Joining a nursing school is fun and exciting, especially if this has been your dream. However, there are numerous essentials that you need to have as you join your ideal nursing school. These nursing school essentials will make your life easier at school and propel you to success. Having the right tools and supplies is not just a requirement for nursing school but a necessity to acquire all the right skills and knowledge to become a decorated nurse. This article covers the most essential nursing school tools and supplies you need.
Essentials for Clinical Shift
Once you join the nursing school, you must attend lessons in the clinical and simulation lab. There are essentials required for these lessons to help you perform the tasks required. Depending on the specific nursing program, you may be asked to purchase some supplies before the clinical rotations.
- Penlight—A penlight is a small torch about the size of a pen. It is helpful to nurses as it can help assess the patient’s eyes. It is an essential tool that every nurse must have.
- Stethoscope—This is the most important item needed in the simulation lab. The tool listens to heart, lung, and bowel sounds. Ensure you always have the stethoscope with you since you never know when you will need it.
- Water bottle—As a practicing nurse, it is essential to practice healthy hacks, such as always remaining hydrated. Having a water bottle with you in class and anywhere else ensures you take in fluids that are helpful to the body.
- Scissors—Every nursing student must have a pair of scissors specifically made for use in the nursing industry. These scissors, also known as trauma shears or first aid scissors, help with cutting clothing and dressings, among other uses.
- Nursing bag—A nursing bag is essential as this is what you use to carry your items around. Your nursing bag will help you bring along scissors, a pen light, and notebooks, among other items you need in class or in the lab.
Nursing School Essentials for Class
- Weekly scheduler – nursing school entails a busy schedule and lots of learning that life may simply pass by before you notice it. Some days will be for clinical; others, you could be having classes the entire day, and so on. That is why the planner is essential, as it helps set up your time to live life off the school activities and engage in fun and rejuvenating activities.
- Notebooks, notes, revision materials – you can be sure you will take notes in nursing school. Notebooks will help keep the information you learn in class secure for future use and revision. You must also know where to source more information, which is essential when revising your exams. You can check out reputable websites that offer nursing school revision materials such as notes, practice questions, and flashcards. One such website is Nursing Prep Exams. The site has more information on everything nursing, whether you are preparing for an exam or want to learn more about a specific topic in nursing.
- Sticky notes – sticky notes can be pretty helpful since you will reference multiple books during your classes. Use them to highlight essential topics and concepts for future reference and easier access. You could get sticky notes with different colors and shapes.
- Phone apps – the other nursing school essentials are phone apps. Several phone apps can be helpful in your nursing journey in school. They are available for Android devices and iOS. Some applications to download include:
Nursing Education Flashcard Apps: These apps offer students memorization hacks by using flashcards to recall important concepts.
Nursing Knowledge Reference Apps—The apps contain a database of all relevant medical information from which to source information when needed. They contain information on lab tests, disease overviews, and medications, among other things.
Mental Health and Wellness Apps—Numerous applications are available for nurses’ self-care and emotional wellness. During stressful moments, students can visit these apps and get some mental health help.
- Highlighters – as you revise your notes and textbooks, it is advisable to highlight the important notes and information. Highlighters can help you remember the important aspects of different nursing topics. The highlighters can also be used to note crucial patient information on clinical days. They allow you to remain organized and recall essential details.
Essential Attire for Nursing School
While it is evident that nursing students spend most of their time in clinicals, having the proper attire for the classes or lab lessons is crucial. You will also have to rock these nursing school attires in the real-world health center. Here are some must-have essentials –
- Comfortable shoes – as a nursing student, you will spend a lot of time on your feet during clinical or simulation lab lessons. That is why you need a pair of shoes you are comfortable in. Always check with the school guidelines, as some institutions require students to have a specific pair of shoes or color.
- Scrubs – you need a set of two scrubs in nursing school. Typically, the scrubs will also bear the college logo and school colors. If you are more comfortable with the scrubs along the way, you could even purchase more and have extra scrubs to put on daily.
- Compression socks – these types of socks are also important in nursing school. Just like you need comfortable shoes, you also need a pair of comfortable compression socks that allow you to stand and move about the entire day with no issues.
- Scrub jacket—Hospitals generally have colder temperatures to prevent germs or bacteria from surviving. Since you will be wearing your scrubs, getting a scrub jacket to cover yourself is the only viable solution.
- Hair ties—Students with long hair should look for hair ties to tie it up, as this is one of the standard healthcare protocols. The hair ties prevent students from collecting hospital or lab germs and taking them home.
Bottom Line
Before joining a nursing school to pursue your dream career, remember that there are important parameters that you need to propel you to success. These are your daily assistants in your activities that will assist you in accomplishing your tasks and make work easier in class and the lab simulation. Ensure you have these nursing school essentials for a remarkable experience at your nursing school of choice.