What do you feel is least relevant class?

EricJRN, MSN, RN · May 11, 2007

I thought Speech was the most irrelevant class, because most bedside nurses are not going to give public orations at the podium.

Just for the sake of lively discussion: I've never taken a speech class for credit, but I've been a Toastmaster for about four years now. My ability to teach, update families, and communicate on the job in general is so much better than it would have been before 2002.

While it's true that a very, very small percentage of nurses end up doing any sort of regular prepared/public speaking, I think that the confidence and skills acquired through public speaking training have helped me every day at work. Now whether one semester of public speaking class is sufficient to make all that much difference - that's another question.

krenee · May 11, 2007

We have to take a class at my school which is a 1 credit class - Student Development - and oh, I hated it, because it was taking time away from my "important" classes. Of course it was meant to be taken at the beginning of the college career, but I procrastinated and took it at the very end of my prereqs. Glad it's over.

Kelly

luvschoolnursing, LPN · May 12, 2007

I have to say all my nursing classes (diploma school) were relevant but when I went back after 17 years for my BSN, I had to take some really useless classes. Statistics was torture with no applicable use to my job. Also, after being a nurse for so many years, public speaking seemed a waste. I hate to sound cynical but some of the classes just seemed like I was throwing money at them but gaining nothing. My school nursing class was GREAT as well as community health

HeartsOpenWide, RN · May 12, 2007

I think Soc is VERY relevent. Its all about people, and nursing is all about people. It is a varley easy subject, all soft sciences are. I loved my class, I only got a B in it but it was a 16 week class that I took in three weeks, so that made it a challenge.

I know that Chem is relevent, but it would be nice if there was a nursing chem class. There was a lot of stuff in chem that I really do not need.

jill48, ASN, RN · May 12, 2007

i think you need sociology, but ill never understand why nurses need to take english comp unless it is just to make you a well rounded person. have not come across a nurse yet to chart in complete sentences. another is algebra , nursing math yes, algebra no.. i just don't know when the last time i was working on the floor and had to apply nursing to a matrix...

i think english comp is just to make us talk correctly, write correctly, and in some cases, more proficient is public speaking. so i guess that would mean for us better charting and better speaking to families, docs, patients, etc. not sure, just my thoughts on it.:uhoh21:

pagandeva2000, LPN · May 12, 2007

Chemistry

stpauligirl · May 12, 2007

I feel it is sociology! Ha I just don't care for the class but at least it should be easy! Anyone else have a least favorite (least relevant ha) class?

The least relevant class whether I should make it into nursing school or not has got to be the computer proficiency class that I took some 15 years ago....anyone remember "Word Star"?!?! Anyone?!?! :lol2: NOthing could be more outdated than that...including my grade of "B" which still counts, too. Mind you way back then I worked 2 minimum wage jobs, made it through a nasty divorce and this class was one of my very first attempts at college as a foreigner in this wonderful country, and my English wasn't as good either as it is these days......I can't think back that far anymore....it's like being on a different planet ,but that stupid class still counts TODAY, oh well

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · May 12, 2007

Hmm. I'm surprised that some think English Composition and Sociology are not relevant. English Comp teaches grammar and organized/hierarchical thinking. Even if you never write another paper in your life - these are important skills to have. Also, there is a synergistic relationship between reading and writing skills. We always need good reading skills.

Sociology? I'd love to take that class. I would think it would be helpful to understand class and stratification issues when dealing with diverse populations. Anything that forces us out of our own experience and gives a glimpse of others' is good, IMHO.

Now a class that I'd like to shed for my BSN program...organic chemistry. I'm sure I will learn something useful in that class...but really. I think it's primarily a torture device to weed out the masses applying to the BSN program. :uhoh21:

stpauligirl · May 12, 2007

Hmm. I'm surprised that some think English Composition and Sociology are not relevant. English Comp teaches grammar and organized/hierarchical thinking. Even if you never write another paper in your life - these are important skills to have. Also, there is a synergistic relationship between reading and writing skills. We always need good reading skills.
Sociology? I'd love to take that class. I would think it would be helpful to understand class and stratification issues when dealing with diverse populations. Anything that forces us out of our own experience and gives a glimpse of others' is good, IMHO.
Now a class that I'd like to shed for my BSN program...organic chemistry. I'm sure I will learn something useful in that class...but really. I think it's primarily a torture device to weed out the masses applying to the BSN program. :uhoh21:

I so agree with you about the importance of the English classes. Thanks to my wonderful Comp/Rhethoric instructor some 15 years ago I did exceptionally well writing the numerous essays in my Ethics class which I just completed! English is my second language but with that particular teacher I really learned how to write different kind of essays and papers! Good communication skills are essential in the nursing field.

I also think that Sociology/Psychology classes are important particularly for fields that deal with people. I had fun in those! I survived organic/biochem....OMG, you are so right about the 'torture" aspect of it :lol2:

Good luck in that class, you can do it!!!!!!

FuturoEnfermera · May 13, 2007

now a class that i'd like to shed for my bsn program...organic chemistry. i'm sure i will learn something useful in that class...but really. i think it's primarily a torture device to weed out the masses applying to the bsn program. :uhoh21:

i took o-chem before a&p ii and micro and am so grateful that i just happened to schedule it that way. o-chem is hard but it is awesome! i think it should be a pre-requisite for micro and a&p, not just bsn programs. if i was taking micro (almost done right now) with out taking o-chem last semester i would not be able to keep up with that and all my other classes. it's just such an important base class. understanding the chemical rxns that take place in humans is vital to nursing (imo!).

Valasca · May 13, 2007

I hated inorganic chemistry! I thought is was competely irrelevant! O-chem however focused more on biological systems so I actually enjoyed o-chem.

LydiaNN · May 13, 2007

There's a reason Comp is required of every student, regardless of major. Strong, tight writing skills allow you to present your information in an articulate and coherent manner. I fail to see how that could ever be considered irrelevant.

I took a Sociology course believing it would be useful to me, but the professor focused on some pretty arcane aspects of the course. Honestly, I never felt that I got much from that class. Likewise for the government course I took- it had potential to have great relevance but the professor was pretty useless. He got in trouble with the university for failing too many students the semester before and his remedy wasn't to improve the class. It was to institute a grading curve. 60 of 250 points ended up earning me a B if you can believe it. I'd have much rather he had worried more about preparing me to score better on his exams than find a way to make more of us pass the class!