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Congratulations lola_noelle!!! We'll see you there - and then hopefully around Lackland too!

Carolinapooh, First of all - Congratulations on your graduation! Secondly, I found out in November that my NTP and my duty station is Lackland (Wilford) in L/D. Thanks so much for all the great information about COT that you've provided, I just have a few questions about Wilford specifically. I would really appreciate it if you could give me your opinion about Wilford and Lackland, or maybe some direct pointers on how to get "settled" in the area. Also, I know that the base realignment is happening as we speak, but do you know when the hospital is actually consolidating across town? Thanks so much!

I am also going to be at COT in August! I will graduate with my BSN in May 2010 and then shortly thereafter take my NCLEX! I submitted to the October board, and found out in late November that I was accepted and where I was going - I was VERY pleased to find out that I got my first choice for both NTP and duty station! I'll be stationed at Lackland AFB in the L/D unit after NTP. Anyone else going to Lackland, or COT in August, shoot me a PM or a post reply!

I personally love my maternity textbook - Lowdermilk's Maternity and Women's Health Care. This is published by Elsevier and I LOVE IT. I use it all the time, and I like that the care plans are scattered throughout the book (like in the sections they pertain to). It helps me because then I don't have to try to find a care plan in a book and then figure out which complication the care plan pertains to. Hope this helps, Amber N

I do not know what the priority classifications for the H1N1 vaccine is. I do, however, know that my nursing school is MANDATING that we receive the vaccine or we must wear a mask to provide patient care. Our hospital systems in our metro area are kind enough to provide the vaccine to us on a priority level, but I do not know if all nursing students are considered priority to the government, different local health agencies, etc. I would encourage you to contact your specific board of nursing to determine your priority status. Hope this helps, Amber N

I personally do notecards. I put the drug name on one side and the information I need to know on the other side. Then I just do the notecards over and over until I know them by heart. I liked this method because I know them by heart and when I get to clinical I do not have to stop and think about the drugs, I can simply recall the knowledge I had memorized. There are also several study aids and websites that offer pharm study products. Hope this helps, Amber N

Hope this will help you, I know it worked for a few of my friends. A friend of mine used to say that when she started getting faint in the OR she would pick one focal point in the room and focus directly on that spot while systematically relaxing each part of her body. I know it sounds a little weird, but she swears by it! You will catch her staring at the ceiling, counting to 10 while "loosening" herself up. Of course you can also do what my other friend does - eat a jelly doughnut 30 seconds before scrubbing in! Hope this helps, Amber N

I felt that it was an enormously valuable experience! I was a CNA for several years before I started nursing school and I think it had some huge advantages. The main ones that I can think of is that your CNA work experience will A)acclimate you to the care setting (working in the environment, with pumps, with other staff, with technology and monitors), B)acclimate you to the time schedule of a day C)REALLY help with your organization skills, D)give you a valuable observation of actual nurses doing actual nursing tasks, and E)give you a great opportunity to connect the concepts you learn in class with the actual nursing critical thinking skills before you go to clinical (i.e. before you actually HAVE to get those critical thinking skills right!). All in all, I think it won't hurt you, and that it will definitely help you. But if you don't get a CNA job, don't worry about it, it won't break you! Hope this helps, Amber N

I can tell you that (well, this may just be me) I was just as overwhelmed as you are! I was a CNA for several years and thought that I was overprepared for nursing school, but nursing school is just a totally different environment than anyone can prepare for. The terms and language that is used takes some time to get used to; even when the concept is simple, it seems very complicated because of the complexity of the terminology and language. As for the review, check out the publisher's website for your book. My A&P book for pre-nursing and nursing was through Elsevier. Hope this helps, Amber N

Nursing school and working will work if you make it work! I personally worked full time to put myself through school - the secret is to find a job that is flexible, or work several part time jobs that can be scheduled around your classes. I was also told not to work during NS because it would be too much. You just have to get (and stay) organized, manage your time, and stay on top of things. The margin for error while working and going to NS is much smaller, because you have a lot less time to do things over or fix things than others. This decision is a personal one, you will have to be honest with yourself and figure out if you can work and get your school work done on time and fully. Hope this helps, Amber N. -

I did not have a summer health care job either. I will be a senior in the fall and have finished all my med surg clinicals and will start OB/PEDS in the fall. I don't feel that concerned about not having the summer job. I think if you stay fresh in the information and stay prepared throughout the school year, you will not be behind. Remember that whatever people tell you, the people with summer jobs still have to practice within their scope of practice. While they might be learning new skills, they are not allowed to practice them independently (with a few exceptions), so don't stress yourself out. Go back, review your knowledge and get ready to come back with a vengence! Hope this helps! Amber N. - Elsevier Student Ambassador

Every class is different so I can only give you my experience. My first semester was slightly overwhelming. There is a lot of material, but the thing I had the most trouble with was learning that nursing is a whole different beast. You cannot expect to study for nursing like you do your other classes. I relied on flashcards, pocket guides, the CDs in the back of the textbooks, hand written outlines and I mainlined caffeine to get through. It will seem like there is a lot to do and learn, but know that it is normal to feel overwhelmed. They are trying to transform you into a critically thinking nurse so you have to learn to think in a different way than you probably ever have before. Get a group together - this will help you overcome the frustration, and be a great support through your courses! Hope this helps, Amber N.

I personally have the pocket version. Your right, its not much smaller than the regular. I bought it with the purpose of carrying it with me, but after a few weeks I didn't need it anymore. I think mostly it's going to be a matter of personal preference as to which book you decide to buy. Amber N.

We ALWAYS practiced on a mannequin first. I was never allowed to touch a real patient until I had shown proficiency on a mannequin. I was thankful for that, although I came into nursing school after working as a CNA through high school, I still appreciated the real time run through with the professor (if not only for the look at what she would expect in "real" clinical!). Hope this helps, Amber N.

I personally use the Saunders Q&A Review for the NCLEX. It's an orange book published by Elsevier. I like it because it has mostly Q&A, not a whole lot of review (text). If you like a text review, grab Saunders regular RN NCLEX review (it's a BIG blue book). I did not have much success with Kaplan, but that is just personal experience! Hope this helps, Amber N.