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What do I do with my used nursing books after graduation?

You graduate nursing school and start looking for your dream nursing job… but what about all those textbooks you were forced to buy?

Over the years of nursing school, you accumulated a lot of textbooks! And once school is over, let’s be honest: you are probably ready to ditch them and never open another nursing textbook for the rest of your life.

Some may think the hardest decision after nursing school is which job to apply for, but it might just be what to do with these books! Textbooks take up space, and will you ever really need them again? Should you sell them, donate them, keep them, or just throw them right in the trash? Those textbooks probably cost you a lot of money so you want to make a decision you won’t regret down the road.

Keep your nursing textbooks

One option after graduation is to simply keep your books. This may be hard for some due to how much space they take up but if you have room it might be worth it.

As a new nurse, learning all the different types of medications may be difficult. Having a quick reference may be beneficial. Keeping your drug/medication book might be worth it. After years of experience, you may no longer need it and can throw it away.

Another textbook that might be worth holding onto is your anatomy and physiology book. After graduating you may land a job in a specialized area. Having your A&P book to look back on and give yourself a refresh may help in your specific area.

The real world of nursing is different from school. Once on the job you may need a refresher on some of the systems or diseases. Hanging on to some of your books may not be a bad idea for your first year of nursing!

Sell your nursing textbooks

After graduation you are probably ready to throw every book out or set them on fire! Every nurse knows how costly those awful textbooks are so before grabbing the lighter, consider getting some of your money back!

If you have the latest updated version of the textbook, you can sell it back to the bookstore or find a resale shop online.

Here are a few websites that may purchase your textbooks from you.

● BookByte

Mybookcart

● Facebook Marketplace

Booksrun

Cash4Books

Donate your nursing textbooks

Another option would be to donate your nursing textbooks after graduation. Contact your local library or the library on campus. Libraries may take your donations which would allow a lot of other students the chance to learn from that book for free!

Donating those textbooks to a nurse in need is also a great option. Nursing school can be expensive and the costs of textbooks keep rising. Check with the department of nursing at your school. The department may know of some students that could use the free books.

I guarantee you are ready to ditch those nursing textbooks and never look back… but before you do, consider your options.

Keep the textbooks for your first year of nursing in case you need a quick resource. Sell your textbooks to make some of your money back or donate them. There might be a nursing student out there who desperately needs that textbook but cannot afford it.