fundamentals and med surg I are 8 week classes

sneakymom2011 · Mar 21, 2008

I feel your pain. Our whole program is set up in 8 week stints.

Fundamentals in 8 weeks wasn't too bad. Now I'm in Pharmacology/ Assessment. Man it just feels like we're getting stuff thrown at us! For example, we learn dosage calculations next week. However, we aren't doing IV's right now, that's sometime next year.

In order to pass the class, you have to score 80% on a dosage calculation exam. And that's less than 1 week after you learn the stuff :bugeyes: Thankfully it doesn't look all that hard.

And this assessment stuff- oh man! We have a practical on everything in 3 weeks. :bugeyes:

And I don't even want to think about Med-Surg, which is next. That ought to be a fun 8 week class (NOT!)

miss rochelle · Mar 21, 2008

at my school, first semester consists of 4 classes -- assessment, nursing theory, fundamentals, and pharmacology -- each being 16 wks long. after that, the semesters are divided into 8 wk courses. so i took med/surg 1 for 8 wks, and now i'm in psych and will finish that up in april.

as far as dosage calc, the school made us learn it on our own! they called it "independent study" which i thought was the suckiest thing on earth at first, but now i'm all like "can the tests have more dosage calc questions?" haha... we were tested on it twice in first semester; starting second semester we have to take a medication error test the first day of class and pass it with a 90%, if you don't pass it with a 90% you get a second chance but if you don't pass it then, you are exited from the program! i think the margin is even higher for third semester... 95%!

Lizgurl_nurse · Mar 21, 2008

We also had to learn Dosage Calc on Our own. And You could only miss 10 questions out of 110. You needed to make 90% or above!! But you had Three Chances.

I'm glad I made 95% on mine. It feels soo good, and I'm more than Relieved.

I wish you success in your own stuff oo. Hang in there bud!

jackson145 · Mar 22, 2008

We did Fundamentals in 6 wks and then Med/Surg 1 in 10 wks. Then 5 wks for OB/Peds and 5 wks for Med/Surg 2.

We had to work on MedMath by ourselves and then get 80% on the test and I think only 4 people had to re-take it.

Pharm is 16 wks and if you have to re-take, it's an 8 wk class.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Mar 22, 2008

anyone else have this grind? We are first semester and our school sets it up so that fundamentals (complete w/2 clinical days a week) is completed in 8 weeks and Med Surg I, again w/clinicals, is completed in the second 8 weeks of the semester. :uhoh21:

That's what we have...and by the time you reach the end of your first year, it really feels like you've been in nursing school forever :stone

On the other hand, I like having just one class at a time to focus on. Before they switched to this 8-week system, they'd have two classes concurrently each semester--so as a brand-new student, I would have had Fundamentals and PA/Pharm at the same time. And it would have been hard for me trying to start into PA and Pharm while still learning the basics of nursing, especially since I came into the program with no medical background.

catzy5 · Mar 22, 2008

anyone else have this grind? We are first semester and our school sets it up so that fundamentals (complete w/2 clinical days a week) is completed in 8 weeks and Med Surg I, again w/clinicals, is completed in the second 8 weeks of the semester. :uhoh21:

yes this was us too, I just finished my first 8 weeks with Fundamentals and Pharmacology, it was seriously the toughest 8 weeks of my life, with each week consisting of a 2 exams both of which we need a 75% or higher on or else you are out.

We are not only doing Med Surg one exam per week and hoping that this will be a little less stress.

We also have clinical but only one day a week 13 hours.

*ac* · Mar 22, 2008

I feel your pain. Our whole program is set up in 8 week stints.
Fundamentals in 8 weeks wasn't too bad. Now I'm in Pharmacology/ Assessment. Man it just feels like we're getting stuff thrown at us! For example, we learn dosage calculations next week. However, we aren't doing IV's right now, that's sometime next year.
In order to pass the class, you have to score 80% on a dosage calculation exam. And that's less than 1 week after you learn the stuff Thankfully it doesn't look all that hard.
And this assessment stuff- oh man! We have a practical on everything in 3 weeks.
And I don't even want to think about Med-Surg, which is next. That ought to be a fun 8 week class (NOT!)

Wow, they actually TEACH you med calc?? An then you only have to get an 80%??

We had to learn it on our own and got tested the first day of each semester. 100% required within 3 tries or you were OUT.

pinkiepie_RN · Mar 24, 2008

Wow. Everything for me is all taken in a 16 week format. I couldn't imagine it all sticking in only 8 weeks. I'm in Med/Surg & OB this semester and I had Assessment, Fundamentals, Pharmacology, Introduction to Professional Nursing, and Pathophysiology all last semester over 16 weeks.

AZMOMO2 · Mar 25, 2008

Wow 100% requirement? You hardly ever hear of that! What school is that?

lildan · Mar 26, 2008

At my school, Fundamentals is 15 weeks (we learn the MedMath independently and have to score 100% in two tries by the 5th week). The second semester is Med-Surg I for 7 weeks and then Mental Health for 7 weeks, plus con-current with one of those classes we have to take a 1 credit contemporary issues in nursing class. The third semester is Med-Surg II for 7 weeks and Maternal-Child for 7 weeks. The final semester is Med-Surg for 15 weeks and a 7 week leadership in nursing class.

I am in Fundamentals now and I find it to be a bit slower than I anticiapted. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, but with lecture, lab, clinical, and pharm (we do all four components as part of one 9 credit class) it has not been that bad. For me personally, I'd actually like doing fundamentals in less time. Hopefully, you'll feel the same. Good luck!