starting before I start????

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I've always tried to be ahead of the game. It helps me to prepare the info and get a hold of what I need to study. Do you think that maybe this could hurt the student at the same time, just by hearing and reading all this info about calculations, care plans and the original nursing process. It's very overwhelming but I also want to know what I'm up against. Are you students that are getting ready to start NS doing the same or am I just being overly anxious??????

I got my stethoscope and the other things. They didn't say anything about a watch but I will get one, with a second hand. How exciting to have my stethoscope I think I listened to everyones heart and stomach sounds in the house even the dogs!!!!!!

Yes, you need one with second hand which I have but it is an expensive ecodrive one. My paperwork said one that can be wiped frequently or something like that. I purchased one from the nursing store for 18.00 all plastic like but can handle anything wiping on it. Others commented if you go cheap they don't last and some got them at walmart. There is a post about that too.

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Specializes in Emergency, Pre-Op, PACU, OR.

Honestly, you should enjoy your last weeks of freedom before starting nursing school instead of studying already - rest and relaxation are luxuries once you start. Personally, I would not recommend that you start studying nursing specific topics because a good nursing program will teach you everything you need to know about nursing in a holistic, multiperspective approach rather than one specific topic at a time. For example, you might study skills and physiology in Health Assessment or Foundations while learning drug-specific facts in Pharmacology and adding some professional perspectives in Nursing Roles or Evidence-Based Practice. So, in short, let the school bring the topics to you in a way that is most efficient and effective. If you absolutely need to review something though then consider reviewing your A&P notes because you will see it all over again (AP I & II). Light algebraic math review might be helpful as well, or maybe even conversions (US to Metric and vice versa) because you will see those again in med calculations.

Congrats and good luck with school!

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I would always recommend to get a head start on learning some of the abbreviations. The reading I just think is to hard to understand without the proper lecture and notes the teachers give to focus on. Plus as the prior posters mentioned it's rarely in order and usually you do jump around. But abbreviations and maybe even some of the terminology like the words for bruise, redness, itching, etc may be of great prep help.

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I start in August-but we already have assignments we're expected to be doing (reading /online module things) I'm worried on the first day of class I'll be the least informed one, so I'm trying to do a bit of revision while still relaxing. It would be awful to be the only one not recalling where some blood vessel or other is! I'll likely look over a summary of each body system. Now I'm listening to physio lectures, to refresh my memory on electrolytes & acid-bases. Also, on a friend told me to make sure i know synonyms ( Prothrombin / Factor II etc ) as I'll hear the variant names. Mostly, though, I'm trying to relax and enjoy myself---Apparently the next 2 years will be busy!

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well I started researching the info that im not great at for instance-cardiac. I also just touched on calculations I can see me haveing trouble there! Also I think I should go over my med term cause It looks like patho is all that wording. how about you?

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I've always tried to be ahead of the game. It helps me to prepare the info and get a hold of what I need to study. Do you think that maybe this could hurt the student at the same time, just by hearing and reading all this info about calculations, care plans and the original nursing process. It's very overwhelming but I also want to know what I'm up against. Are you students that are getting ready to start NS doing the same or am I just being overly anxious??????

Review Anatomy and Microbiology ( not the entire books) just look over.....

If you want, you can study the heart anatomy and blood circulation..I am sure you are going over it in nursing school.

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Specializes in MICU, SICU, and transplants.

I am almost done with NS - about 6 weeks left. I have a 4.0 GPA and have scored 1000+ on all my HESI exams. In hindsight, I would do two things for prep:

1. review anatomy & physiology (cardiac, GI, neuro) - I actually did this and it was very helpful

2. read/skim Prentice Hall's Comprehensive Review for NCLEX-RN. The material in the book may not be exactly what's tested on in your courses, but the information is based on the curriculum for HESI exams and NCLEX. Therefore, it is all relevant. You may not understand it all - in fact, you shouldn't. BUT, doing a simple read of the basic subject matter will at least tell you what the important/key information is for the classes you will be attending. I have always valued that type of thing - there is way too much info thrown at you in NS, and the hardest part is sorting it. If you know ahead of time what to focus on, you're so SO far ahead.

I wish I had known about the Prentice Hall book sooner. I stumbled onto it about 1/3 of the way through school and it really simplified things and saved me a ton of time because I wasn't focusing on the wrong topics.

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thanks for all of the advice :) I start in august!

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