lilag02

I second the Success series. I've got Fundamentals and Med-Surg Success and love both. What I like most is that they have rationales listed for the right and wrong answers, and I highly recommend reading them all. Even if you get the question right there may be some tidbit of info in the rationale that may come up later or pertain to another topic. Saunders is pretty great too, especially if you like info presented in outline format. Good luck!

We have 3 tries to pass with a 90% (used to be 95%) or better each semester. First semester we're given the chapters to study throughout the semester on our own, and we take the test right before finals. Every semester after that, we take it before clinical starts, if we don't pass, we're done for the semester. I think we would then have the opportunity to try again with the next class, but I'm not positive on that. I'm with others, dosage calc is serious business, so I understand the policies. Actually, I think ours is pretty lenient. The only room for improvement that I can think of would be to offer review sessions for those who struggle. Unfortunately, with instructors spread so thin as it is, that may just not be feasible.

My first M/S exam is tomorrow, and I should be studying that right now. But hey, I have to take a break, right?!

Wow. Since when is doing well irritating? It drives me nuts that when everyone is asking how others did the students who did well are said to be boasting, but the ones who made B's or C's are simply sharing. Way to go, OP! That's awesome and you should be proud!

It's five semesters total. While it's definitely a full-time work load, you are not technically a full-time student. I'm in second semester right now and we're only taking five hours. Last semester was six. Next, I believe is six or nine depending on whether you've taken pharm. I'm not sure of the last two off of the top of my head. Hope that helps and good luck! ETA: Just realized you didn't specify which campus. I'm at Cyfair, where they like to be different, so the other campuses may be different from what I wrote above. I think the other campuses are four semesters total with summers off, but are still two years in length overall.

I've never liked studying in a group, until now. I'm lucky to have found several other students in my class that have the same mentality towards school that I do. We all read and prepare on our own ahead of time, then get together and answer/discuss practice questions. The advantage is that we all bring different perspectives to the table, and at least one of us usually gets the correct answer and can explain our own rationale behind it, in addition to the book's rationale. Also, we've all gotten different supplementary books, so that we have that many more questions to run through without breaking the bank too much. Today was our first group study for med-surg, and we decided to try out some case studies as well. I sometimes find case studies tedious to do on my own with so many other items on the to do list, so it was very helpful in getting the ideas and thought processes flowing. I think the key is to find other like-minded people with similar goals for the group. If you're looking to review and discuss but those you're meeting with are still working on getting through it the first time, you'll probably feel as though you drew the short straw. I've been there and ended up "teaching" the whole time, and while there are benefits to that, it wasn't what I wanted to get from the group, so I ended up feeling like it was a waste of my precious study time. I also recommend keeping it small. One of our first meetings last semester, we had 8 or 10 people show up and got almost nothing done. It was too many people with different priorities and agendas, and personality issues came about. The upside to that first meeting though was that the group we have now came from that night.

I highly recommend that book! I credit that book with much of my success in my first semester, and I know that many of my classmates also really liked it. I read some of the test taking tips, but for the most part just used the practice questions. Reading the rationales was particularly helpful, because they explained not only why the right answer was right but also why the others were wrong. I also found that we had some similar questions pop up on our exams. If you're really interested in test taking tips, and a few more practice questions, check out Test Success as well. I wasn't very interested in test taking tips, but our library has it, so I did check it out and use it some (I'll take all the help I can get, thanks ). It's definitely got some good tips in it, and would be especially good for anyone who struggles with tests and the anxiety that goes along with them.

Thanks for the info! With practicums and the lab not being open much, I completely forgot that I had posted again, so I'm glad I checked back. I was kind of thinking it would be along those lines, but it always helps to hear it from those who've 'been there, done that'. Thanks again, and good luck in specialties!

