Am I taking on too much????

Mama_Cashew, ASN, RN · Apr 18, 2012

I have heard that the first semester of nursing school is the hardest. If possible I would suggest waiting until you have a better understanding of the demands of nursing school.

mistybeck · Apr 18, 2012

I will be starting an ADN program this fall also, which is 9 credit hours. I've heard the first semester is pretty killer. I'd wait to see how time consuming it actually is and possible take Micro in the Spring.

AgentBeast, BSN, RN · Apr 18, 2012

I would highly against doing that. The first semester of nursing school is by far the worst. You get a ton of new stuff thrown at you first semester and it's hard enough by itself let alone worrying about another class on top of your nursing classes.

yooper13 · Apr 18, 2012

In a word, yes, it is possible. HOWEVER...be prepared to have NO time and be super stressed. My first semester, I had fundamentals (9 Credits), lab (1 credit), micro (3 credits) and micro lab (1 cr). I did this because circumstances at my school changed, and I could either take the micro and wait a semester for fund., or take them concurrently. Since I had been on a wait list for over a year, I decided to take them concurrently, even though the dean highly advised against it, since it IS a lot to take on, and it was a summer semester (12 weeks instead of the normal 16). I'm a single mom of a teenager, wasn't working, so I thought the same thing..."I can commit ALL my time to this". I got through it; barely. Almost lost the long-term relationship that I was in, almost lost my sanity (well, maybe I DID lose that!), etc, etc., but I did get through it.

The thing is, 9 credits in nursing school is WAY different than 9 credits otherwise. I don't know how your school is set up, but in mine, those 9 credits are for 8 hours of lecture and 18 hours of clinicals each week. You LIVE AND BREATHE nursing school. When not at lecture/clinical, you are busy with homework (including the dreaded care plans), and studying. I found myself feeling guilty doing anything that wasn't NS related, even though I know how important it is to take care of myself/take breaks. Add in 10 hours/week with micro (for me--but I took it face to face...online may be different), plus all the studying for that and...sigh. I don't wanna do that again!!!

I used to think "no problem!", since I took 12-15 credits per semester while working full time, but that was during pre-reqs. Not the same!

Good luck to you with whatever you decide.

Katie71275 · Apr 19, 2012

Is there anyway you can take Micro this summer? I would highly recommend that. I do not recommend taking any classes on top of nursing school unless you absolutely have to.

NCRNMDM, ASN, RN · Apr 19, 2012

I thought the first semester of nursing school was the easiest thing I had ever done in my life, and I came out of that class with a 97 A. It wasn't hard, it wasn't all that much work, and it wasn't anything like what I had been told it would be. Second semester, however, proved to be an entirely different beast, and I really struggled for the first few weeks. Things got progressively better, and now I'm only a few weeks away from beginning my third semester.

First semester is all about acclimating. During first semester you have to learn how to take nursing exams, how to study, how to take notes, how to manage your time, and how to think like a nurse. This acclimation comes easier for some people than others. I had no issue with the transition, and I didn't have to devote a lot of time to studying. I could study for a test for two to three days and come out in the 94-96 range. Now I study for three to five days and end up in the 90-94 range. Some people in my class really struggled with the acclimation process, and they were barely over the passing line for the entire semester. I was the only A in the class during first semester, but we only lost two people. I know that may seem like a lot to you, but we lost seven during the first eight weeks of second semester.

I will warn you that your prerequisites are nothing like nursing classes. I graduated high school eight months early, and completed all my college prerequisites during high school. I also did AP and honors courses, was an active Beta Club member, participated in speech and debate, and was the president of my HOSA class. I took anywhere from ten to fifteen classes per semester. When I started nursing school I thought that taking one class at a time would prove to be much easier than my past academic experiences. To be blunt, I was wrong. The first eight weeks of second semester was harder than the semester when I took calculus, AP chemistry, AP English, A&P II, Latin III, English 114, Psychology 175, and Sociology 210 together.

I wouldn't recommend adding any unnecessary pressure to your life during your first semester of nursing school. I don't know whether you'll think first semester is hard or not, and I don't know anything about your academic capabilities. Some people swear that first semester is the hardest semester of nursing school, and, some people, like myself, think it's a breeze. I personally wouldn't take any extra classes until I had started nursing school, settled into the routine, and gotten my head wrapped around being a nursing student. It's a big adjustment.

Good luck!

FORTHELOVEOF!!!! · Apr 19, 2012

It is doable, but it depends on how you handle a busy schedule and stress, I had Fundamentals and Nursing Concepts my first semester and got A's, they weren't hard but the workload was heavy! We had clinicals, 2 classes, SIM, checkoffs, skills lab, and then a little time to study, lol. It was more time consuming than hard but every program is different. Second semester was the worst in my opinion, OB, Mental Health, and Adult 1, UGH! I wouldn't recommend adding anything to second semester unless you have a different setup than my program. I'm in my Junior semester now and cruising right along, maybe you can fit it in the summer, Micro wasn't the easiest pre req in my opinion, I wouldn't risk it unless you are sure you can handle the load.

Good luck!

rubato, ASN, RN · Apr 19, 2012

After weighing what you have all advised, I'm going to go ahead and sign up for micro anyway, but....... I can drop it if it gets overwhelming. I love being a student and school work is fun for me (scary I know). I can't take micro this summer because it filled up within 2 minutes of enrollment opening. Plus, I'm taking human development, and 2 honors contracts, as well as trying to finish statistics before the fall semester starts, even though it's a self paced fall class. The professor said he'd work to get me done by the first day of nursing school.

So, that leaves this fall, next spring or next summer. I would rather be completely overburdened this fall and actually get next summer off, if I can swing it. I'm got a full scholarship starting in the fall, so micro will be paid for. If I drop it within 3 weeks, I won't have the charge on the scholarship and can sign up for it later. The books will be the same, so I won't have wasted my money on that. I truly feel I can do it. Thanks for all the responses.