Nursing School Must Haves??

Nursing Students General Students

Published

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!! :)

Great suggestions!! Keep them coming :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in -.

* Laptop - I take mine to school with me and connect to the schools internet. I can google anything I need more infomation on in class. My school also put things up on the network such as medical programs, optional revision questions and slides from lectures that I can download and take home with me.

*Highlighters, Post It notes, different colored pens - useful for making notes, highlighting areas you need to look into, organising etc

* PDA/iPhone - theres a ton of medical apps out there to help you. I download a lot of "how to" videos from youtube and itunes university as well. You can also use the calender function to remember important dates.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks everybody for the tips and the OP for starting the thread. I am awaiting acceptance right now too and I have read the nursing tidbits thread, but I like to hear the software stuff because there are always new devices, etc., and it was from a while ago. I waited til now to decide what to buy and I see everybody has said iPhone or PDA I think, and I am just curious why not Blackberries? (I am not a technical savvy person, so any advice is appreciated). I just looked at a Blackberry (you can use Google) and you can download to memory . . . is a PDA better?

Good luck OP! I'm on the edge of my seat; deadline was March 1st and they start sending letters "within 4 weeks" so I can hardly wait!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

A laptop!!! I love love love taking notes on my laptop in class because I can type so much faster than I can write so I can get everything into my notes that I want to get in. Then, I can also email it to friends and things like flashcards are just a cut and a paste away!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Thanks everybody for the tips and the OP for starting the thread. I am awaiting acceptance right now too and I have read the nursing tidbits thread, but I like to hear the software stuff because there are always new devices, etc., and it was from a while ago. I waited til now to decide what to buy and I see everybody has said iPhone or PDA I think, and I am just curious why not Blackberries? (I am not a technical savvy person, so any advice is appreciated). I just looked at a Blackberry (you can use Google) and you can download to memory . . . is a PDA better?

Good luck OP! I'm on the edge of my seat; deadline was March 1st and they start sending letters "within 4 weeks" so I can hardly wait!

Good luck to you as well.. I will he finding out around the same time u will be so keep us updated. I hope u get in! :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Thanks everybody for the tips and the OP for starting the thread. I am awaiting acceptance right now too and I have read the nursing tidbits thread, but I like to hear the software stuff because there are always new devices, etc., and it was from a while ago. I waited til now to decide what to buy and I see everybody has said iPhone or PDA I think, and I am just curious why not Blackberries? (I am not a technical savvy person, so any advice is appreciated). I just looked at a Blackberry (you can use Google) and you can download to memory . . . is a PDA better?

Good luck OP! I'm on the edge of my seat; deadline was March 1st and they start sending letters "within 4 weeks" so I can hardly wait!

a blackberry is a pda. i have one, same price as an iphone, i like it better but to each their own :) (a lot of my friends who have iphones think i am crazy though lol)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency, Critical Care (CEN, CCRN).

Nothing wrong with Blackberry either. That platform has lots of the same apps available through the big companies (Skyscape, ePocrates, etc), and if that's your platform of choice then go for it.

I just recommend a standalone PDA for clinicals because A) lots of hospitals have a no-cellular-devices policy in patient care areas, and B) even if the hospital doesn't take issue, instructors may not believe that you're using the phone for its PDA function, or may believe that the phone will interfere with equipment (though you might be able to get out of that one by putting the phone in "flight mode" while you're at the hospital). :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thank you!! I should have said electronically illiterate?! Too funny.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

As I said in my earlier post, I use a Blackberry (Storm), but I got it free from a grant from the school. Verizon customers got the Storm and AT&T customers got the iPhone. It seems that the iPhone customers got a way better deal. As much as I love the skyscape software and the ease of it, I HATE the blackberry as a PHONE. There are so many things about it that just frustrate me. But, that's just me! Plus, with the iPhone you have better apps..

Our hospitals/clinical instructors are fine with ours being cell phones-- we just have to put them in airplane mode.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

RN2B,

I just finished nursing school and passed boards last Jan, I agree with the other posters, you need to be organized with a planner of some sort. Use whatever works for you, I used an excel spreadsheet.

I also strongly suggest start and continue a regular stress reduction program (running, walking, yoga, something physical) at least 3 times / week, I jogged 5 - 7 x / week, I am not a jock, I just needed the stress management and energy one gets from exercise.

If you want to read, get an intro to nursing textbook. Find out what the school you want to get into uses in the first semester and get that one or I suggest "fundamentals of nursing" by Taylor, used from Amazon for $85. 1856 pages of good info that nurses use on a daily basis.

Nursing school for me was a grand adventure, I hope you enjoy it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I got accepted to a program and will be starting in the fall. Thanks for starting the thread OP. This is all VERY good info and I think it will help all of us who are soon to be starting NS. Most people on this board say to get the Saunders NCLEX review book as a form of studying for exams. But which one do people suggest? I went to Barnes and Noble today and browsed through the nursing section and there were 4 or 5 Saunders review books and they were all the same edition (4th edition I believe). One of the books was blue, another green, there was an orange one, and a couple other colors. Are they all the same? Does it really matter which one I get?

I will definitely get a Saunders review book before starting though because it seems to be a nursing school MUST HAVE to everyone on the board.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics, OB/GYN, ER, Geriatrics.

Green and Orange are for LPN. Blue and Red are for RN. One of the books is a Comprehensive Review book (Green or Blue) and the other one is straight test questions for the NCLEX. I have the Comprehensive Review book (Blue) and use it to study for my tests in ns. It gives you an outline for each system you study in Med-Surg and also comes with a CD that you can take practice tests also.

I highly reccommend the Saunder's books as they really help you understand all the material that is thrown at you. Once I get closer to graduation, I will then purchase the other book to study for the NCLEX. I also recommend that you get and read a book on Fundamentals as this is the hardest class and the one where the majority of people get dropped from the program for not passing. At my school, we went through all 1,035 pages in six weeks with 100+ pages to read every night....the book I have is "Understanding Fundamentals of Nursing" and really helped me get through this class.

Best of luck to you on your journey of becoming a nurse!:nurse:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment