bibi19

Everybody has their own way of studying...nursing school test are application tests..rarely do you get a knowledge based question....like what does calcium do in the body or what is gerd? you wont get those kinds of questions.... You get questions that you have to look at Maslows hiearchy of needs to determine what is more important to do first, also remember CPR...? well think of the ABC's airway breathing circulation.....someone is having trouble breathing...what is the nurses initial action? ...administer oxygen....that is an example.... So that is how you need to study...also look at your notes and figure out what is the most important or oddest thing that they can want me to know on the test? that will help you a lot.... If you can study an hr before class and hr after class/lecture it well help you retain info much easier...learn it!

It looks like they took the med calculation web site down...bc they do everything through blackboard....but if you have the book it is the same as the work sheets....

Also another thing to know and look at our lab values for example Na, K, GFR, INR, CA, ....these are only a few....get those lab values down! asap...bc that will help you answer questions on test...you need to know the lab value and recognize what is high or low. YOu get that done and that is another big hurdle you overcome...it also helps you make sense of what you are studying and know what those lab values/electrolytes do in the body....I also think this is one of the first things you would do in regards to patho in your classes.

Reading before class is good....great to be honest.... Here is another tip....with each lecture there is a lesson plan/outcomes....that lesson/outcomes plan is the blueprint for what you will be tested on....go through it and answer the objectives, and also know the categories and the diseases for them... USe that to guide ( lessons/outcomes) your reading....after lecture...go back with your notes and add from you book. It well help you so much with pharm and the other classes. PowerPoints get cluttered and that is a good way to divide out what you need to know and learn, and to not mix up things.

OH...start your papers asap....work on it at a little at a time. Dont wait till the last minute. I would work on it after tests, or what not, and you are required to submit it to writing lab...it s a benefit. APA is not too hard for those who are savvy at it....but not knowing the right format or having good grammar can cost you a letter grade..

Also, look at the nursing theories and theorist...know which theorist goes with the theory and what the theory is about...that will be good to know for test too.

For health assessment and foundations...look at interviewing, total health database. For pharm and patho...patho unsure where they will start probably with cellular disorders, etc. For pharm look at the first six or seven chapters: )pharmatherapeutics, Pharmakinetics, etc. ) The well class is new and I am not sure what that is about....if you can tell me the book then I can figure out what they may have you do.... Do your calculations and know your conversions for meds...Go to Fran Kamp website, lOok underneath faculty, and then when you pull it up look for the practice quizzes questions. Don't expect IV meds or calculations yet...

How much are you short in financial aide?

I dont really have any books left that I do not use....you pretty much use the same books throughout the curriculum...(care plan books, drug books, etc.) I still go back to my physical assessment book as well to help prepare for clinical as well. I think that you guys will as well. Everything builds and builds....

PRN is not the same as externship.. There is fulltime, partime, and then prn (this means as needed). YOu dont have a set schedule or what not...You have to work a certain number of hrs in some places...could be over a month or a year. Most require 24 hrs a month or less..... Externship is like internship...only for about 8-10 weeks over the summer...in some places depending where you do the externship at, they will have you come on as a patient care technician or specialty technician which is different than the externship job bc of course you cannot do the same job as the nurse,etc. you work with without the license. Bascially you could become part of the support staff.

You can do externship over the summer, applications post in december usually and are due by february or march for most hospitals. You can work prn..thats as needed...some places only require 24 hrs a month or every six weeks. Of course you know your self and what you can or cannot do work wise. But if you can, some teachers encourage it but of course with very limited hours. Don't let your summer go by though without doing something in the field, you can lose you skills and forget what you learned,etc. WOrk for me is exhausting, I do it because I have to already knowing what I need to do to make it in school. It is not easy but with our curriculum plan I feel comfortable with it. I know your guys curriculum plan makes it impossible the first semester but it can be something you look in to over the summer coming (externship)...and if you apply to a residency program for some where you work as technician, your chances of getting into it are better as long as you are a good worker. Two examples of this are: I have a friend who worked prn as a tech with me for the last year, she applied to the residency along with seventy others (only four spots though) and she got in..because she was a good technician who showed to be a great beginning nurse. Another who also worked with me had friction with some of the nurses, always texting on her phone, worked prn and she did not even make it to the first interview for the residency. SO it goes both ways....

