I originally was thinking about ABSN programs, but I realized that this applies to anyone who is starting a program in the spring.
1. Get your BLS for Healthcare Providers CPR certification out of the way. You don't want to be running around trying to find a class right before you start school! The certifications are good for 2 years, so just make sure you'll be covered for your entire school career; it just makes things easier down the road to not have to re-up while you're still in school.
2. Start your vaccinations and titers. The Hep B vaccination, for example, requires 3 doses, and the last dose has to be 6 months after the first. A lot of schools will let you start clinicals with just the first two, but they are going to want to see evidence that you've had the third not long after that. So if you get that done now, it's one less thing to think about.
3. Start researching what student loans are available, what's out there, etc. This industry is in flux right now, but if you get a spreadsheet going now, you can just update it as you get closer to starting school.
4. Research the best places to buy a stethoscope, PDA, and any other equipment your school requires.
5. Figure out what kinds of shoes you'll be able to wear and watch for sales on them. I really like Easy Spirit shoes, so I subscribe to their email updates and they tell me when they are having a sale.
6. Get a Saunders NCLEX book and start looking it over -- no pressure! Just get used to the format of the questions. I wouldn't buy textbooks right now, though, because schools tend to change book requirements. But get your booklist as soon as you can and start looking for cheaper copies. :)
7. See if you can shadow a nurse. That will relieve a little bit of the uncertainty about the hospital environment before you start school. Or volunteer at your local hospital a few hours a week between now and when school starts.
I'd love to hear what others have done to start preparing! That Spring start will come so fast!
Seriously, though, be sure to have 2 alarm clocks. That way, if one doesn't work or you forget to set it or set it to the wrong time, you have a back-up. I have to get up at 5 AM 3 days a week for school this semester. I have my digital alarm clock on my dresser and an old-fashioned wind-up clock far enough away that I have to get up to turn it off. No way do I want to miss class! You can pick up a wind-up back-up clock fairly cheaply at Rite-Aid and other discount stores.
Somehow, my hubby manages to sleep through my alarms...
Seriously, though, be sure to have 2 alarm clocks. That way, if one doesn't work or you forget to set it or set it to the wrong time, you have a back-up. I have to get up at 5 AM 3 days a week for school this semester. I have my digital alarm clock on my dresser and an old-fashioned wind-up clock far enough away that I have to get up to turn it off. No way do I want to miss class! You can pick up a wind-up back-up clock fairly cheaply at Rite-Aid and other discount stores.
Somehow, my hubby manages to sleep through my alarms...
That is a good idea. I also set the alarm on my cell phone that way if the electricity goes out at least one of my alarms still goes off. I have a battery in my alarm for backup but it has failed me twice.
that is a very good idea. i have wondered what happened during the night when i wake up and my alarm is blinking and it didn't go off. so sometime during the night the electricity must have went off.
OH my gosh Atomicwoman... I have lots to do then. I start Jan 09. OOph...I guess Im making a call to the American Red Cross for the provider CPR course... and call my physician to find out about inoculations. Just when I thought I had enough to worry about, oh and FINGERPRINTS, we have to pay for that at ECC in Newark, NJ. Im just too overwhelmed, but we gotta do what we gotta do to become RN's. Thanks for the information, from a future RN
OH my gosh Atomicwoman... I have lots to do then. I start Jan 09. OOph...I guess Im making a call to the American Red Cross for the provider CPR course... and call my physician to find out about inoculations. Just when I thought I had enough to worry about, oh and FINGERPRINTS, we have to pay for that at ECC in Newark, NJ. Im just too overwhelmed, but we gotta do what we gotta do to become RN's. Thanks for the information, from a future RN
You *probably* want the CPR/BLS course for health provides offered by the American Heart Association, not the Red Cross. Many, many hospitals offer it on a regular basis. If you get desperate, Thomas Jefferson University in Philly offers tons of BLS classes every month through their JeffStat educational arm. Hopefully, though, you'll find a closer place than that. :)
If you know you are going to need private loans, get your credit score NOW so you can attend to any errors in it. You can get all three credit reports FOR FREE from:
Do NOT use freecreditreport.com, which is not run by the consortium of credit bureaus.
Pay the 6 or 7 bucks and get your FICO score. It will give you a clue if you are going to need a cosigner or not. All of the bureaus offer you a chance to get your FICO score while you're on their website, although I think Experian wants you to get their FICO-alike score.
Before you apply for a private student loan, read this article:
And check out the website they recommend: http://StudentLendingAnalytics.com There is a lot of good info there, including ratings of private student loan lenders.
WOW! Thank you atomic Woman! You read my mind - LOL! The tuition expenses and all other fees ( eeek . . housing! ) are a little intimidating - but i knew before i applied that i would find a way :) Oh ya - i learned about stupid freecreditreport.com - what a scam, it took me a year to realize that they were deducting $ from my credit card - oops!
WOW! Thank you atomic Woman! You read my mind - LOL! The tuition expenses and all other fees ( eeek . . housing! ) are a little intimidating - but i knew before i applied that i would find a way :) Oh ya - i learned about stupid freecreditreport.com - what a scam, it took me a year to realize that they were deducting $ from my credit card - oops!
You're welcome. :)
When you apply for the private loan, make sure you have your interest rate in hand! Most of the lenders make you call to find out your interest rate (prime + 1/2%, LIBOR + 1/2%, etc.), but they want you to go ahead and sign the promissory note. Uh, uh!
And exhaust Stafford loans first. Even though they are higher-priced loans for me right now, they are at a fixed interest rate. Actually, I think most private student loan lenders make you get the maximum Stafford you are eligible for.
) are a little intimidating - but i knew before i applied that i would find a way :) Oh ya - i learned about stupid freecreditreport.com - what a scam, it took me a year to realize that they were deducting $ from my credit card - oops!
AtomicWoman
1,747 Posts
That alarm clock IS funny. LOL
Seriously, though, be sure to have 2 alarm clocks. That way, if one doesn't work or you forget to set it or set it to the wrong time, you have a back-up. I have to get up at 5 AM 3 days a week for school this semester. I have my digital alarm clock on my dresser and an old-fashioned wind-up clock far enough away that I have to get up to turn it off. No way do I want to miss class! You can pick up a wind-up back-up clock fairly cheaply at Rite-Aid and other discount stores.
Somehow, my hubby manages to sleep through my alarms...