(Part 2) Top products from r/StudentNurse

•CV Pharmacology helped me understand many concepts, though that site is geared only toward heart (CV Cardiovascular) medications.

















•This site about adrenergic receptors was useful as well.



















•RealNurseEd helped a lot on a few concepts like ABG’s.



















•I’m not sure what textbook the class uses, but Lehne’s Pharmacology for Nursing is worded very clearly and in understandable terms, I’d recommend it (check if your school’s library has it instead of buying it).



















•MERCK MANUAL!!!!! This is the capstone, hallmark, gold standard, ultimate resource, bible of medical (mainly patho) information. Googling things sends one to a land of indirect results, sensory overload, and often conflicting information, it can be really hard to get a definitive answer from there. Merck Manual is a straightforward, to-the-point resource for anything medical related. Again, your library probably has this, any edition is marvelous.





















•Gray’s Anatomy is actually a real and extremely useful book, go figure. It very clearly breaks down and labels human anatomy. Patho is virtually an amped-up review of A&P, so this and Merck Manual might be useful. Hundreds of versions are available, many online formats free. Your library most likely has this as well.






















•Various lecture videos on YouTube can help. And when searching for a certain thing, follow the search with “.edu”— that will usually bring up sites in html format. I’ve found those sites to be most straightforward and easy to use.

>Can a shy person excel in nursing?

Yes of course, as long as your shyness doesn't interfere with patient care and safety!

> Any advice for overcoming this?

I'm pretty shy and have some social anxiety and this mostly comes out in personal social situations. When at school or work - I just fake it. I know that sounds so simple but that's really all I do. I basically am an actress. Not being my "true self" relieves most of my shyness/insecurity/anxiety.
> I want to be good with people & dealing with their emotions & illnesses but as of right now I can't even do basic small talk. Any advice would be strongly appreciated.

If it is this debilitating - you should talk to a counselor/therapist. What you are dealing with is a VERY COMMON issue among humans and there are TONS of therapies/skills/books/etc that are for people in your situation. Therapist can help you recognize strengths in your personality/shyness and identify areas in which you could develop to reach your full potential. You don't need to become an extrovert to be a successful nurse.

I suggest this book: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking It really helped me accept myself and that my introversion was valuable.

nice job on the cards :P

A few suggestions!

-Retractable ID holder

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-heavy duty ID / card holder

(so easy to wipe clean AND store both a debit or credit card and ID badge)

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-A mini sharpie or dry erase marker (to attach to ID holder)

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If you haven't yet purchased the hand sanitizer - I wouldn't do it. Facilities have SO MUCH hand sanitizer; on the nurse carts, in the patient rooms, and at intervals on walls throughout hallways. My current clinical instructors also hate when i carry personal hand sanitizer because a) i always have the scented ones to which some people are sensitive and b) i keep them in pockets below waist-level, which is considered "unclean."

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Adorable, sweet idea!

I bought a Saunders test Prep book and read it before starting nursing school. It is a HUGE help because a large part of the difficulty of nursing school is that you have to figure out NCLEX style questions. The one I got was not very big and had great tips.

You also may want to get flash cards and go ahead and memorize some common normal ranges for lab values. (Like normal ranges for sodium, etc.) your school may not require that you memorize them but mine did and it will help to already know them.

If you want to review a class you have already taken (I assume) look back on A&P. It's a foundation for just about every class here on out.

Here is the book:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0323296610/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469047504&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=saunders+test+taking+strategies&dpPl=1&dpID=51iP-IZF84L&ref=plSrch

Good Luck! I'm glad you are preparing ahead of time!

I have two, both I got for less than $10 each, used, off Amazon.

Here's the first one I purchased.

Nursing Diagnosis Handbook: An Evidence-Based Guide to Planning Care, 9th Edition, Betty J. Ackle

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0323071503/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's OK.

Here's the second one I purchased.

Clinical Companion to Medical-Surgical Nursing: Assessment and Management of Clinical Problems, 8th Edition, Lewis

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0323066623/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Like this one a whole lot more. It's more ... how should I put this?

It gets to the point fast, and uses concise language. It's a small book, which is disconcerting at first, but when you realize how loaded it is with information, you're kind of amazed.

To be perfectly honest with you, clinical is my worst class. I'm fine with patients, have great bedside manner, and have zero issues following a nurse around and helping her all day long. It's when I get home and have to write up my clinical portfolio that I feel like screaming and setting my textbooks on fire. :D

https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Physiology-Coloring-Workbook-Complete/dp/0134459369&ved=2ahUKEwiByPzQu_HdAhXkm-AKHc8LBM4Q5OUBMAh6BAgJEAE&usg=AOvVaw0ebn5ZIlB7HO7uN7aDestO

I think this link will work but its the Marieb version by Pearson. Its like $60 something but its useful at quizzing yourself before you take graded tests or quizzes. If you really want to get familiar watch A+P lectures on youtube. I like Wendy Riggs. I personally read an old textbook before classes even started to help familiarize myself with the material so I'd know how much to study.

