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???
A ROLLING SUITCASE to carry all the books. Get the study guides for every book even if it's not required. Note cards to make flash cards, loose leaf notebooks, sticky notes, pens and pencils. A nursing diagnosis book even if it's not required, a pharmacology made incredibly easy book. A calculator, a dosage administration workbook, do some each day.
It is for sure the coolest and most amazing gadget!!!!!
If you are going to get a recorder I suggest go with the pen...Go to youtube and look for the demos and you will fall in love with it...can't wait to start using it:yeah:
ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLright! took me a week, but I finally made it through all 64 pages! I c&p the great ideas and highly rec items into a word doc, printed it out and hung it on my wall by my desk. Then I went to allheart.com and made a wish list. I will post about making that list on FB and hope some awesome family members suprise me! But I won't hold my breath! I am def getting my books debinded, and thought about getting the chapters that test together spiral bound together. This would help eliminate the risk of the pages getting beat up by the 3ring. Thoughts?
Also, I see lots of talk of PDA's. I know Itunes has lots of med apps, think I could use my Iphone? I am (im)patiently waiting for my prof to start posting our requirements and all that. We had orientation yesterday, and I was disappointed. They told one class what day their clinicals would be, but no one else. No book list, no nothin!! I got my own booklist from the book store, when I ordered my books. So annoying. Classes start on the 25th, and they just keep saying they will post info on our school emails soon. HURRY UP!!!!!!!
I told everyone I talked to about this site. Looking forward to the next 3+ years together!!!
A good pair of shoes.....Danskos by far I still have my first pair! Clicky pens....to your discretion, I happen to love the G2 1.0 it writes beautifully in charts and it writes thick so I can always pick out my papers and charting.....most impo a GREAT stethoscope......some of your grades will be determined on what you hear through it and if you can pick up certain heart sounds, if you take good care of it it will be a great investment for years to come! One more thing a clipbord with storage in it and a calculator....Wal Mart like $10, holds all your clinical paperwork without you having to tote a notebook around, and if you clinical instructor wants a drug calculation done on spot well your calculator is right there......They really love the students that are over prepaired!
Ok, I went on my shopping trip today. MOST all the must haves were on sale at Staples today. The only things I haveto get are retractable highlighters and sharpies. I could only find ultrathin Sharpies. So, if you have any needs...hit up staples!
I appreciate all of the wisdom and insight that I have gained by reading this ENTIRE thread. I start an ADN program in September and by far the most important thing for me is a dedicated place to study. I have one idea that has saved my GPA and potentially my marriage!
My husband and I both work and both go to school full time. Our small home office was really becoming a battle field over who was going to get to use what resource (including the desk) at any given moment. One day it dawned on me that we were not utilizing our most exmemberve investment to it's fullest... by that I mean our home. We have a huge master bedroom and then 3 other smaller bedrooms. That very weekend, we took both our master bedroom and our home office apart and traded them. We now have a small and admitedly cozy bedroom (into which neither of us are allowed to bring any school work) and then a large sunny spacious office. We found a second desk at a used office furniture place, set up a home network that gives us both access to the internet as well as the printer/scanner. We each have our own space and there is still room to have a comfy reading chair and lamp for when we just need a little change of venue. After we saw how amazingly well that change worked, we were more open to other changes that may look strange to a non-student, but they work wonderful for us. Our slate dining room tablle has been covered by a cut to fit sheet of brown board (from HomeDepot for a smooth writing surface while protecting the furniture) and then we mounted a 8 x 12 white board on the dining room wall. Now when my mathmatics major husband wants to have a late night study session, all of the guys come over and have the perfect place to "Geek Speak" without bothering anyone else in the house. All of the changes may sound off the wall, but it has made a HUGE difference on the environment in our home. Now they only battle we have is over whose school is superior (our schools are rivals)!
1. A good NCLEX guide. I highly recommend both Saunders & Reviews & Rationales: NCLEX-RN from Pearson Prentice Hall. Both are excellent books.
2. A *GOOD* stethoscope - don't get a cheapo crappy $20 one, unless that's all you can afford. I would spend money on a GOOD one and have it last - you will also be able to hear better with them. I highly recommend a Littman Classic II S.E. for nursing school, which averages around $84 at medical supply stores. You can find them cheaper online, though. I wouldn't go for a Littmann "lower" than that model tbh. The model "below" Classic II is the Lightweight, and I have worked with many nurses who have it and they all say the same thing - it sucks and they wish they bought something better. Don't fall into that same trap! And if you do decide on a Littmann, I would suggest getting some sort of name tag for it. And don't leave it laying around - always keep it with you! Littmanns have a tendency of getting stolen
3. A good coffee pot that is capable of making lots of coffee.
4. Some good, STRONG coffee on hand.
5. Black clicky pens so you don't have to worry about caps.
6. Lots and lots of highlighters - I like to colorcode my notes with them.
7. A planner of some kind (or a wall/desk calendar) is a MUST - you need to stay organized!!
8. A bottle of ibuprofen/acetaminophen.
9. Post-It notes/flags
10. Lots of binders/folders for notes
11. A comfy pair of shoes - I personally like Crocs Specialist - very light, very comfortable and no holes!
12. A storage clipboard - it opens up so you can fit papers and things inside. Mine also has a calculator on the front which comes in handy for drug calculations. I got mine at Walmart for like $10 - totally worth it!
I just want to say that I just finished reading every single post on this entire thread. I know have a list of 183 suggestions in my pre-nursing school notebook! I start nursing school on August 16th, and am very, very excited. Thank you so much to everyone who posted suggestions. You are so wonderful and helpful! Thank you so very much. I will revisit this thread if I come up with any suggestions of my own in the future. Thanks!
I dont remember reading that one
I am def getting my books debinded, and thought about getting the chapters that test together spiral bound together. This would help eliminate the risk of the pages getting beat up by the 3ring. Thoughts?
famous74
22 Posts
Great! Thanks for the reply. I wanted to get a digital recorder, but I think this might be worth the investment.