Things to do before the real stuff begins

[ams24]

Hi! I am just about finishing my pre-requisites this year and am going to be starting real nursing classes this fall. Are there any good things to be reading/doing before starting the real stuff? Are there any books anyone recommends reading for motivation/inspiration or for planning? Would a subscription to a monthly nursing journal be helpful? A teacher once gave me chicken soup for the nurses soul and I really enjoyed it. A review here might do me better than the reviews on amazon and such. Thanks!

[Music in My Heart]

I disagree with the notion of "take time to relax." There's plenty of time for that later.

Personally, I think studying medical terminology and some of the basics of pharmacology (major drug classes, etc) was helpful. Starting some pathophysiology while your basic physio is still fresh would also be of benefit.

[dianah, ASN]

someone suggest i move this thread from the students section for answers from already established nurses. thanks for your help!

Could move it, yes, but you've received some helpful responses so far in this area. :)

[llg, PhD, RN]

If you read threads here about how difficult it is to find a job as a new graduate, you may agree with me that the best thing a student can do when they have extra time on their hands is to get the kind of experience (not book-learning) that will help you land a good job after graduation. For example:

1. Take a course and become a CNA. Then work part time as a CNA while you go to school.

2. Do volunteer work for the hospital of your choice -- or with the patient population that interests you most.

3. Get any type of part time job or volunteer experience at the hospital of your choice.

Any hands-on experience you can get now will help you stand out when it comes time to look for an RN job. And once you get into the nursing part of your curriculum, you should similarly looking for opportunities for special projects, independent studies, etc. that you could get involved in that would give you valuable experience, professional contacts, etc. Don't just "do OK in the normal required stuff" and then be "just another average new grad" at the end.