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 Correctional & Rehab Nursing.

Saunders Comprehensive NCLEX review, Davis' Drug Guide for Nurses, lots of paper/folders/pens/highlighters/red bull etc

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I just googled Skyscape, its $89 right now from $200+, I bet they are coming out with a new edition. My school had a deal where I think it was like $150 or so. Epocrates is a good free app if you don't get skyscape. As far as organizational apps: Iprocrastinate and Ical.

I havent started yet so I'll just wait for the syscape. I just downloaded Iprocrastinate, its a great app for organizing assignments, whats Ical? I couldnt find it, is it Icalender?

Is this your first semester in NS?

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Saunders Comprehensive NCLEX review, Davis' Drug Guide for Nurses, lots of paper/folders/pens/highlighters/red bull etc

I unfortunately quit drinking redbull (thanks to reading "Skinny B***" read that book and it will turn you off anything that contains aspertame)

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Specializes in Correctional & Rehab Nursing.
I unfortunately quit drinking redbull (thanks to reading "Skinny B***" read that book and it will turn you off anything that contains aspertame)

Caffeine

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lol coffee actually makes me go to sleep....thats why I said I unfortunately stopped drinking redbull, thats the only thing that kept me energized :)

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

iCal is the native calendar on the iPhone/Mac.

I started NS last June and will be done this December.

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Specializes in SNU/SNF/MedSurg, SPCU Ortho/Neuro/Spine.

after all I came to the conclusion that all you need is a TABER's a drug book, a pen, pencil, eraser, marker, and TONS OF NCLEX QUESTIONS... all the others are fluff ups!!!!

i have medscape, skyscape, epocrates, 5 minutes assessments, lab books, rn notes bla bla bla and they are... pocket fillers!!!

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Specializes in Emergency, Critical Care (CEN, CCRN).

A few recommendations from a recently graduated accelerated-second-degree student:

* A dry-erase board large enough to chart a week's worth of assignments. (I got a 22x17" model for $17.99 at Target.) Post it in your room, kitchen, wherever you'll look at it on a daily basis. I split mine into Monday through Saturday and color-coded my schedule; tests, papers/projects and validations were red, classes were blue, clinicals were green and non-school events were black.

* A handheld computing device of some form (PDA, smartphone, whatever; I recommend a non-phone PDA so you don't run afoul of phone-leery instructors or staff, but whatever works for you.) If you don't already own such a device, check eBay or Craigslist for deals (you shouldn't have to spend more than $100 for the device, and a used Palm will probably run more like $50). You'll need a drug book and a clinical guide at a minimum. I used ePocrates Pro ($99/year subscription, I bought $189 for two years) and 5-Minute Clinical Consult ($54.99 one-time purchase from Skyscape). I also bought Saunders' NCLEX flashcards from Skyscape (see below). Skyscape has an absolute ton of reference texts you can buy, some for short subscriptions (IIRC there was a ridiculously cheap four-month option); I rotated which were on my device depending on which clinical I was in at that point.

* NCLEX flashcards. Our program director told us to buy a deck of flashcards at the start of the year and get in the habit of doing ten to fifteen every night. Over a year, that studying adds up and will put you in wonderful shape when it comes to taking the actual exam. I went the digital route with mine; since my Palm goes everywhere with me, I bought Saunders' NCLEX program from Skyscape and pulled it out whenever I had a few minutes to kill. In the time it takes you to play a hand of Solitaire, you can do four or five flashcards.

* Three-ring binders, at least one per class.

* Nursing diagnosis books. We were required to use Carpenito-Moyet for care plan reference, which we all thought was garbage (the book was not-so-affectionately called "Crapenito" in my cohort, and I learned from my mom and other nurses of her generation that it was every bit as hated in the 1970s as now :devil:). For actual care mapping, everyone used Ackley & Ladwig to build the plan and then found the necessary citations in Carpenito to support it.

* Your clinical clothing. Start surfing sites like AllHeart and Scrubs & Beyond now, and buy your stuff when it goes on sale. At a minimum, you'll need two sets of scrubs and a lab coat or warm-up jacket, pursuant to school policy. (I recommend three uniforms and two jackets, in case of disasters. Body substances have a special attraction for student whites, and I guarantee you'll utterly trash at least one set over your educational career.)

* Clinical tools. Again, start surfing for deals now so you're not caught short the weekend before clinicals start. You'll need at minimum a stethoscope, a penlight, a tape measure and bandage scissors. Whatever you do, don't cheap out on the stethoscope; the single-head "nurse's stethoscopes" you see in scrubs stores don't let you auscultate anything other than static. Get a Littmann (Classic II SE or Lightweight II SE, or single-sided Master Classic II) or an ADC (Adscope 602 or Lite 609, or single-sided Platinum 615). Depending on your school, you may have to get a blood pressure cuff as well; we did, and I sprung for a Baum, but anything reasonable will do. (Most hospitals have wall-mount or rolling cuffs you can use anyway.)