:yeah:Congrats on making it in to you guys..stay focused....If you feel lost: Professor Blakey, Ray, Garrett, Grier, are just a few but my favorite professors to go to when I do not understand something. They listen. Go to the test reviews, you will learn from them about what you might of missed in class but also understand test questions better. Professor Lewis, does learning enhancements, its a great thing to attend that was only required if you made a c on any of the test but any one is welcome. You go over questions and material from class. ITs a big help.... Have you anyone of you heard of sim man yet? IDK if they will be a requirement for you guys, but we were assigned a day and time and went every other week for about a total of eight days or so. That is fun and you learn a lot too. DOn't miss it though or you will have make up work. ...just trying to give you all the tips i can think of that I learned and wished someone told me.... good books to help you with med surg is Prioritzation and delegation for med surg...it has twenty or so exercises in it but it helps you with NCLEX type questions and test questions as well. PRentice Hall has a good book too which offers and edition for every nursing class you take from med surg to peds ob, community health etc. They are titled for exam Med SUrgical Nursing REviews and Rationales, and Peds reviews and Rationales, etc....ANother good book is Straight As med surgical, and Straight As pharm, etc. Your first few weeks will be overwhelming and exhausting but you guys can do it....

Try to get a prn position or some type of position in the hospital where you are exposed to the field more and others as well (Drs. Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, Resp. therapists, etc.) you will forever be working along the sides with these people in pt care. Its good to see and know how there profession works and interwines with nursing. You also learn a lot from these people too that help you with your nursing skills. I am not sure what your clinical sequence or schedule is like. For myself, I have always done twelve hrs starting at 0645 to seven pm. There are other days like thurs, fri, and sats where some teachers do clinical. Some split their clincial into two six hr days, but that doesnt always happen. We had to go the day before after noon, and pick up are assignment and gather info needed to complete the paperwork for clinical. Don't let the paperwork bog you down, learn from it. It will help you understand what you learn in class a lot better. Care plans are ugh....but it provides you an understanding and a common sense look into what you do as a nurse to treat certain pt diagnoses. Looking at the new curriculum for you guys coming in, I look at it myself and I am like I will never be able to work if I was in that sequence. I have been able to work part time for the inital start and then full time making Bs and As. But its a challenge. You have to know how to test. I will recommend getting a NCLEX prep book but when you study dont let that book hold you back from studying your notes....teachers make up their questions most of the time....similar to the NCLEX books...but you are better off studying your notes and book bc some questions from the NCLEX book provide different info (more detailed or less) than whats in class and in your readings. I would also recommend finding a study group. WIth no more than 2-3 people....over that you are looking at wasting your time. Its hard to pay attention to the needs of everyone so everyone benefits and learns in a large group. I have studied with two other people mostly, and made As and Bs. Others I have heard of who studied with 5-6 have made Cs....and what not. In a study group, I believe we are together..no competition...one person may understand something better that another, sometimes one person is slower...a lot slower at grasping information...but we do not quit on that person and we stick together and help each other out. I have seen so many groups and cliques dissolve over sometime because of competitiveness and selfishness....

Hey guys, I am a current GBCN junior...last group of the three year program. Some tips for you guys are to read read read! Go with your notes and book at the same time add to them no matter what it is (and had the why...to certain topics...).Especially for pharm, patho, and health assessment and the med surgs classes. Every semester 10-15 students have failed. Its challenging. Always ask for help and dont wait to till you are already in a wjI would also try to get a lot of experience outside of clinical as well. It well help with your prioritization skills, and critical thinking skills. I would also recommend getting involved as much as possible, getting to know professors and from others that I have seen...don't try to out smart the teacher or act like a know it all..it always backfires. People think they are cute in class when they get smart but they make themselves look awful and it comes back to them in the long run one way or another. Yeah and you may know better but keep it to yourself....if not it can result in a failure and a bad reputation.