Nursing School Textbooks...

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Specializes in Hematology/Oncology.

Good day guys and gals. I've been a poster on AN for some years now, I've newly been crowned a NURSING STUDENT. #Yaaay boy this has been a journey just to get to this point...I start spring Jan 2014!

Question...I received the list of books that I'll need and I just wanted to know your experience in purchasing your books. I currently have an amazon wishlist of ALL I need, excited, anxious & nervous. What would you advise a new student?

~Rent vs Buying.

~New vs Used.

~Amazon vs Any other textbook website...

Thanx

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Specializes in NICU.

I only purchase nursing books that I want to keep for a reference. I use this website. It gives you the prices for all the websites plus the rental fees if you decide to rent the book instead of purchase.

Cheap Textbooks - Price Compare College Textbooks - Used, New, Rental & eTextbooks

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Specializes in CVICU, CCRN.

My favorite websites are:

Chegg.com

Bookrenter.com

Textbooks.com

Amazon.com

And sometimes I just use a good old ISBN in the google search bar.

You will go through A LOT of textbooks, and depending on your program, you will never really know exactly which ones you may need to keep. However, as a senior in a BSN program, I now feel that I have a pretty good idea on what you may end up needing as a reference versus what you do not.

Any general education courses? Rent those books.

Books I kept:

Pathophysiology for nurses

Any Med-Surg Books

Critical Care Nursing

NANDA nursing diagnosis text (or anything similar)

Any kind of care plan book required? KEEP IT

I believe that is it...

Books I rented:

Psychiatric nursing (I would have kept the book if it was better... but it was a terrible text)

OB nursing

Pediatric nursing

Nursing ethics

Nursing leadership

Nursing theory

I believe that is it.

Now, depending on your program, this may not be appropriate for you. Maybe you will need your ethics or theory book later. (But hopefully not). I made the mistake of renting my patho book, and I found out quickly that I needed it (and continue to use it) throughout my education. Keep anything and everything that has to do with nursing care plans/interventions/diagnosis. You will see that I did not keep my OB/peds book. I have zero interest in that area of nursing. Therefore, I did not feel that I needed to keep it as a reference.

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Specializes in Hematology/Oncology.
I only purchase nursing books that I want to keep for a reference. I use this website. It gives you the prices for all the websites plus the rental fees if you decide to rent the book instead of purchase.

Cheap Textbooks - Price Compare College Textbooks - Used, New, Rental & eTextbooks

My favorite websites are:

Chegg.com

Bookrenter.com

Textbooks.com

Amazon.com

And sometimes I just use a good old ISBN in the google search bar.

You will go through A LOT of textbooks, and depending on your program, you will never really know exactly which ones you may need to keep. However, as a senior in a BSN program, I now feel that I have a pretty good idea on what you may end up needing as a reference versus what you do not.

Any general education courses? Rent those books.

Books I kept:

Pathophysiology for nurses

Any Med-Surg Books

Critical Care Nursing

NANDA nursing diagnosis text (or anything similar)

Any kind of care plan book required? KEEP IT

I believe that is it...

Books I rented:

Psychiatric nursing (I would have kept the book if it was better... but it was a terrible text)

OB nursing

Pediatric nursing

Nursing ethics

Nursing leadership

Nursing theory

I believe that is it.

Now, depending on your program, this may not be appropriate for you. Maybe you will need your ethics or theory book later. (But hopefully not). I made the mistake of renting my patho book, and I found out quickly that I needed it (and continue to use it) throughout my education. Keep anything and everything that has to do with nursing care plans/interventions/diagnosis. You will see that I did not keep my OB/peds book. I have zero interest in that area of nursing. Therefore, I did not feel that I needed to keep it as a reference.

Thanx a lot! I need (a must):

*Calculate with Confidence, 6e

*Brunner & Suddarth's Med-Surg Nursing

*Study Guide for Brunner & Suddarth's Med-Surg Nursing

*Pharmacology and the Nursing Process, 7e

*Study Guide for Pharmacology and the Nursing Process, 7e

*RNotes Clinical Pocket Guide

*Test Success: for beginning Nursing Students

*DocuNotes Clinical Pocket Guide to effective charting

*Concept Mapping: Critjcal-Thinking approach to Care Planning

*Davis's Drug Guide for Nurses

*Fundamentals of NUR: Theory, Concepts and Applications (Vol 1)

*Fundamentals of NUR: Thinking, Doing and Caring (Vol 2)

*Fundamentals of NUR: Procedure Checklist

*Skills Videos to accompany Fundamental of NUR

I WOULD LOVE TO THROW IN (on top of what I must have, above)

*Pharmacology Success---->the reviews are great (series)

*Med Surg Success---->the reviews are great (series)

*Fundamentals Success---->the reviews are great (series)

*NCLEX-RN Examination---->the reviews are great

----------------------------------------------------

OPTIONALS:

*Tabers Cyclopedia Med Dictionary

*Davis's Comprehensive Handbook Lab & Diagnostic Test

*Pharmacology Success: Q&A review

*Handbook of Nursing Diagnosis

*NCLEX-RN Notes

*Mosby's Pocket Guide to Nutritional Assessment

*Pocket Anatomy and Physiology

I don't have a clue as to which ones a potential Renter or Buyer book. Thanx for your help...

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Specializes in Neuro Intensive Care.

I have all the success series books and I highly recommend them!

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Specializes in Hematology/Oncology.
I have all the success series books and I highly recommend them!

Yes, I'll do just that! Thank you...

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I had a couple of the success series as well. I also had several of the reviews and rationales series, too. I liked both.

A few other things to throw in....

check your local library. I went to the library a few weeks ago to look up a book. After I pulled it off the shelf, I turned to leave, and on the rack behind me was a row of nursing books. Some reviews and rationales were there. I didn't pay attention to what they were, but I thought "I would have checked them out rather than bought them if I would have thought to look here...."

A friend of mine bought a brand new tablet (or IPad) and bought the electronic version of his books. He was able to keep the electronic version forever, and the money he saved over the span of the nursing program paid for the tablet many times over compared to what he would have spent on real books. I personally like to have a real book in my hands, but he could do anything with the tablet that I could do, and do it quicker. (hi lite, hand write on pages with stylus, etc.) He could flip back and forth between book, or pages of books way quicker than I could in real books. He came to class with a tablet. I came with 20 lbs of books in a back pack.

Also.... off topic, but I'll throw it in.... get a dropbox account. Its free. Save everything on it. You can get to it quickly from home or school. No worries about losing your flashdrive like I did. I lost everything I saved throughout the program!

just some food for thought. Good luck!

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Specializes in Aesthetics, Med/Surg, Outpatient.

I like to buy, and if a book is too expensive, I ask the professor if I can buy the previous editions (95% say yes)

I love directtextbook.com. Shop for Used Textbooks, New Textbooks, Rental Textbooks & eBooks: Direct Textbook

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