Anyone else think pre-reqs are easy?

ZooMommyRN, ADN, RN · Sep 10, 2007

I felt the same way you did and took both A&PII & Micro as well as Nutrition (the teacher was the director of our nursing school so it was a chance to put a face to my application packet :lol2: ) and had no troubles, but I'm not gonna say nursing courses came that easy, I struggled in fudamentals because of the new way I had to learn to think and answer questions, it's gotten easier as we've gone, it's good to be confident, but transfer it over to your first block of nursing, many in my group did and it was a big 'ol slap in the face after that first exam

Asherah, BSN, RN · Sep 10, 2007

Tx,

I was pretty much in the same boat, I felt like I wasn't studying half as hard as my peers and I was doing so well in my classes. I also took Pharmacology and Physiology concurrently, although my professor warned me against it (and aced them). I think my feeling about it is, I have such a passion for what I'm learning, I have a level of motivation I've never felt before and somehow I am learning this material in a very easy manner due to this. (Note: I'm not at all stating that if someone doesn't pick it up easily, they're dispassionate, just my theory.)

I realize however that this is just the tip of a very large iceberg, and am trying to gain a healthy, but not overwhelming confidence. Based on the testimonials found on this site, many folks who found pre-reqs on the easier side find themselves smacking into a bit of a surprise when they started nursing courses.

I suppose we wont know ourselves until we get there, so good luck!

jewelshouse · Sep 11, 2007

Nope! Chem is kicking my butt

Music in My Heart · Sep 11, 2007

I don't know if I'd say they were easy, particularly, because that implies minimal need to expend effort and I did work very hard.

Conceptually, though, they were all pretty simple, and I never felt like I was in danger of earning less than an "A" so long as I was diligent in my studies.

In contrast to things like calculus, differential equations, physics, and thermodynamics, the nursing prerequisites were pretty much just a matter of putting in the time to learn the material. These other subjects were such that I could spend hours laboring over a problem and make no headway.

Likewise, I'm not bragging. I'm very thankful that God chose to bless me with a mind that "gets" things mathematical and scientific. Sadly, I missed out on the talents in athletics and music and barely make a "C+" in appearance.

coolpeach · Sep 11, 2007

I think it depends on a lot of factors....do you have a good professor? Do you work full time? Do you have kids/family?.

I know for me it wasn't easy, but I had a lot of responsibilites outside of school. I was taking a full load, and didn't get to study until after 10pm, and I was only sleeping four hours a night.

As we all know when you aren't getting enough sleep everything is more difficult.

catzy5 · Sep 11, 2007

I was just curious does anyone else out there find the pre-reqs easy? I had A&P I over the summer and it was intense because of the short amount of time but it was pretty easy overall. And now so far I find Micro and A&P II easy also. Chemistry was even easier and nutrition, psych, and lifespan dev have all been way easy too. I hear so many people on this site talking about how tough everything and I am just wondering if others have found it easy too?
I am not trying to brag or anything. I mean I do have to study, I am no genius! But still I don't find it really hard at all. I was warned not to take Micro and A&P II together in one semester and I am taking that plus another class with no problem.
How do you all feel??

I guess it all really depends on what else you have going on in your life. I also took ap2 and micro together, against everyones advice. I wouldn't say it was easy it all it was a ton of work, I have 3 small kids at home and my husband travels during the week, so just scheduling time to do the work was terribly hard. The courses themselves were so much fun and so interesting I really enjoyed them and miss them now that I am done.

2bnursetabulous · Sep 11, 2007

so far i'm liking my prereqs. i'm taking only microbiology and human anatomy & physiology 1. this semester. (i was poor and didn't save my money adequately). but i think because i really really want this, i am really studying and i'm getting this easier than i thought i would have. of course i do take notes and i have a tape recorder and i make flash cards. but i'm so determined to get A's in these classes

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Sep 11, 2007

I wish the nursing pre-reqs required more critical thinking. It seems like the courses are a lot of work in memorizing...not thinking at a higher level necessary for nursing, IMHO. I have gotten tired from the work load, but it's mostly being tired from memorizing.

All of that said - now that I'm in Statistics and Organic Chemistry - I am putting on my 'thinking cap' more than I have with any other pre-req classes.

I just wish the colleges would incorporate more critical thinking into the pre-reqs, in addition to all of the memorization. It could definitely be done! Perhaps it would weed out many of the nursing students who flunk out the first semester of nursing school because suddenly they have to utilize critical thinking skills and not just memorize.

SparklyGirl · Sep 11, 2007

Though I do need to put in "time" I have not found any of my classes very difficult to understand, or difficult to an A in. So far, I would say my hardest class was micro - it took me a bit to understand the complexities of the immune system...but it did eventually click, at least enough to get an A and have a fundamental understanding.

Asherah, BSN, RN · Sep 11, 2007

I just wish the colleges would incorporate more critical thinking into the pre-reqs, in addition to all of the memorization. It could definitely be done! Perhaps it would weed out many of the nursing students who flunk out the first semester of nursing school because suddenly they have to utilize critical thinking skills and not just memorize.

I definitely agree with this! The current model seems to function under the premise that a pre-nursing students needs to build a foundation of information before entering the fundamental nursing courses. Unfortunately many people use a memorization-focused approach to learning this material (as this is what was suggest to them) and some suffer later when a more comprehensive understanding of the material isn't achieved. I think that educators/faculty could restructure the way that some of these pre-reqs are taught to allow for the further development of critical thinking skills, thus when we actually get to those core nursing courses, it wouldn't be such a shift in learning strategy!

txnursingqt · Sep 12, 2007

Thanks to everyone that responded. I agree with everything that was stated. I will say that I am worried about the shock of actual NS, because I am sure it was tougher than this! I am just glad to finally here some positive thoughts on the pre-reqs. It just seemed that her on allnurses I saw alot of complaining and whining about the pre-reqs and I just didn't feel the same. I am glad to know that I am not alone in my thoughts.

And I do agree wholeheartedly about the critical thinking element. My A&P II teacher believes this as well, and requires more critical thinking than memorization. She says that will help us later on more than just memorizing. I am so thankful that I was able to take her class this time.

Good luck to everyone!