What to brush up on before nursing school?

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Specializes in Emergency.

I start my program in January!!!

Its taken me a year to just get my pre-req's out of the way and I know there are certain things I have forgotten. What should I brush up on before I start my program?

Cranial nerves, organ functions, circulatory system.....these are amongst my first thoughts, any adivce would be greatly appreciated. I'd like to hit the ground running.

Also what stethascopes are high quality. SHOES....which are the most comfortable?

Until then, I have to pass this OChem class! :uhoh3:

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Specializes in nicu.

Hi Liz! There's so much to learn during nursing school that it is difficult to recommend what to brush up on. My advice is to just understand basic anatomy and physiology since that was the most useful science pre-req for me. I was told Littman stethoscopes are the best quality and thats what I use, but they are expensive. I where Dansko shoes and find them really comfortable, but they too are more expensive. Congratulations for getting into a nursing program! Good luck with OChem and try to relax before you get burned out in nursing school! :)

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Specializes in NICU.

This is JMO, but I wouldn't brush up on anything! Honestly, you'll have so much to go over in nursing school, they'll tell you what you need to know and need to do, so I would just wait.

Now's the time to spend time with your family and friends, and just enjoy life. Because once you start nursing school you won't have one!

Good luck to you and congrats on starting the program soon!

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Specializes in Corrections, neurology, dialysis.

NOTHING! You'll only confuse yourself.

Nursing school teaches you a completely different way of thinking. It's a process that is loooooooong and slooooooooow. It's not about gaining information; it's more about putting together the pieces of a puzzle. You'll do better to let your future instructor guide you through that process. If you try putting information into your head now, you'll only have to rearrange it later. Better to just take it as it comes.

Best of luck to you.

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Specializes in Emergency.

Thanks for the info; its a little comforting getting the advice to not try to brush up on much if anything. OChem and my job are sucking the life out of me right now. But soon I'll be rid of those two things to make way for nursing school. YEAH!!!

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I start my program in January!!!

Its taken me a year to just get my pre-req's out of the way and I know there are certain things I have forgotten. What should I brush up on before I start my program?

Cranial nerves, organ functions, circulatory system.....these are amongst my first thoughts, any adivce would be greatly appreciated. I'd like to hit the ground running.

Also what stethascopes are high quality. SHOES....which are the most comfortable?

Until then, I have to pass this OChem class! :uhoh3:

The best thing you can do is to do what you won't be able to do or do much of for the next 1-2 years you are in school. Things like hang out with family, go to a party, relax, relax some more, LOL. Seriously, you will learn what you need to when you get to school. Just be right now. Be happy and worry-free, for those days are coming to a glorious end.

Dansko shoes are comfy, so are Crocs (Lov em)

Littman Classic II SE is a great stethoscope (I have one myself)

Good luck with your current studies and just remember when you are sitting in one of your nursing classes and are feeling REALLY overwhelmed, take a deep breath and remember "this too shall pass."

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Specializes in RN- Med/surg.

Littmann classic II is a GOOD mid priced stethascope. For shoes..I LOVE my Saucony's. They aren't too expensive ($50) a pair..but feel like a hundred dollar pair of shoes. I usually buy them when on sale and buy a few pairs.

Good luck..and ditto everyone else. Unless there was something in anatomy you REALLY struggled with that you feel you should brush up on...just relax and do what you know you'll miss in the next few years.

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I wouldn't worry much about studying in advance either unless it's been a long time since you took A&P. If you at least feel like it'll come back to you, don't worry about it - it gets covered again, albeit briefly, along the way in NS. I have the Littmann Classic II SE as well, and I bought it purely because it's what the school recommended. I paid about $75 for it, and it was packaged with a pocket protector that contained a penlight, 4 color inkpen, bandage scissors, and something else...There's no sense getting a really expensive one for school since you don't know what you'lre listening to yet, but you also don't want to buy the cheapest one available since you might not be able to pick anything up. Shoes? I wear Nikes. We aren't allowed to wear crocs or clogs of any kind, so I thought I'd stick with what I knew.

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Specializes in med-surg.

I agree with the posts here - relax, spend time with friends and family and having some fun (read some great non-nursing books).

BUT - if you can fit it in, brushing up on MATH wouldn't be a bad idea. Nothing too hard - no algrbra, just your basic junior high math: fractions, decimals, %, ratios, conversions. My program doesn't let us use calculators the first semester (as we prepare for the dosage calc test), so it's been a trip doing long division. We use Dosage Calculations by Pickar as a reference - maybe you can find out from your program which one they'll be using and buy it early.

congrats & good luck!

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I would highly recommend learning some medical terminology and abbreviation. I just started in September and that really help me not to panic when the prof's throw out CVA, DVT, AVD, etc !! You can get a Medical terminology book at Barnes & Noble and read it for fun.

Relax and get your "ducks in a row," get your study area organized, clean out you closets, do stuff you have put off and cook and freeze food for later, stuff like that helped me to keep my "old life" from taking energy away from my new, 100% nursing all the time, life!!

Just had my dosage calculation test today and we used the Pickard book too, but I don't think it is worth $70+ if you don't have to !!!

I wear Dansko's and just bought anotherpair to wear outside of clinicals!! Really great, but get the size up and try on a few pairs in the same size-they do vary a little.

Stethoscope wise, we actually got a great one as part of out nursing kit/ student fee, so don't buy until you know (- I was gonna buy the Littman classic II)

Oh, and knowing the cranial nerves did help me for my health assessment test yesterday!

Good luck

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Thanks for asking this. I posted something similar in the CA forum before I found this forum :nuke:.

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Specializes in Emergency.

Yeah, I think I got some good advice to this question.

I see you are in San Diego too, where are you (or will you be) going to nursing school? I'll be in the accelerated BSN program at Azusa Pacific (their Mission Valley Campus)

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