Should I buy or rent these textbooks?

Pneumothorax, BSN, RN · Dec 13, 2011

hello everybody
my first year of nursing school is just a around the cornier and i'm in the process of deciding which books i actually want to buy and which books i should just rent. i'm thinking about just buying my clinical books and renting any books thats not clinical related but i wouldn't mind some advice from the veterans. my list is below:
pathophysiology
understanding pathophysiology-keep/buy
-i'm thinking about renting
clinical books
fundamentals of nursing-rent
-buy
management of clinical problems- have no idea what this is for lol
-buy
study guide for medical-surgical nursing keep
assessment and management of clinical problems
-buy
dosage calculations keep
-buy
handbook of labortory and diagnostic test use internet
-buy
history of nursing ideas textbook
a history of nursing ideas borrow from school library
-rent
nursing theorists and their work
-rent rent/borrow
ninth street notebook: voice of a nurse in the city
-rent borrow
publication manual of the american psychological assoc
-buy used internet is free!
from novice to expert: excellenceand power in clinical nursing practice
-rent what?
nursing: the finest art
-rent rent
behavioral nursing
foundations of psychiatric mental health nursing buy if u are going into psych nursing.
-buy?

hope that was helpful..heheh. thats alot of books! all for your first semester?!?!?! :eek:

ImThatGuy, BSN, RN · Dec 13, 2011

Hello Everybody
My first year of nursing school is just a around the cornier and I'm in the process of deciding which books I actually want to buy and which books I should just rent. I'm thinking about just buying my clinical books and renting any books thats not clinical related but I wouldn't mind some advice from the veterans. My list is below:
Pathophysiology
Understanding Pathophysiology
-I'm thinking about renting
Clinical Books
Fundamentals of Nursing
-Buy
Management of Clinical Problems
-Buy
Study Guide for Medical-Surgical Nursing
Assessment and Management of Clinical Problems
-Buy
Dosage Calculations
-Buy
Handbook of Labortory and Diagnostic Test
-Buy
History of Nursing Ideas Textbook
A History of Nursing Ideas
-Rent
Nursing Theorists and Their Work
-Rent
Ninth Street NoteBook: Voice of a Nurse in the City
-Rent
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Assoc
-Buy used
From Novice to Expert: Excellenceand Power in Clinical Nursing Practice
-Rent
Nursing: The Finest Art
-Rent
Behavioral Nursing
Foundations of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing
-Buy?

The rental books are garbage and stuff that shouldn't be included in a course of study anywhere. I know you can't control that, but yeah definitely rent those. Rent all of them. There's no reason to keep any of them. The only two books I bought and kept were the pathophysiology and the pharmacology. I've still got my acute care (med/surg) book, but I'll need that again. I did buy it, but I'm selling it back.

RunawayN · Dec 13, 2011

Hope that was helpful..heheh. thats alot of books! all for your first semester?!?!?!

Wait, you mean this book list isn't normal?

:eek:

Thanks for your advice!!

njmomstudent · Dec 13, 2011

I would buy the patho and psych. You're going to have more psych than you think. The others are spot on. Fundamentals you will only heavily use your first semester, but there are things you will look up later than aren't in the med surg texts believe it or not. The handbook for lab and diagnostic tests is awesome. I highly recommend buying and reading it. When it comes to acidosis and alkalosis (ABG values) it explains it VERY well, and I always go back to it when I haven't thought about it in a while. Every lab/hospital will have different values, so its not really about that. It explains everything very well and is easy to understand. It explains WHY you would have abnormal values, etc. It helps you put everything together when you are looking at labs, and alot of nurses I have run into on the floor don't even look at that stuff. It can make a difference for your patient though, and why not be on top of your game as a nurse?

This is a pretty normal booklist, although we didn't have all the nursing history books to get, just one or two. Do NOT buy them. I also recommend:

-Davis drug guide for nurses. You will need it.

-Clinical Nursing Skills, by Smith and Duell. Its really good, and nice to have during clinicals to refresh your memory on procedures without having to run and ask someone. Alot of nurses have told me they use it alot thier first year on the floor as well. It has everything from colostomy bag change to blood admin and CVAD care for every kind of central line, as well as the "DON'T DO THIS BECAUSE" in highlighted boxes lol. I mean, you will learn about colostomy's now, but you may not have to change one for a year or until you get on the floor. You'll forget LOL.

-Some people like the nurses pocket guide, but I've never used it honestly.

-You will also probably want to get a care plan book to reference.

-I also never use the study guides. Some people live off them, but I have to read the actual text. When I've done the extra work in the study guides it hasn't helped me one bit. Everyone is different on that one.

-The RN Notes little books are good too. I have the Med/surg, Meds, and one more I can't remember. The meds one is cool because it has pages in the back that have quick lists of compatible drugs with KCl, noncombatible, emergency drug admin for codes, all kinds of cool stuff to look at. The med/surg one has the dysrythmias in the back to look at. I just like them. HTH and good luck. It is horrible. You live and breathe it if you want to pass. You are stressed out beyond belief jumping through all the hoops, and worrying about exams and evidence based research care plans, but it does go by fast.

Double-Helix, BSN, RN · Dec 13, 2011

Rent all the text books. Buy the dosage calculation book, a lab and diagnositic test book, and a nursing care plan book. (I used Mosby's guide to nursing diagnoses)

Trust me, even if you think you'll refer back to the textbooks after the class or after you graduate, you won't. :-) I ended up with a dozen nursing texts just taking up space after graduation. At that point, they were too outdated for me to sell them for anything. To think of all the money I could have saved by renting!

Lanesmama · Dec 13, 2011

Me personally? BUY Patho and Pharm. The Diagnostics would be helpful especially at clinicals if your teacher asks you a question. Buy drug guide (didn't see that on there, I don't think...) The rest? rent.

starmickey03, MSN, RN · Dec 14, 2011

I agree with Pneumothorax, except I wouldnt buy the Pathophysiology book. I only say that because once you get your Med-Surg book, there's going to be a section of Patho for every disease process discussed.

Pneumothorax, BSN, RN · Dec 14, 2011

Wait, you mean this book list isn't normal?
Thanks for your advice!!

i dont remember having that many books my first semster or even year.

I agree with Pneumothorax, except I wouldnt buy the Pathophysiology book. I only say that because once you get your Med-Surg book, there's going to be a section of Patho for every disease process discussed.

i still ref. my patho book bc it has some good material (ours is actually meant for MD's..so it is particularly good) and when i have to write stupid patho maps its an extra ref. in addition to the blurb of my m/s book :)

also depnds on her $ situation. my patho book was $112 but worth it. but if u cant afford its ok too :)

ImThatGuy, BSN, RN · Dec 14, 2011

i have to write stupid patho maps

What the deuce is a patho map? You poor thing. It sounds like another trivial, time killer.

Pneumothorax, BSN, RN · Dec 14, 2011

What the deuce is a patho map? You poor thing. It sounds like another trivial, time killer.

You know what the ACLS algorithms look like?

Imagine that, and at the top is a square that says "pneumonia" and the little algorithm tree follows it down.

Ya it is dumb and stupid. I take it back I don't write those anymore, but I have to write long paragraphs so a md level book is helpful lol!

ImThatGuy, BSN, RN · Dec 14, 2011

You know what the ACLS algorithms look like?
Imagine that, and at the top is a square that says "pneumonia" and the little algorithm tree follows it down.
Ya it is dumb and stupid. I take it back I don't write those anymore, but I have to write long paragraphs so a md level book is helpful lol!

Seriously?! You had to do those? I would riot if I had to do that, lol. Wow.