Pre-requisite question

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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hey everyone,

So unfortunately I was not able to get into A&P I this semester despite being on top of things. I am enrolled in only ENG 111 and PSY 150. Now I took Chemistry long ,long back and my school has accepted that and so does not require that I take CHM 090 as a pre-requisite. But I was wondering, one seat just opened up and I registered. I could still drop it. I personally do not feel very confident about my chemistry knowledge and could use a review of what I learned almost 10 years back. Now where would I need chemistry going forward? Is it absolutely necessary if your school does not want you to take it?

I would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks in advance guys!

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I was in a similar situation. I enrolled in A&PI and it had been over 10 years since I took Chemistry in high school. I ended up being fine though and got an A in the class. I found in my class between the textbook and lecture, the concepts I needed to know were covered enough that I could pick up on things without too much trouble. I'm not sure if you would need to take an entire semester of Chemistry; maybe get a copy of "Getting Ready for A&P" and review the chemistry section in it. It is a good book to review math and bio concepts you may need as well. Good luck!

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Specializes in critical care.

I am very thankful I got brushed up on chem. I don't regret it for a second! You will need a working knowledge of it for micro and a&p. I haven't started nursing school yet, but the school I'm applying to requires chem 1&2 so I'm guessing it's pretty important.

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Specializes in CVICU.

Chemistry was not a prereq when I took A and P. since A and P is usually a split class the chemistry knowledge was only needed for one chapter. It pretty much re-teaches it to you. I think you will be fine if you are sure to study that chapter.

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Weezy, IMHO it won't be a waste of time. However, aside from my opinion, there's the question of whether you plan to attend a BSN program, either for your first nursing degree, or an RN-to-BSN in the future.

Keep in mind that many BSN programs require one or two general chem courses (w/labs). These schools typically require the chem credits for all their BSN programs. Over the years, I've worked with many ADN-nurses who hadn't taken chemistry since it was not a pre-req for their ADN nursing program. When they finally decided to go for their BSN, they were shocked to discover that they had to take college chemistry courses before they could apply to the RN-to-BSN program of their choice. Some were really struggling with the difficulty of the class material, and with juggling the demands of the class, their full-time nursing jobs, and their families. Many expressed regret that they hadn't taken chem when they had taken their original nursing prereqs, but they hadn't had any idea that they would ever need the credits.

Since you have the time now, I'd go ahead and take the class. Just make sure that the specific class you are taking is transferable to the BSN programs in your area.

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I highly recomend taking Chem! It is a pre-req for A&P at my school. It could have either been high school or college Gen. Chem. I never took it in high school, so here I am taking it now! I would have taken it reguardless since I plan on going for a BSN. Def not a waste of time!

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I took a year of Chem nearly 15 years ago but it wasn't a requirement for any of the classes I'm taking nor is it a requirement for the school I'm applying to. I did buy a book to refresh my memory of Chem but the Bio course I took had a pretty good review of Chem as well and there is a section in Micro that had a review of Chem. It is helpful to at least review the concepts if not take the class.

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Def take it! It will help you with A&P and most BSN programs require at least one, if not two Chem classes. It would be a pain to get through with your pre-reqs only to find that you should have taken Chem. Best of Luck!

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Take it! It will also help when you take your TEAS test.

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Thank you everyone for your suggestions! You all are very helpful. As impulsively I registered for the course, I dropped it equally impulsively too. I got a little worried about my aid situation and the thought of having to pay from my pocket scared me away. But I think I will take it as a online course in summer. I definitely don't mind taking something extra even if not recommended by my school as long as it helps me in the long run. Thanks again!

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If you just need a refresher on Chem, you'll probably do fine reveiwing "Chemistry for Dummies" from your local library.

I did Chem online last summer and it was very time consuming (30 hrs. a week) but I learned a lot and felt well prepared for A&P.

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