Nursing School Must Haves??

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I am potentially starting Nursing school Fall2010 (God willing) and was wondering what are essentials that you all have that you would reccomend to others?? Things for organization, or whatever...Thanks!! :)

Specializes in IMCU.
We had an equipment list, including a stethoscope, that we were responsible for having by the first day of lab. They didn't let us try different kinds of scrubs or laptops in lab before we bought them either. As adults, we were left to do research on the equipment that best met our needs.

Um...OK. I wasn't suggesting anyone get nannied.

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Specializes in IMCU.

Oh another must have -- a seriously good antiperspirant. No joke. Any decent length of time spent in all that isolation gear...not pleasant. Also, I really underestimated how warm patients keep their rooms when sick -- of course it makes sense now.

And not one that is heavily perfumed...

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.
Oh another must have -- a seriously good antiperspirant. No joke. Any decent length of time spent in all that isolation gear...not pleasant. Also, I really underestimated how warm patients keep their rooms when sick -- of course it makes sense now.

And not one that is heavily perfumed...

Botox. Seriously, best thing ever.

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Specializes in ER, progressive care.

* coffee pot

* some strong coffee (sometimes brewed at double or triple strength!)

* lots of travel mugs. you won't have the opportunity to do the dishes all of the time, you know!

* ibuprofen/acetaminophen for all of those headaches!

* a good planner - organization is key in nursing school!

* i also agree with sticky notes - i love them!

* lots of folders/binders for notes/paper

* lots of black clicky pens (don't have to worry about those lids) - and black is the only acceptable ink color on charts - so do away with blue/red/whatever other colors.

* highlighters! I highlight A LOT and like to color code my notes...I guess I'm somewhat anal-retentive when it comes to that :rolleyes:

* recorders for lectures are nice, that way you can also listen to them again in your own time - just make sure it's okay with your instructor before you record them! One of my instructors threatened to sue if she caught anyone recording in her class!

* flashcards!!! buy these in bulk if you have to :lol2:

* a good watch with a second hand - it can either be a traditional one with a sweeping second hand or a digital one that shows the seconds. Make sure it's waterproof!

* A GOOD STETHOSCOPE!!! I cannot stress this enough - don't buy a cheap crappy $20 one, you won't hear much and you will just end up spending more money on another one, again and again. I suggest buying a decent stethoscope right off the bat. I highly recommend a Littmann stethoscope - I would get the Classic II S.E. as a minimum. The Lightweight seems like a good deal because it's cheaper and lighter around the neck but every nurse that I have talked to that has one says it sucks and they wish they bought something different. I have a Classic II and it's great! Definitely worth the money. I also highly recommend getting some sort of name tag for it and never letting it leave your sight because unfortunately those scopes tend to grow legs and disappear :(

Later down the road you can upgrade like I did because I'm so close to being done and I wanted a better stethoscope for my precepting rotation (I am precepting in the ICU)...I recently bought a Littmann Cardiology III for $159.99 - they usually run for $200+ (I got a nice discount from my job :)) but for nursing school purposes, I would suggest the Littmann Classic II S.E.. Shop around for prices - Allheart (Uniforms - Nursing Scrubs, Nursing Uniforms & Medical Scrubs - Allheart) seems cheap but they kill you with the S&H charges. Look on different websites for prices as well as in medical supply stores in your area.

* some sort of Post-It flags or something

* if you can afford one, an iPod Touch is nice - there are a lot of useful medical apps out there! You can make do without one, though.

* comfy shoes! I have a pair of white Crocs Specialist - Crocsâ„¢ Specialist | Crocs, Inc. - very comfy and no holes!!! I always wear the backstrap in the front so that I can just sleep these on but your foot also stays inside the shoe despite not having a fully-closed heel. My only gripe about these is that they aren't slip resistant - they have the Crocs Bistro (same exact style) with a slip-resistant sole for $10 more.

* a storage clipboard. I bought one at Walmart for like $10. It has a calculator by clip side that i can easily access if I need it for dosage calculations...and the clipboard opens up so I can store all of my papers and other clinical junk inside :)

* penlight

* bandage scissors

* hemostat - you never know!

As for books:

* a good NCLEX-RN review book. I highly recommend Saunder's or Pearson Prentice Hall Reviews & Rationales NCLEX-RN book - they are both excellent!

* have a good drug guide before you get into the program - Lippincott's Drug Guide or Davis' Drug Guide are really good ones.

* a good nursing diagnosis book.

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Specializes in SDU, Tele.

If you guys want coffee to wake you up in the morning, I suggest you ditch the watered-down American coffee and get some good ol' Cuban expresso!! It's awesome!!! You will never go back to Folgers or whatever it's called.

Java Cabana: Pilon Blends

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Regarding the nclex book, do you guys recommend owning two nclex books for school? I already bought a Saunders and I was thinking about buying another used one.. either Kaplan NCLEX or Prentice Hall but I don't know which one will be more beneficial for nursing school? Any ideas?

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I highly recommend the Made Incredibly easy NCLEX questions with rational book. though i have saunders and kaplan

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Specializes in ER, progressive care.
If you guys want coffee to wake you up in the morning, I suggest you ditch the watered-down American coffee and get some good ol' Cuban expresso!! It's awesome!!! You will never go back to Folgers or whatever it's called.

Java Cabana: Pilon Blends

Ahhhh thanks for the suggestion! Sometimes double or triple-brewing my coffee just isn't enough :lol2:

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Specializes in ER, progressive care.
Regarding the nclex book, do you guys recommend owning two nclex books for school? I already bought a Saunders and I was thinking about buying another used one.. either Kaplan NCLEX or Prentice Hall but I don't know which one will be more beneficial for nursing school? Any ideas?

Definitely the Prentice Hall one. I originally bought the Saunders one and I received the Prentice Hall one as a gift. I don't think you HAVE to have two NCLEX books for school but there definitely is no disadvantage to owning two.

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Specializes in SDU, Tele.
Ahhhh thanks for the suggestion! Sometimes double or triple-brewing my coffee just isn't enough :lol2:

It's a bit strong for those who have never tried it. So I suggest go veryyy slow and work your way up, LOL. I've been drinking it since I was 3 and we make it twice a day in my home. I think we are addicts... :D Needless to say, we all go to sleep at 2a.m. (And I have to make myself go to sleep most of the time LOL!)

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A lot of you speak of the skyscape and PDA grants. Do you know how your school got the grants? Or how a school could go about getting a grant???? Thanks

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I would get a wheeled bag for books and whatever else. Our first term had so many books that no one wanted to carry those around. Everyone went out and got one with wheels.

A planner, you will need it to keep everything straight.

I'd also be familiar with studystack.com early. It allows you to imput your notes as you wish so that you can study and helped me a great deal.

Lastly, a life-time supply of Mt. Dew, it got me through. :)

You could also get a better stethoscope if you wanted. The one they gave me was dreadful.

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