adv patho question

Nursing Students Post Graduate

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Hi everybody. Next semester I plan on enrolling in the advanced patho class in the nursing department. The course is required for masters students attempting to become NPs or CNSs. I am not a nursing major but rather am a PhD student in a non-nursing allied health field. I had briefly looked through the texts required by the instructor (Robbin's Basic Pathology and Pathophysiology: Biologic Bases of Disease by McCance) and was intimidated by the texts themselves. Is this course typically the hardest in the graduate nursing programs? Is it likely that the instructor will not require us to go into as much depth as the text goes? Any suggestions for me? Thanks.

A good rule of thumb is that NO class ever goes as in depth into the text as you would fear. Actually, my patho book is going to be used for both the undergrad and graduate patho classes. Oh, and it's the same one you'll be using, the McCance. It's a great reference, but it certainly is a little dense.

To learn everything in that book would require a PhD in pathophys.

As long as you've had pathophysiology then advanced patho should be fine.

And fun!

Thanks for your reply but that's the thing too, I havent had undergrad patho. I have taken other useful courses: A&P, Microbiology, Chem, Pharmacology, and Organismal Biology as an undergrad. I have also taken some Neuroscience and Genetics as a grad student but never a patho course.

Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

If you can handle microbio and A&P, you can do pathophys. Its the first two combined and in depth. I just finished a pathophy concepts course, and I took those others back in the 70s. Good luck!

Specializes in Ortho, Med surg and L&D.
Thanks for your reply but that's the thing too, I havent had undergrad patho. I have taken other useful courses: A&P, Microbiology, Chem, Pharmacology, and Organismal Biology as an undergrad. I have also taken some Neuroscience and Genetics as a grad student but never a patho course.

I also agree that your previous coursework will have prepared you well for pathophys, however I am surprised that they are having you take an advanced pathyphys without first taking regular pathophys?

gen

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