New nursing student

PastNursingStudent · May 16, 2014

If your classes have ATI books and questions write those questions and answers in the note cards ahead of time or as you study chapter to chapter throughout the semester for you retain the information better without cramming to much towards the end of the semester. My program uses ATI test as one of the hurdles to pass the class.

grneyes908 · May 16, 2014

Great !!! I am not sure what books they are using -- I looked up the other classes in the program and they are not ATI books so I am not sure if there will be another one the professor will add or not-- I do know that after certain classes we have to take a ATI test an that is part of the grade,

Thank you for your reply. I was figuring that all meds, conditions and calculations will go but was not sure on what else

Mommy_RN1211 · May 16, 2014

Congratulations on getting in! I just finished my foundations semester going into mental health this summer.

It is hard to say exactly what you will need because everyone learns and studies differently. I also am a mom to an 18 month old and a wife. I work 24 hours a week and go to school full time. With all that being said it doesn't amount to the obligations you seem to have but none the less it is responsibilities we have. I made it a personal choice to not study at home because I did not want to take any time from my son so I studied while at work wed-friday and had classes/clinicals mon and tues. I also never studied on the weekends.

Nursing school in my opinion is not hard, its very time consuming in the sense that you have to reteach yourself how to study and think. It is process thinking vs memorizing. Critical thinking in terms of "What do you do first?" They all may be right but what is the first step...this takes critical thinking. I did not use notecards, didn't take notes in class. I used the teachers powerpoints and added things that were not already there. I did however to the best of my ability read the chapters assigned BEFORE lecture so the lecture was only a review for me.

I studied with a study group usually once a week which was really helpful. Keep it small..3-4 people max. Helps keep focus and control over the study session for the best results.

NCLEX questions help with teaching yourself how to test. The test questions are all based on critical thinking so it is good practice for the first test however after the 2nd test I began to get used to how the tests are formatted and did well from there.

With all that being said I ended with A in skills, B in clinicals, and C in skills (by a fraction of a point..grrr). So I did pass and am moving on. Rule of thumb, find what works for you and your family. I didn't feel extremely stress or deprived from my life like some say nursing school is all about but that is just me!

Good luck!

Guests · May 16, 2014

Download my pharmacology flashcards (google them, they're here on AN) and then copy one set, delete the content, and then use them as a template.

Also, there are some great flashcard apps for Android... I don't like Steve's world so I'm clueless but I'm sure that they're there.

They have the advantage of timed presentation so thta you don't waste time reviewing cards that you know.

Multiple planners is a little problematic IMO because important items might not be where you're looking... dump the paper in favor of a good app which syncs across all of your devices.

PastNursingStudent · May 16, 2014

For the medications, it will help tremendously if you group them. Such as Ibuprofen is part of the NSAID family. Each family/group has a similar mechanism or similar effects in how they work when you make the flashcards. This will save you in your pharm class in the long run.

RunBabyRN · May 16, 2014

I didn't care much for the questions at the end of the chapters in ATI. I kept all of my notecards that I created over the course of the program, and am going over them as I study for the NCLEX, as well as making new ones based on what I need to review at this point.

Like you, I help care for family with health issues, and I'm a mom and wife, so it's a big balancing act. You'll figure out your time management, and find that hospitalizations generally coincide with big papers and exams.

Meal planning helps a TON. Utilize your crock pot! Can the kids help prep meals?

Don't buy too much yet. See what you need as you need it, because you may find you need some things more than others, and that you have to tweak your study style some.

Google normal lab value ranges and start memorizing. You'll have to know them for the NCLEX, and for all of your nursing exams. Exact values may vary from book to book and hospital to hospital, but they'll be pretty close to one another, and you can adjust your note cards as needed. Pharm will likely be too overwhelming at this point. Until you get to understand the mechanisms of action and the disease processes, they won't make as much sense. Lab values are a really good thing to have down.

Look up:

CBC

CMP

PT/PTT/INR

ammonia

albumin

liver function test/liver enzymes

amylase

lipase

BUN

creatinine

CK

CKMB

urine specific gravity

ABGs

cholesterol (total, HDL, LDL, triglycerides)

therapeutic ranges of vancomycin (peak and trough), digoxin, and lithium.

That should keep you busy! LOL