I haven't taken the exit HESI yet, but I've taken the individual HESI exams for each course and have done really well (1200+ on most of them). I'm starting my last semester in January, so I'm almost done. This book has been really helpful--https://www.amazon.com/HESI-Comprehensive-Review-NCLEX-RN-Examination/dp/1455727520
It goes over what is most likely to be tested on and the most important concepts to remember with each topic with sections on meds and stuff, too. I feel like with the HESI you have to know what the priority is to get the question right--so, safety (often the correct answer for mental health questions), airway/circulation/bleeding, infection control--if those big important priority things are listed it's often the right answer I've found.

These helped me as well. He has a way of breaking it down so that I could grasp the basic concept then go into more detail. I highly recommend them. And flash cards. I picked up a a set from a company called Mosby’s. Got them off Amazon. They had all the systems. I highlighted parts I needed to review as per my study guide (and notes) and took them with me everywhere.

Edit: These are the ones I got There’s also some fun coloring books that help with the physiology side you can get, if you’re into that.

I'm a hands-on/visual learner, so I personally find lab exams to be easier than written course exams. That being said, I definitely needed to study more than just the Powerpoint notes and lab manual in order to be successful.

My lab assigned this book as a required text, and I found it to be wicked helpful! It has a histology section, and then the rest is all photographs of structures from cadavers.

I found it very helpful to take some practice tests to figure out what I needed the most work on. It also helped me know exactly what to expect from the HESI, which dramatically reduced my anxiety going into the exam.

I purchased this book with three tests for about $20. It's especially handy because, in addition to telling you the correct answers, it explains the rationale for why it's correct. This reduces the time you need to spend re-learning things.

If you have the time to devote to it, practice all the sections required by your program. You may be surprised what you may have forgotten (even in the grammar and math sections).

Again if you have the time, my advice is to take the first practice exam cold to see how it feels, then study for a week on the areas you need the most work on before taking another test. See how you improved and focus on studying in areas you were lacking on. Take the last test a week or two before your HESI date to get an idea of what to expect of your final score.

i liked this one: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/032191855X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

because it related microbes to patho and ended up being really helpful with patho courses down the line. with that being said, it's not specific to nursing per se, but if does help connect the concepts

I mainly used Hurst. I reviewed the book 2-3 times and listened to the recordings. The Qreviews were helpful to get the feel of taking NCLEX. Make sure you read the rationales even if you got it right. I passed my nclex with 75 questions.

For info that I wasn't familiar with I used this book: http://astore.amazon.com/regnurrn-20/detail/0323065856

http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Pathophysiology-5e-Huether/dp/0323078915

Textbook from my patho class. I've used it every semester ever since.

I have this one: https://www.amazon.com/Nursing-Diagnosis-Handbook-Evidence-Based-Planning/dp/0323322247/ref=nodl_

This is the one our school made us get my 1st semester of nursing of Fall’18!

Understanding the Essentials of... https://www.amazon.com/dp/0134146344?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Basic and Clinical Pharmacology 13edition by Bertram Katzung.
This book helped me pass my pharm class!

https://www.amazon.ca/Basic-Clinical-Pharmacology-Bertram-Katzung/dp/0071825053

As I said when you asked this same question a couple hours ago:

midwifery and gynecological nursing is generally out of scope for your typical student nurse (or LPN, RN) - womens health and midwifery are areas people get advanced degrees in.

Most (all?) nursing school maternity textbooks are going to include the basics of women's health, like breast cancer and STIs, etc.

My school used this book, it's fine. https://www.amazon.com/Maternity-Womens-Health-Care/dp/032316918X

You have to buy it through evolve.elsevier.com, but I think it's only for elsevier books, which we use in my program

But maybe you could do it without having used the books, but you won't be able to look anything up if you don't agree with it https://www.amazon.com/Elsevier-Adaptive-Quizzing-Medical-Surgical-36-Month/dp/0323244971

This review book is saving my class's collective tuchus. Seriously. One class told the next. Then administration got wind of it. Now it's in the book bundle for the incoming students.

My school had us buy the Swearingen All in One and it was beyond useless. I ended up getting a copy of the Ackley & Ladwig book, and it was really useful to me. I see not everyone agrees with that, but I guess everything is YMMV. What I like about A&L is that the front half of the book is a list of conditions with possible nursing dx (i.e. you might look up "cystic fibrosis" and find dxes of ineffective airway clearance, impaired gas exchange, etc.) and then the back of the book was just nursing diagnoses in alphabetical order, with indications, outcomes, and interventions. So if you had looked up CF in the front of the book and wanted to write a care plan about ineffective airway clearance, you'd flip to the ineffective airway clearance section in the back and just pick out however many interventions you need.

Edit: a word