see HERE). But it's really a web-based program, so you can more easily create the flashcards using a laptop, PC, or Mac. Once you create the cards, then you can practice them on your computer directly at FlashcardExchange or synch them to your iPod, Android, Palm, iPhone, etc. (see HERE)
When you are checking out the many flashcard apps on iTunes, you will see that most synch to FlashcardExchange, Quizlet, or some other website. So you can create all your card sets there and then import (so you use the flashcards from the app and not have to have wifi as you would with Safari). In addition, some programs like Anki (both Windows and Mac compatible) or Mental Case (only Mac) have an actual program (app?) you download and can run on your computer and also have an iTunes app.
It gets kind of crazy because there are so many choices out there. I was going to switch to Flashcards Deluxe, because it has pretty much the highest user ratings on iTunes. But I got tired of trying to learn the new commands, so I will probably just stick with Mental Case. If anyone can share some tips on these apps or hear which is best, please post. :)
I'm writing as a graduate from MDC.. I remember being in your shoes, freaking out about the first days of nursing school, what to expect, what to wear etc. And I loved to see what other MDC nursing students had to say. So i'll share some of my experience/advice
1. Buy the Success-Reviews & rationale books. They have them for most of the classes like.. Fundamentals Sucess Reviews & Rationales etc. You can get them at the bookstore, but of course amazon.com is always cheaper. This is how most of us survived nursing school. Because in reality, you'll never be able to finish all the reading assignments and even if you do, it serves as a good review.
2. Throughout nursing school, PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE nursing nclex questions from books/cds anywhere really. This is a good way to study for tests because the questions will be a very different format than you expect and you have to think about the future, it will prepare you for NCLEX
3. As far as electronics.. I never carried a PDA or Iphone or anything high tech like that.. But i know a lot of my classmates did and they have their drug guide and things like that. I can definitely see that it helped them and it was helpful, but i opted for a drug guide book under my arm and flipped through pages when I was at clinicals & didn't know what drug i was about to give. I think it might have actually helped me learn the drugs better. (pharm sucks)
and in skills labs or health assessment, recording your group performing the skills is a good tip. First write down all the steps of what you have to do, then perform it in class and have someone record it. Share it with your classmates & memorize. That is the way to go through the course.
4. I suggest standing out in clinicals.. Especially towards the end of nursing school in your last 2 clinicals. I don't mean be overly annoying and such but do a good job, be helpful, do things even if they are gross or "are not a nurses job". It would be great to have a job waiting for you when you graduate because you stood out in clinicals.
5. my last piece of advice.. is that regardless of all the stress youre going to undergo, all the battles with professors for being unfair, arguing with the school in general for the inconsistencies and WRONG it can do sometimes, keep your head high and don't be discouraged. You can make it through the program, it is doable but YOU have to put all your effort, even if a teacher is throwing things at you that you KNOW is not right.
If anyone has questions, I would gladly answer! And good luck!
1. Everyone deals with stress differently, so you just have to find your ways. Me, I always made time to do something for myself and to spend time with my loved ones. I designated some time to have a relief. Also, I made really great friends in nursing school and leaning on their shoulders expressing how I felt helped, since they knew exactly how I felt. Just remember to take it easy, many people get burnt out. Oh yea, and nursing buddies and I did a lot of celebrating for little achievements! And made studying into a fun event. It helps!
And about sleep...well I value my sleep, so I made myself a schedule and always made sure I got enough sleep. Its up to you to make the time. I know staying up til 7am studying for a test that's at 8am wouldn't work for me (though I know many people who did it) I did really well in the program, and I can advise you, the night before any test--- SLEEP. Cramming won't help.
2. You have maybe 2 weeks or so between semesters, I believe? And during that time you should definitely take the time to relax!! They will send you reading assignments, but in reality, even if you started the reading assignment before school started, you are going to be behind at some point.. So I just relaxed and gathered myself for another intense semester. Your body & mind NEEDS the relaxation, so take it.
3. I don't know exactly what type of traps youre talking about... if you clarify I would love to answer!
4. I'm interested in so many areas of nursing and thankfully this is a career you can move around... But I'm a geriatric nurse at heart. I'm currently on a new job hunt. You'll see that it will be harder than nursing school - at least here in Miami
5. I don't know if there is much of a difference in the med campus & homestead campus really. It's the same curriculum. However, I'd say in the med campus youre surrounded in a different environment, the campus is small and everyone there is in some type of medical field. People are a lot more mature and share similar aspirations. But other than different clinical sites and professors, there shouldn't be much of a difference.
@pixiemom:
Sorry! I don't know why I added the "success" part.. the link below is the one for fundamentals, but you'll see as you continue through the program that they have one for each of the major classes. I can say that for fundamentals, I focused only on this book. The big clunky fundies book was too much information, I just read it to fill in some gaps if needed, but my main focus was on this book.
Oh & I forgot to mention, buying the older version of books worked for me. I did it most of the time. Sometimes I would find the older version of books for like 10 dollars (or even less!) online and would compare it to my classmates and VERY MINIMAL was changed.. So if you wanna save money, this is the way to go.
Thanks again, boot2, for the quick response and you taking the time to help us in this way. I will get right on looking for a used copy of the books, although $25 isn't horrible for a nursing book either. The point is that I do get my hands on a copy! oh, and for Health Assessment as well, I guess.
I tend to get sidetracked on trivia and stuff without actually getting anything done. Like when I was double-checking those abbreviation flashcards (not studying them), I just spent about 3 hours trying to figure out how to make the subscript in 
pixiemom
172 Posts
What do you think of the idea that we all try to get the same flashcard app so that we can share back and forth between us? That way we wouldn't have to create them all on our own, but can share files among us.