Apparently they heard enough from your class that they decided to give us the assignments at orientation. So we owe you guys a HUGE thank you for speaking up! As far as the tests go, they're NCLEX style. However, according to the blueprints, they're 50% knowledge & comprehension and 50% application & analysis. We were told to expect that to change...eventually they'll be nearly all application & analysis. So second semester is kind of shocking, huh? I've got the list of study guides that someone gave out at the SNA meeting and I've already got 3 of the 4 on my Amazon wishlist. Are there any that you'd recommend? Or any tips for studying it? Any tips for getting ready for clinicals or any supplies you've found helpful? I thought my questions might taper off once we actually started, but that's just not the case. I may have more now than I did then.

Precisely why I hated the one online class I've taken so far. I have a need to fully understand things, a natural curiosity, I suppose. My micro instructor went so far as to say that I'm too hard on myself and don't need to strive for perfection when I would ask for clarification on certain test questions. I told her that it's not necessarily a need to be perfect, just that I'm trying to comprehend the material. If I'm misunderstanding something, I like to get clarification before moving on.

Yes, we are in agreement. I'm sorry, I misunderstood what you were saying. I thought that you were saying that we would never be given unsafe orders by doctors. Please forgive my confusion. As far as it being the best choice, I also agree, not our call. However, I will always be interested in the reasoning, to be a better nurse for my patients and for my own curiosity. I pray that I get to work with at least some doctors that will be willing to take a moment to teach.

My pharmacology instructor specifically told us that we are the last check before the med is given to the patient, and doctors do, in fact, occasionally make mistakes when writing prescriptions, and those mistakes occasionally make it past the pharmacy. If we give an incorrect med or dosage, just because the doctor ordered it and the pharmacy dispensed it, then it is our license on the line, not the doctor's. This alone will probably have me asking questions, respectfully of course. However, at the same time, I, like the OP, have an inquiring mind. I like to know the rationale for everything I am doing, but even if I did not, if the patient asks about a specific med, won't they likely be asking us when it's being administered? I'd like to be able to explain to my patient the doctor's reasoning, because correct me if I'm wrong, is that not another facet of a nurse's job? There is always a drug guide, but who do I go to if the information can not be found there? I'm a new nursing student, so maybe I'm misunderstanding something, but my instructor was very clear that we are not to administer drugs unless we know why they are being given. Maybe you can shed some light on your differing view point for this new student? OP, as you can see, I feel that there are times to challenge a question, an order, etc. Always respectfully, and always with references to back up my point of view. Because I'm not arguing simply for the sake of arguing, I'm simply seeking a better understanding, I usually say something along the lines of, "Can you please clarify this choice/answer, because in my studying this is what I found and how I understood it?" I hate the idea of alienating any of my instructors or the doctors that I'll be working with, but at the same time, I won't feel comfortable if I don't have a good reasoning behind what I'm doing.

I second allrecipes & recipezaar. I also really like kraftfoods.com, too...lots of very easy one pot/pan meals.

I'm starting in the fall, too, and I'm doing the same thing. Anything to make my life easier when it gets crazy! A few of the things that I'm doing-- -Rearrange our guest room into a study room for me. I'm hoping to get a study group going and if we ever meet at my house, I'd like to have a place for us to shut everything out. -Stock pile school supplies. I've bought a ton of pens, highlighters, printer paper (10 reams for $23 and change from Amazon BTW), back up printer ink, etc. -Get started on reading. At orientation they actually gave us a bunch of reading to have done by the beginning of class, as well as an additional book that as far as I can tell breaks down the critical thinking process. -Collect easy recipes. Mostly crock pot and soups--add a salad/veggie and some bread, and voila! dinner is served! -Spend time with my family. I've been very clear with my husband what NS is going to be like, so if the dishes or laundry get ignored for another day so I can spend time with them, so be it. I don't know about you guys, but as excited as I am about finally getting to the good stuff, I'm nervous as all get out. I figure that if I can make things remotely easier on myself and my family, I'm going to. Good luck you guys!

Yep, that's how mine does it too. I understand your frustration, and have asked the FA people at my CC that very same question numerous times. I've always had to use funds better left untouched (i.e. savings, credit card) and replenish them when my loan money comes through. I wish that I had better news for you, but at least you're not alone.