Best Resources for Nursing Students
5 Min Read
Accomplishing a nursing degree takes a great deal of effort and passion. However, the right resources can help with tests, projects and more. There are several resources available to nursing students online that can aid in successfully completing a nursing program. Here are ten accessible resources that can be utilized by nursing students.
Smart Phone Applications
According to Pew Internet & American Life Project data, 53 percent of mobile phone users in the U.S. have smart phones. Similarly, according to Test Kitchen, 53 percent of college students use smart phones. As a result, mobile applications are a great resource for college students, and there are many apps geared towards nursing students specifically. Consider downloading these apps for help with your studies:
- Davis Mobile NCLEX-RN Med-Surg: This app provides NCLEX study questions, making it a valuable tool for nursing students preparing for the exam. Make use of this app during your downtime between studies.
- Pill Identifier by Drugs.com: This identifier app is not only useful for nursing students, but also for practicing healthcare professionals. The Pill Identifier by Drugs.com allows you to look up pills by common, physical features. This app can come in handy to identify misplaced medications or loose pills found in a patient’s home or in a healthcare facility.
- Pocket Body: Musculoskeletal by Pocket Anatomy is a priceless resource for nursing students working to memorize the names of bones, muscles and the human anatomy. This app provides the names and structures in an easy-to-study format.
Nursing Associations
Nursing associations are worthwhile resources for nursing students in more ways than one. Nursing associations can provide students with a bevy of information about the nursing industry overall and locally, depending on the organization. Additionally, by joining and actively participating in a nursing association, students will be able to meet others in the industry and form relationships and connections with health care professionals. These relationships could be useful in the future when students are seeking employment; people introduced through nursing associations could turn out to be mentors, coworkers and friends.
Nursing Blogs
There are many nursing blogs that students can look to as a resource while pursuing a nursing degree. Some blogs may be strictly fact-based and provide students with test updates, career outlook and nursing-industry news. Other blogs provide first-hand accounts of nurses and their lives. The following blogs could be helpful to nursing students:
Learning Nurse Resource Center
The Learning Nurse Resource Center is a website that provides information about nurse education, learning, continuing education and professional development. As a free and safe resource for all levels of nurses, this website provides nursing quizzes, sample test questions, learning games and more. This site states that the content is suitable for nursing students, nursing assistants, nursing aids, LPNs, RNs and RPNs, as well as nursing educators, trainers and instructors. No matter where you are in your nursing career, the learning resource center offers a diverse base of information to keep you up to date on the latest industry news.
Practical Clinical Skills
Practical Clinical Skills is a website that provides free training exercises and clinical decision support aids. The simulation-based training elements incorporate lessons on heart sounds, murmurs, blood pressure assessment, EKGs and more. The reference guides offer a great source of essential clinical skills for students in RN to BS in Nursing (BSN) programs. The interactive website complements classroom and clinical training, which can aid nursing students in studying for exams and preparing them for real-life application.
NurseZone.com
NurseZone.com is a comprehensive website for nursing students and professionals alike. On NurseZone, students can find a wealth of information about exams, life as a nurse, furthering one’s career in nursing and more. NurseZone is more than just a website – it’s a community devoted to providing nurses with both professional and personal development material and opportunities. There is an entire section specifically dedicated to student nurses, along with a separate section tailored to recent nursing grads.
#RNchat
#RNchat is a Twitter chat for Registered Nurses. Every night at 9 p.m. Eastern, RNs across the world chat via Twitter about important topics in the nursing community. The conversation, which is open to the public, can be followed by searching the Twitter hashtag #RNchat. Chats cover a wide range of topics. Participation by RNs, both present and future, is encouraged. Nursing students can join in the Twitter chat and voice their opinions, or can observe the chat from behind their computer screens just by following the hashtag. These chats provide students with insight into the nursing industry and could introduce them to online nursing influencers.
RegisteredNursing.org
RegisteredNursing.org offers resources recommended by RNs that promote excellence in nursing through enabling registered nurses with the tools they need to succeed.
Nursing Resources on Facebook
As the use of social media continues to grow worldwide, more groups are maintaining a presence and actively engaging with communities on social media sites. There are many nursing resources on Facebook available to nursing students, including:
- NurseGroups.com on Facebook: With more than 54,000 “Likes,” the NurseGroups community on Facebook is growing every day. The mission of the community is to “help nurses develop and maintain successful careers.”
- Nursing Notes by Johnson & Johnson: Nursing Notes is a publication of the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future. The Facebook page is informational and intended to engage with the nursing community.
AllNurses.com
With a community of more than 647,000 members, AllNurses.com is where nurses and nursing students can connect and discuss all things nursing. The website’s mission is to help all nurses improve, be it through reading articles on the site, learning something new through a forum post or by connecting with other nurses. The Student section of the website provides a place for students to “network, discuss, and share ideas, trends, and best practices,” making it a valuable resource for students.