Published Feb 25, 2018
Jane Doesky
5 Posts
Greetings.
I am thinking of going to nursing school (associate's degree) and I'm debating whether to take one of the prerequisites online. The courses are anatomy and physiology, general and physiological chemistry, and elementary statistics. (I know of at least one school that offers prerequisites for the BSN online, with a "virtual" lab.)
I live overseas and was hoping to get one course out of the way in the coming months while I organize to move back to the United States. Once I am back, I think I'd prefer to take them in person.
If you have taken this kind of course online, do you think the course was harder because you were not in a classroom with a teacher? Do you think it was more difficult to get answers to your questions as an online student?
Also, can you recommend an online school for these courses?
Thanks very much.
caliotter3
38,333 Posts
Anecdotally, it is more difficult to get things done online if you have questions or problems. But if it means being able to take a course or two while you are still overseas, sounds like a very good decision. Be sure to research the situation with the courses/schools/instructors you are considering. For example, many people have complained on this site about a certain online organic chem course. One should take all such input into consideration before taking the plunge.
monkeyshines, ASN
77 Posts
I've never done an online lab, so I don't know much about that, but I really like online classes. Everyone learns differently, and being able to kinda teach myself works really well for me. I think it would definitely be worth a shot to let you get some classes out of the way before moving back stateside.
Thank you for your replies. I appreciate your help.
OcMurse93
183 Posts
All of the nursing school I looked at when I was applying to school had a strict "no online lab" policy or else they would not give credit. I recommend researching which schools you are interested in and see if they have any policy on the matter.
Apple-Core, ASN, BSN, RN
1,016 Posts
I took all my pre-reqs online, and I found them totally do-able. I did miss the classroom environment and camaraderie, and of course you can't ask questions in real-time, but it was necessary for me because I worked full-time and had kids etc, so it was my only viable option. There are negs and cons to both methods. For me, being able to work around my family was ideal. For others, the lack of structure and having to be self-motivated would be a draw-back. A lot depends on your time-management.
It allowed me to continue working for as long as possible, up to when I entered nursing school full-time and finally quit.
Thanks futuremurse93 and Apple-Core.
Apple-Core, what school's online courses did you take?
Thanks futuremurse93 and Apple-Core.Apple-Core, what school's online courses did you take?
Rio Salado in Arizona, and they did online Labs for all my science classes: Chemistry, Bio, micro. The Chem and Bio I had to buy a lab kit and conduct experiments at home. The Micro was an online lab. They have proctored (in-person) exams. If you are out-of-state you can arrange to take your exams anywhere as long as they approve it as a licensed proctored place.
Not sure where you are, but out-of-state costs are pretty high.
Thanks very much. I'm not in Arizona, so that is important to know.