I have been going through all these posts to find what items are the best things to have for nursing school. The posts are all scattered so I thought I would start a post that will contain all the info for the new incoming students.
I would like to know what I should spend my money on when it comes to study guides, NCLEX review books, NET review books, best nursing shoes (without a logo), stethescope, misc nursing items you have to have, etc. Any new students/senior students/graduate nurses have any info they can share? What were the items you couldn't live without???
I am still pre-nursing, but I find that along with notecards (flashcards), it is useful to have a small whiteboard and markers too. I don't like to just look at my flashcards, I like to write the answer down first--well, I have A LOT OF NOTECARDS, so this would waste lots and lots of paper. The whiteboard comes in so handy because you save paper and your hand will hurt less because the markers flow easier:)
This is so great. I was wandering this myself. Having the right tools for a job is having half the work done. Very important. I have read most of the threads and they are all great stuffs. Half of my stress is out the window.
This is so great. I was wandering this myself. Having the right tools for a job is having half the work done. Very important. I have read most of the threads and they are all great stuffs. Half of my stress is out the window.
Glad to hear your stress has been defenestrated. (If you don't know what that means, look it up).
i started nursing school last semester and i'm in my first clinical this semester...
these are a few things i've gotten that i don't think i could live without...
1. littman cardio III
2. PDA, i have an HP and i got my programs from skyscape (we are strongly recomended to have them for clincal, a palm or pda, almost everyone in my class has one for clincal, they are really convient)
3. comfortable shoes (i bought a pair of Rockers i like them but they have a linning on the front of the shoe on the inside and my pinky toe hits it everytime i step. After a few hours my pinky toes are sore, even after puting band-aids on them. I'm planning on buying a pair of Alpro clogs with backstrap by birkenstocks over the summer. I'm planning on getting a job as a nurse tech and no way can i make it through with the shoes i have now.
4. black pens
5. pen light
6. lots of notecards, all sizes, i usually use 3x5 and cut them inhalf for definitions makes them last longer and you don't waste as much, i just got 5x8 for medcards
7. determination
8. i take handcream and chapstick with me to clinical, i hate dry lips and dry hands, wash your hands all the time
9. lots of pockets (our clinical uniforms have a lots)
10. lots of 3 ring binders, my first nursing class i got away with an 1 1/2 inch binder, Nursing interventions (med-surg) i'm taking now, i have a 3 inch!!
11. A good attitude, know that nursing school isn't easy, sometimes you will do better then you think and other times you will stuggle wondering if this is for you, keep your head up high, always remember, why you wanted to be a nurse, look at how far you come, take it one day at a time, and remeber one day you will be a REAL NURSE!!!!
I must be missing something... why would my lab partner see me in my undies?
I found that out this weekend at Accepted Students Day--you will be practicing on each other in labs before you ever get to touch a patient. You will get into a gown, but you'll have to take the top down for certain things. So they advised us to buy a couple of nice pairs of underwear..
My PDA is my life. Check with your instructors though because some of mine let me use it and some hate them. All in all I dont have to carry around my heavey books and when I need something its much faster to find it in my PDA then hunt through pages. Also just about every person in my class loves the Saunders review books any book store should carry them. They are great for practice exam questions. Oh and buy a couple of pen lights because they are often easily lost and invest in a good hand lotion.
My PDA is my life. Check with your instructors though because some of mine let me use it and some hate them. All in all I dont have to carry around my heavey books and when I need something its much faster to find it in my PDA then hunt through pages. Also just about every person in my class loves the Saunders review books any book store should carry them. They are great for practice exam questions. Oh and buy a couple of pen lights because they are often easily lost and invest in a good hand lotion.
At my school we are strongly recommended to have them. All professors tell us to get one. But we are not aloud to use them on tests, only for class, when looking up lab values, and other things and in clinical!! i highly recommend them. Worth every penny i spent on it!!
The main common item here is a good pair of shoes. I think I am about to enter into the wrong profession. I am going into the shoes business instead.
Well with all the walking and being on your feet you will understand, when your feet hurt it's a lot harder to keep your mind on what your doing. I don't have a great pair right now, and toward the end of clinical my feet let me know it's time to go soon, i'm only at clinical for 6 hours at a time. My pinky toes hurt the whole day after clinical it's horrible.
I am not sure! Are gloves one of the must have? Or are they adequately supplied by the school.
Gloves should be in good supply both in lab and certainly in the hospitals, with one caveat: if you have a latex allergy, I'd recommend buying a box of nitriles and keeping them in your bookbag. There have been clinical days where I was put in the position of either not touching anything or having itchy hands. Many hospitals are going latex-free, but a few of them seem to be all latex, all the time.
And keep in mind that even with a good pair of shoes, your feet may decide after a while that they don't LIKE the hundred dollar pair of Danskos you bought and that have been serving perfectly for the last six months. Oh no, now they want something else. Little brats.
(If you don't know what that means, look it up).
I am going into the shoes business instead. 
moonischasingme1
532 Posts
I am still pre-nursing, but I find that along with notecards (flashcards), it is useful to have a small whiteboard and markers too. I don't like to just look at my flashcards, I like to write the answer down first--well, I have A LOT OF NOTECARDS, so this would waste lots and lots of paper. The whiteboard comes in so handy because you save paper and your hand will hurt less because the markers flow easier:)