Melodix

Can you explain how infection is a medical diagnoses? If this is so, how can there be a NANDA approved diagnoses of Risk for infection,which can be used on care plans.

I see no problem with using NCLEX books to supplement studying, especially if you can find questions that relate to the content being taught in your program. The questions (especially the ones with rationales for the right and wrong answer) can be very helpful with the "critical" thinking required for some questions. However, it is important to learn the content your program is teaching first and use questions as supplemental study. Melodix

Let's all keep in mind that each school is different. The individuals that posted that nursing school is easy may be in a program that has different expectations of their students. Example - at clinical the other day, there were students in their third YEAR of a BSN program at a 4-year college whereas our crew was in the second SEMESTER of a 2-year program. It turns out the 4-year crew knew very little about the practical "hands-on" experience that we had received by our second semester and as a result our school had a better "hiring rate"/"reputation", so we should all keep easy/hard aspect of nursing school in perspective. Each school is different.

Here is another site with sample lung sounds (and heart sounds) - http://www.wilkes.med.ucla.edu/intro.html

Your best option is to ask your school the policy on repeating classes. I am not sure how your school considers candidates for the nursing program, but I would think the science classes are important. A higher grade may increase your chances of getting into the program.

The book "Med-Surge Success: A Course Review Applying Critical Thinking to Test Taking" has practice questions with answers and rationales broken down by system. The rationales for each correct and wrong answer help to understand how to critically think about each question.

Fluid and Electrolytes Made Incredible Easy helped me quite a bit.

It will be important to understand the processes you learn in A&P since you will be seeing this information again as you go through nursing school. The information will be reviewed very generally in nursing classes however professors will expect you to have the basic understanding. The "anatomy" aspect may not be as important but some of the processes will come in to play quite often. Here is an example, in A&P you learn about the kidney's anatomy (think glomeruli, proximal and distal tubule, etc) - a general understanding of this will suffice for nursing. However, you will also learn that the kidney releases a hormone called renin, which works with two other hormones (aldosterone and angiotensin) to insure the body maintains proper fluid balance. Understanding this "renin-angiotensin cycle" will help you when begin learning about fluid & electrolytes. I hope this helps.