Nursing books to study??

[summerly]

hi, I am going to be going back to study sometime in the next 2 years - hopefully - and I want to study nursing.

Can anyone recommend any text books to read in the meantime just so that I can get a bit of a head start? I still have a bit of placenta brain and feel a little bit stupid (no I lied - I feel really stupid! :laughing: ) so I am a bit worried that when I go to sit all the tests next year to get in to the courses I won't go well and won't get in. It's been a long, long time since I've had to use my brain for anything other than baby - kid related stuff.

I think I am going to try and ease myself in and study div 2 - enrolled nursing first before going on to the ultimate goal of studying at uni. Any info you can give me would be really helpful. Thanks heaps!:wave:

[icugal]

Hiya...

I'm not sure what current nursing text books are good these days (I finished my training too many years ago :) ) but I notice that you're in Melbourne, so I'd recommend going to the bookshop at the Alfred Hospital... they've got some great stuff in there (I'm assuming that they'd have undergraduate stuff).

If all else fails... they used to sell really funky stethoscopes... so you could buy one and practice on everybody *LOL*

[mum23girls]

You most certainly can not go wrong with "Potter and Perry's Fundamentals of Nursing" - published by Elsevier Authors Crisp and Taylor.

It is as thick as a phonebook, and has EVERYTHING in it.

Look on textbookexchange.com.au, ebay may have it, but once people have it they keep them forever, so it is a task finding a second hand one!!

Also, I would recommend going straight into uni, if you are sure you want to be an RN...

[summerly]

Thanks everyone, I will go to the hospitals and look at what they have there. I already have the potter perry book and think it is great, but I didn't know if they used it here in Vic as a text book or not because alot of it seems very american and I didn't know if it would be applicable to the aussie system. so I thought they might have an aussie version i could get as well. And as for going straight to uni - well I am way too chicken! thanks heaps!:wave:

[mum23girls]

I have 2nd edition and it is adapted by Crisp and Taylor (who are professors at Syd & Melb Uni's) for Australia.

We use it and a few other QLD Uni's use it.
:thumbsup:

[summerly]

Thanks alot. It makes me happy to know that I can get a bit of a head start.

Can you also tell me what type of maths is needed for nursing? Like most others I can use a calculator easily enough but when it comes to mental maths I am so slow.

Thanks heaps!:)

[3boys1girl]

There are a couple of basic formulas for nursing, you dont have to be a genius to know them. Its using basic dividing and times. Belive me, if anyone can do it, then I can!!!

[summerly]

Thanks everyone, I think that I have found an answer to my own question about maths for enrolled nursing. I found a pdf file to download off the vetassess website that has the maths needed to complete the entry test. It's called the numeracy preparation guide. My husband tells me it is basic year 6/7 work. But some of it I have never done before - country government schools suck!!! So now I have to go and learn primary school maths all over again. :gloomy: I feel like such a dummy.