What did you do with your old nursing school textbooks?

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After almost 10 years, I am finally going back for my BSN. I still kept many of the nursing textbooks that were core books in my RN program. Of course now they are incredibly outdated! My question is-what have you done with your textbooks.? While I have referenced them from time to time, I am sure they are too outdated to use as resources for a current BSN program.

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Honestly? I had a lovely bonfire with most of mine when I found out the college quit buying them back ?

I'm in a BSN program as well and the ones I kept aren't really helpful.

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Thank you! The sentimental pack rat in me is having a hard time purging! ?

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Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.

In my time, I loaded them on a cart, brought in the corridor near hospital library and quietly left there with a sticky note "free books for everyone, BSN/MSN from X university just done". Did not bother to tell anyone.

No idea what anyone was thinking when both carts were found but saw some people reading them during quiet times in a week or two ?

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Specializes in retired LTC.

Some way back many years ago, I read a piece that nursing schools in poorly developed countries were DESPARATE for even old nsg/med references as they had NOTHING for their programs. I don't know if there would still be that kind of that need in today's world.

I threw my books out. Postage would have been too expensive to mail them anywhere. I do still have a very few select texts, but I'm looking to start tossing again.

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I gave usable ones away to students one semester behind me. Others were not usable, as I never liked carrying a bunch of heavy books around.

I got in the habit of tearing out the chapters we were currently working on. When the class ended, I trashed the torn up books.

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Specializes in oncology.
2 hours ago, amoLucia said:

Some way back many years ago, I read a piece that nursing schools in poorly developed countries were DESPARATE for even old nsg/med references as they had NOTHING for their programs

Yes, we had a physician with an overseas school of nursing help us with sending books to needy areas (Of course the book editions were the one preceding the current edition -- not decades old. In terms of anatomy, I doubt science had found new body parts - maybe just new information how those body parts operated.) Although we are a small college city and medical school area, one of our hospitals organizes the collection of hospital equipment.

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Specializes in oncology.

When I had my house re-roofed and paid for a dumpster, I loaded them into said dumpster. But of course

3 hours ago, KatieMI said:

I loaded them on a cart, brought in the corridor near hospital library

It is always nice to have the other guy pay for the disposal

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Specializes in Critical Care.
7 hours ago, coopman712 said:

After almost 10 years, I am finally going back for my BSN. I still kept many of the nursing textbooks that were core books in my RN program. Of course now they are incredibly outdated! My question is-what have you done with your textbooks.? While I have referenced them from time to time, I am sure they are too outdated to use as resources for a current BSN program.

I sold almost all of my books online after graduating and passing NCLEX-RN. I only kept my Saunders, Med-Surg and Drug Guide books.

In my current place of employment, we have access to UpToDate and other resources.

I am currently in a BSN program and I have not needed them at all.

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I still have mine. I use them in crafts and other projects sometimes.

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Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.

After finally earning a BSN I sent my books to a Jr. college with an RN program on a Lakota reservation. None of the Oklahoma tribes I asked wanted them. I appreciated the thank you notes. I got to meet one of those who used my books in Chicago where she worked as an RN.

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Specializes in Pediatric Private Duty AND Child/Adolescent Psych.

I graduated in 2009 My books have been on a bookshelf in my room since then. YIKES

I wish I would have done something useful with them

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