To everyone in school all ready, what do you find really useful to always have with you?
I dont want to go out and buy a ton of stuff and find that it's not really what helps. I bought a ton of index cards of Ebay while taking A&P and probably have a couple thousand (*gasp* yes, I'm serious) left so I'm good with that. But what else REALLY helped you? Do you carry around a laptop? A digital camera? A recorder?
If you can record the lectures at your school get a recorder that you can hook up to your computer so you can put your lectures on there or burn to a cd so you can listen when on the go. A good backpack is always good for all the books you have to lug around. Highlighters by the bulk! A PDA if you are allowed to use it, it beats carrying a bunch of books at the hospital. Saunders 4th Ed. to help you each semester. Get you some good friends to have throughout your nursing school career. Last but not least you will need some FUN! Oh and GOD, b/c I couln't have done it with out him. Best of luck to everyone.
A backpack on wheels!!! Lots of yellow highlighters, a laptop, and I bought (Wal-Mart) a cheap plastic clipboard that has storage in it for papers and pens. I love it!
Study groups and time management. The study groups really helped because you get input from other people. if you don't understand something, someone else usually understands it. also, always set a time for yourself. at least an hour or two to do nothing related to school. it'll keep you sane.
A couple of things that help with clinicals and you just don't realize until your there is. A click top pen, you know the ones you can irritate the heck out of your classmates with. If you are always puting on and off the cap of your pen, it is a pain in the butt. And a small sticky note pad (like post its) you never know when you need to jot something down to remember later, such as vitals, or get room #301 a new bar of soap, or whatever. Oh and don't get suckered into those cute little pens with the rope on it so you can wear it around your neck. They are great and practical until your 86 year old demitia patient decides to use it to strangle you.
As you read, keep in mind that I am a very Type-A person...so laugh all you want, truly. :loveya:
Anyway, I found that using different colored paper helped me to stay organized. I use red for med-surg, green for dosage calc, and blue for whatever other course I'm taking along with med-surg (mental health, peds, mother-baby, etc.). When I'm trying to find my notes and I know they are med-surg notes, I bypass all the green and blue ones and only look for red ones in my room. Sounds silly, but it's helped many times.
Also, sheet protectors to keep in your binder for referencing protocols, rules, clinical prep forms that you don't want to get crumpled or torn and you can reference them frequently.
Go to Target and buy one of those little lock boxes with the cute little key attached. Not to be silly, but items that I absolutely cannot be without or I'll be sent home from clinical go into that box and never leave my car.
Things like black pen, hospital badges, name tags, watch with second hand, memo book, scissors, and penlight. I keep the little box on my passenger seat and as soon as I'm done with clinical, everything goes back into the box so I'll never forget it. If we forget ANY of these items, we get sent home. Not a good place to be. I never have to worry about leaving something at home.
The external storage was a great idea. I have one and every single thing from school goes onto that device....nothing else. If something happens to my computer, I've still got that little stick and all my info is safe. They are inexpensive. I got mine on sale at Target for $18.
Specializes in Flight RN, Trauma1 CVICU STICU MICU CCU.
all you need to do is find out how your institution tests. Then prepare for the tests. Learn you check-off procedures back and forth and you will survive. Of course you need your required reading materials, but i've even stopped going to class. All they have been doing for us is reading the powerpoints verbatim. i can do that at home without wasting the gas. (for the record, i'm pretty much making straight b's, but i also have a life outside of school)
Definitely invest in an NCLEX review book because they help with every aspect of nursing school, a good drug guide, a care plan book, and a recorder is helpful if your instructor allows you to record their class. Good luck :)
There's not much to add, but I'll agree with the NCLEX review book. It's a certain type of questioning that will take some practice to get used to.
For clinicals, I didn't see anywhere: a comfy pair of shoes, and I'm not kidding, compression stockings. Most of the time in clinicals all the docs and nurses and case managers, etc who work there get the chairs, and you are stuck standing at the nurse's station getting the info you need from your chart, which begins to hurt your feet.
Oh, and the sense of humor, a sense of humility, and the ability to accept criticism are invaluable as well.
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BlessedRoseRN
111 Posts
If you can record the lectures at your school get a recorder that you can hook up to your computer so you can put your lectures on there or burn to a cd so you can listen when on the go. A good backpack is always good for all the books you have to lug around. Highlighters by the bulk! A PDA if you are allowed to use it, it beats carrying a bunch of books at the hospital. Saunders 4th Ed. to help you each semester. Get you some good friends to have throughout your nursing school career. Last but not least you will need some FUN! Oh and GOD, b/c I couln't have done it with out him. Best of luck to everyone.