Splurging

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So, I got accepted to nursing school yesterday! Wooo, I'm so excited! I really want to splurge on a new stethoscope for nursing school. I already have a littman and I will probably order another one. Which brand is best for nursing school and after? I want to be the most prepared. Specific brands, types, and websites would be very helpful.

Also, I have heard things have become more digital during nursing school, like taking exams on computers, looking at power points on the computer, etc. Would purchasing a large printer for nursing school be a waste of money? I am spending SO much money on paper and ink lately in the courses I'm taking currently. I don't want the need for ink and paper to increase during nursing school and me not have a printer where I can buy toners for (to hopefully last longer). Also, is a rolling backpack essential? Do we still have to carry around 50 lb textbooks to class?

I literally just got my acceptance email yesterday, so I don't have a list of any supplies I will need to get at all. I'm just really excited. What shoes are your favorite to wear? I'm pretty sure I'll need all white shoes for clinicals at least. Does anyone know if UTMB makes you purchase their specific scrubs or if we can buy our own in the correct color and sew on the patches and everything.

Thanks in advanced for answering these silly questions.

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Specializes in PACU, pre/postoperative, ortho.

Since you have a stethoscope, I think I wouldn't worry about a new one right now (personally, I prefer my acrylic head steth to my Littmann). The school will send you more details about the uniform requirement; my program required purchasing the scrubs directly thru school so every student looked identical. Shoes are a very individual choice according to your foot type. Again, there may be restrictions from school, so wait to get more info.

If your instructors like powerpoints like mine did, you'll spend way too much on ink printing at home. Most of my class just stopped by the school library to print, fast & cheap.

I didn't see a need for a rolling backpack. You should get some kind of schedule or syllabus to follow regarding what is scheduled to be covered on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. No need to take the OB or Psych book to learn about MedSurg or vice versa. I usually only took one, maybe two, textbooks on any given day. Of course, all nursing programs are not the same. My program was divided into modules, so we only covered basically one broad subject at a time anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks, tested on it & then moved on to the next module/subject. If you are covering multiple areas in one day (MedSurg, then Peds, then Pharmaceuticals, then Psych), you may very well need that rolling backpack to save your back & arms.

Once you get started, you'll figure out what works best for you & what the school allows or requires. Good luck!

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Thank you for the tips! :)

Since you have a stethoscope, I think I wouldn't worry about a new one right now (personally, I prefer my acrylic head steth to my Littmann). The school will send you more details about the uniform requirement; my program required purchasing the scrubs directly thru school so every student looked identical. Shoes are a very individual choice according to your foot type. Again, there may be restrictions from school, so wait to get more info.

If your instructors like powerpoints like mine did, you'll spend way too much on ink printing at home. Most of my class just stopped by the school library to print, fast & cheap.

I didn't see a need for a rolling backpack. You should get some kind of schedule or syllabus to follow regarding what is scheduled to be covered on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. No need to take the OB or Psych book to learn about MedSurg or vice versa. I usually only took one, maybe two, textbooks on any given day. Of course, all nursing programs are not the same. My program was divided into modules, so we only covered basically one broad subject at a time anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks, tested on it & then moved on to the next module/subject. If you are covering multiple areas in one day (MedSurg, then Peds, then Pharmaceuticals, then Psych), you may very well need that rolling backpack to save your back & arms.

Once you get started, you'll figure out what works best for you & what the school allows or requires. Good luck!

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I spent $150 on a Brother duplex laser printer, toner cartridges are about $40 and last quite a while. If you are someone that learns better with paper notes over a computer screen, it is definitely worth investing in a laser printer.

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Specializes in peds.

I had a $50 printer. The ink was $13-20 bucks depending in the store. Print fast draft or economic it saves ink. When you print you can go to settings to switch to that option.

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Print at the school library:yes: saved a ton

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Specializes in NICU.

My school had $20/semester worth of printing included in our lab fees. We had campus-wide Wi-Fi that you had to log into. We could sit in our student lounge in the nursing building and send documents that we wanted to be printed to the campus print servers. This allowed us to be able to print stuff anywhere on campus. We swipe our school ID at a printer/copier to identify your files in the que, you choose which file you want to print, and the amount is deducted from your account. It cost 3 cents/page for B/W and 10 cents for color. It saved a lot of money when you needed to print articles for term papers or term papers themselves. I hardly ever used my home printer for school.

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Specializes in TBI and SCI.

I printed everything at school. My school was free.

I had a rolling backpack and I really liked it. My school sold one, so I don't know how other places might be, it's something you can use when you start working too.

Don't spend too much money honestly because you will need it once you have to quit work, if you haven't already.

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