Hate Pre Reqs=Hate Nursing school?

[longwayup]

I'm a mid life career changer and am just doing my pre reqs for nursing school. I will have a conditional acceptance from my college of choice ( meaning I need to finish my pre rews by summer to start in the fall). My question is, I find I have very little interest in the pre reqs, especially the micro level stuff. I'm getting A's but am in no way enjoying the process. I can see why basic sciences are important to a medical field so I do understand why they are necessary, but what drew me to consider nursing as a career ( specifically a primary health NP) is that I like understanding physiology and pathophysiology and most of all, working with families on health education and support.

I am happy to plod through micro and organic chem if it is just a means to an end but I'm wondering if nursing school will be a couple more years of this? I am doing a second bachelors accelerated BSN

Thanks!

[gere7404, BSN, RN]

Well, it IS a bachelors of SCIENCE, meaning there is a bunch of sciency materials covered in the program. However, you said you like pathophysiology, which is the most intensive science course in the program. Most of your time is spent learning how to do nursing stuff and the rationale behind why you are doing specific interventions. There's some chemistry kind of stuff in pharm but other than that the nursing program isn't very similar to your prereq courses.

[longwayup]

Most of your time is spent learning how to do nursing stuff and the rationale behind why you are doing specific interventions.

Thanks! Thats exactly the kind of information I was looking for. I appreciate you taking the time to respond!

[HowdyHowdy, LVN]

Ok. This is a really great question that I'm surprised hasn't received more of a response. Allow me to opine.

I am currently an LVN of 5 years, now working toward an RN and BSN, with hopes of getting into being a CRNA. Mom is a nurse of 20+ years. So is my aunt and cousin nurses. Been around it my whole life.

So science-heavy pre-reqs vs. what it's actually like to be a nurse. You are heavily disliking your sciencey pre-reqs and it's causing you to second guess being a nurse. Being a nurse is NOT, I repeat NOT like what you are experiencing in your science classes. Yes, it is based in science. Yes, there are a lot of science heavy components to it that you must understand, comprehend and be able to rationally, quickly and efficiently recall and use to think critically. This is particularly true for advance practice nursing. However, is that the meat and potatoes of nursing? No, I don't think so.

I believe that the science heavy classes are front loaded to not only fill you with the basic knowledge you will need to be successful, and you WILL need it, but also to weed out those who are not strong enough to maintain a career as a nurse. It can be difficult, and challenging- mentally, physically and emotionally. If you can't survive the science classes, you have no business being a nurse.

But the truth is, given enough time and the proper instruction, anyone can be taught the science. Some are just more keen to it. Can anyone be taught to be a nurse? No. Not at all. What you go through in nursing school will be entirely different than your science classes. Being a nurse is much more about compassion, caring and having the unique ability to care tremendously for someone you know nothing about outside of a hospital room, a family clinic, or a hospice bed. You are expected to treat them as you would treat your own mother or father, and not everyone can do that. In nursing school, you will see that, experience it, and all the other components of what is required to be a nurse. You will be taught to take the science you learned and utilize it to the benefit of someone in need.

Where the bridge will occur between those science classes and the caring, compassionate side of being a nurse is in your assessment and implementation of practice. You will be expected to be faced with difficult situations and deduce what is the right course of action to take for your patient. Sometimes these decisions must be made very quickly, and will often times be made with the life of your patient on the line. That is where the science will meet the bedside. The love, empathy and genuine compassion that is required to be a nurse and implement those decisions faithfully with "to do no harm" in mind is what you will more experience in nursing school, particularly in clinicals.

Your pre-reqs will prepare you for nursing school.

Nursing school will prepare you for being a nurse.

They definitely aren't the same thing, and if you're feeling discourage, don't. Hang in there. It gets better.

[longwayup]

Casey T, THANK YOU SO MUCH for this! Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed and thoughtful response. It has definitely set my mind at ease. I also asked the school I was applying to if I could sit in on a few classes before admission to see for myself and they were all for it.

I know how busy everyone is, I do so appreciate your taking the time to be clear and encouraging!

Em