* A Facebook account. No, really, don't laugh; probably about a third of my cohort, myself included, never had Facebook before starting nursing school! We set up a group page to communicate study group times, exam questions, non-school information and the like, and it was a great networking tool. (Do cancel your games, though; I think Mafia Wars might've whacked more nascent nursing careers than the med-math exam...:eek:)

Hope this helps! Good luck! :up::up::up:

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A few recommendations from a recently graduated accelerated-second-degree student:

* A dry-erase board large enough to chart a week's worth of assignments. (I got a 22x17" model for $17.99 at Target.) Post it in your room, kitchen, wherever you'll look at it on a daily basis. I split mine into Monday through Saturday and color-coded my schedule; tests, papers/projects and validations were red, classes were blue, clinicals were green and non-school events were black.

* A handheld computing device of some form (PDA, smartphone, whatever; I recommend a non-phone PDA so you don't run afoul of phone-leery instructors or staff, but whatever works for you.) If you don't already own such a device, check eBay or Craigslist for deals (you shouldn't have to spend more than $100 for the device, and a used Palm will probably run more like $50). You'll need a drug book and a clinical guide at a minimum. I used ePocrates Pro ($99/year subscription, I bought $189 for two years) and 5-Minute Clinical Consult ($54.99 one-time purchase from Skyscape). I also bought Saunders' NCLEX flashcards from Skyscape (see below). Skyscape has an absolute ton of reference texts you can buy, some for short subscriptions (IIRC there was a ridiculously cheap four-month option); I rotated which were on my device depending on which clinical I was in at that point.

* NCLEX flashcards. Our program director told us to buy a deck of flashcards at the start of the year and get in the habit of doing ten to fifteen every night. Over a year, that studying adds up and will put you in wonderful shape when it comes to taking the actual exam. I went the digital route with mine; since my Palm goes everywhere with me, I bought Saunders' NCLEX program from Skyscape and pulled it out whenever I had a few minutes to kill. In the time it takes you to play a hand of Solitaire, you can do four or five flashcards.

* Three-ring binders, at least one per class.

* Nursing diagnosis books. We were required to use Carpenito-Moyet for care plan reference, which we all thought was garbage (the book was not-so-affectionately called "Crapenito" in my cohort, and I learned from my mom and other nurses of her generation that it was every bit as hated in the 1970s as now :devil:). For actual care mapping, everyone used Ackley & Ladwig to build the plan and then found the necessary citations in Carpenito to support it.

* Your clinical clothing. Start surfing sites like AllHeart and Scrubs & Beyond now, and buy your stuff when it goes on sale. At a minimum, you'll need two sets of scrubs and a lab coat or warm-up jacket, pursuant to school policy. (I recommend three uniforms and two jackets, in case of disasters. Body substances have a special attraction for student whites, and I guarantee you'll utterly trash at least one set over your educational career.)

* Clinical tools. Again, start surfing for deals now so you're not caught short the weekend before clinicals start. You'll need at minimum a stethoscope, a penlight, a tape measure and bandage scissors. Whatever you do, don't cheap out on the stethoscope; the single-head "nurse's stethoscopes" you see in scrubs stores don't let you auscultate anything other than static. Get a Littmann (Classic II SE or Lightweight II SE, or single-sided Master Classic II) or an ADC (Adscope 602 or Lite 609, or single-sided Platinum 615). Depending on your school, you may have to get a blood pressure cuff as well; we did, and I sprung for a Baum, but anything reasonable will do. (Most hospitals have wall-mount or rolling cuffs you can use anyway.)

* A Facebook account. No, really, don't laugh; probably about a third of my cohort, myself included, never had Facebook before starting nursing school! We set up a group page to communicate study group times, exam questions, non-school information and the like, and it was a great networking tool. (Do cancel your games, though; I think Mafia Wars might've whacked more nascent nursing careers than the med-math exam...:eek:)

Hope this helps! Good luck! :up::up::up:

Wow thanks for taking the time to write all this it has been very helpful!! :)

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Specializes in non-animals.

A loving family member, friend, or mate

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* A Facebook account. No, really, don't laugh; probably about a third of my cohort, myself included, never had Facebook before starting nursing school! We set up a group page to communicate study group times, exam questions, non-school information and the like, and it was a great networking tool. (Do cancel your games, though; I think Mafia Wars might've whacked more nascent nursing careers than the med-math exam...:eek:)

I agree 100% with the Facebook account. My classmates made a "our school" nursing class of 2011 group; and we are constantly asking eachother questions, setting up study groups-- and we even do a little virtual study group at times where one of us will ask a study question and whoever answers right asks the next question.. we go on for hours and even days. Its a great way to keep in touch with your classmates!

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Specializes in ICU.

A wakeup call service so you can peacefully sleep the night before clinical without waking up every hour to check that you set your alarm. wakeupcalls(dot)net is awesome...and only about $5 a month. Put the period where it says (dot)...I don't think the moderators here will let us post web addresses.

An eraser...so you can switch your calendar around constantly at the whim of your professors.

Comfy shoes for clinical that fit well and offer support.

Post-it flags and binder tabs...love these things!

A "go with the flow" attitude...you'll need it!

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