Working ahead...Suggestions?

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Dec 14, 2009

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY Hands down- will help you with all your courses.

guest042302019, BSN, RN · Dec 14, 2009

I kinda figured that..I've taken both and had received a high A in both classes. Are you suggesting to be continually knowledgeable of A&P?

student005 · Dec 15, 2009

I laughed when I read your post because you sound EXACTLY like me! =) As a current (successful) nursing student looking back, I would suggest the following:

1. A&P - The more you study the better! It will help you in understanding disease processes and reason your way through test questions/subject matter you're not familiar with.

2. Pharmacology - I wouldn't focus on specific drugs so much as on drug classes. If you can get the basic class info down, it will help you remember specific drugs later on. (I love Davis's Drug Guide for Nurses and Pharmacology Made Incredibly Easy!)

3. Introduce yourself to the nursing process and care plans. They'll teach you all the nitty-gritty in nursing school, but having a general idea about what they are and why they're used will give you a huge advantage!

4. Lab Values - This isn't really vital info for starting out, but it's quite a bit of info to memorize. Starting to learn the normal ranges and the clinical significance of elevated or decreased values now will keep you from having to cram later.

Good luck to you!!!

Nepenthe Sea · Dec 15, 2009

One time, somebody asked this forum if they should start memorizing lab values (electrolytes, hematocrit and hemoglobin, glucose, ABGs, etc.). I remember some posters said they wouldn't bother, because you don't really have to have them memorized much, and the lab values are different everywhere - which they are right about. However, I wish I had memorized that stuff over the summer because when school began this fall, we DID have to memorize them (the values they gave us in class). A bunch of our questions on every exam were based on knowing those and I never had time to really get to know the numbers. So it wouldn't hurt to make some flash cards and go through them.

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Dec 15, 2009

I would do a good overview on Nursing Pharmacology, Med/Surge and Fundamentals.

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Dec 15, 2009

We didn't need to know majority of values because they said on the lab reports it will give the values, the ones we needed to know were values not given in a lab report, like Normal ranges on Vitals, Blood Sugars, Urine output and stuff like that.

Nepenthe Sea · Dec 15, 2009

We didn't need to know majority of values because they said on the lab reports it will give the values, the ones we needed to know were values not given in a lab report, like Normal ranges on Vitals, Blood Sugars, Urine output and stuff like that.

Our lab reports had them too, but when we took our exams, we always had a bunch of questions that involved lab values, and if you didn't know the numbers well (like me!), then you were kinda screwed. But yeah, you wouldn't need to know them in the clinical setting, necessarily.

Nepenthe Sea · Dec 15, 2009

Another thing I did before getting into NS that I think helped was watching skills videoes on YouTube. When we actually got around to learning them, I was a little bit familiar with them, so they seemed easier to learn.

kayty2339 · Dec 15, 2009

It's been five years since I took A&P...others have told me not to worry about it and that I would still do fine in the program. I hope they are right because I definitely don't remember what I learned in A&P 5 years ago. I kind of wish I would have retaken A&P 2 at least, but I'm starting the program in January and there just isn't much time to catch up on all of it now.

I've been reading through this book called "Test Success for Beginning Nursing Students" It was recommended by my program to introduce the test taking techniquies for passing the types of tests we will be taking in nursing school. So far it seems really good and there are a lot of pointers on how to break down the questions and answers.

Have any of you read this book? Do you think it will benefit me a lot? I figured I'd read it now since I probably won't have time to read it once school starts.

I also got the Dosage Calculations Made Incredibly Easy book and I'm going to go over some of that before school starts too. I hope all of this pays off once school starts.

missy--kay · Dec 15, 2009

It's true that on a lab report youwill have "normal" ranges, but on exams, you will not be given normal ranges, you just have to know them. On the NCLEX, I had several questions that prompted me to open a chart and decide on the nursing intervention for said values... and there were no normals listed. I would definetly know the major ones, for sure. Good luck and kudos to you for your 4.0!! I too, had a 4.0 through my prereqs... nursing classes are a whole different animal. Again, congrats and good luck!

guest042302019, BSN, RN · Dec 15, 2009

wow..I really appreciate the heads up. I'm looking forward to the beginning of the program and I am very optimistic that I will get accepted considering my drive (compulsiveness) to get in. These tips are really handy. Any specific books that you recommend that I could take a look at in my free time?