ASN program and taking science classes at the same time

Nursing Students General Students

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Hello everyone!

So this year I am doing pre-requisites for nursing and will be done all of them by the end of next semester. I am getting As in all my classes and hope to get into nursing school next fall! I have also been looking at possibly applying to pharmacy school in the future. I really like sciences and math and I feel like pharmacy might be a good fit for me. However, I'd have to take 2 years of heavy science and math classes to be considered for pharmacy school. But I don't want to give up on nursing and just try for pharmacy in case I don't get in. I think I would also like being a nurse, and it would be an excellent fallback plan if pharmacy school doesn't work out.

So, here is my plan, and I'd like it if any of you who are in nursing school could tell me if this seems feasable. I would like to get my ASN in 2 years, and complete my pharmacy pre-requisites at the same time. I would spread out the classes so that I'd be taking 2 sciences per semester while in nursing school, and maybe one class each summer. The classes would be hard; things like calculus, organic chemistry and physics, but I think if I really tried I could do well in these classes while in nursing school. I know that some people work full time while in school, and I don't plan to, and I don't have any children, so these things will make it easier on me.

Still, I'd love to know if you think its possible. Thanks for your help :)

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Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.

Honestly, I wouldn't do it. The nursing courses are going to take up a great deal of time and, if you think you'd be a good fit in pharmacy, they might only distract you from what you really want as a career. I agree that not working and not having family obligations will give you the luxury of time that many other students don't have so it could be doable. I just think that you would be putting so much effort into your nursing courses, effort that could be better spent on your pharmacy pre-requisites, and that going through an ASN program might actually impact your grades to the point that you would not get into pharmacy school.

Also, please be aware that right now the job market is poor for new nursing grads and that in some places it seems to be more difficult for ASN-prepared nurses to find employment. So if you think that you could work as a nurse while going to pharmacy school, you may find that you've invested two years and can't find a job. (That could, of course, change dramatically as nursing shortages and overages are cyclic, but no one can predict the future.)

You definitely are not alone in this dilemma. I think most health care professionals, regardless of where they ended up, could have been effective and happy in a variety of other roles. When I was a college freshman, I thought about becoming an occupational therapist and took many of the same pre-requisites as nursing students did at my school. I did well in those and switched to nursing. Sometimes I wonder how life might have been had I gone the OT route...and I think I would have always wondered about nursing had I done OT instead.

I wish you the best in this decision and hope that you make the one that is best for you!

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Thanks so much for your reply. I agree with what you're saying about the ASN program taking away from focusing on my pharmacy pre-requisites. However, right now I'm more leaning towards getting my ASN than trying to get into pharmacy school. I would love to go to go to pharmacy school, but I think it is a bit of a long shot that I'd get in and I feel like I need a good back up plan.

I thought the perfect solution would be to do the pharmacy pre-reqs while in nursing school. The community college I would attend for nursing is not very expensive, and I can stay in the city where I live. If I did get in to pharmacy, I'd have to move at least two hours away and either live apart from my husband, or move with him and he'd have to find another job.

Does anyone else have any opinions about taking pharmacy pre-reqs and trying to get into pharmacy school while I get my ASN?

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Specializes in Cardiac.

I know people that have worked full-time, have kids, and finished nursing school with very good grades.

Considering that you have no kids and will not be working, I think 40-50 hours a week is more than sufficient for 2 hard science classes at a time. IN THEORY.

The problem that you may run into is that your 60-80 hour weeks will require heavy cognitive function the entire time. Many people with kids and jobs are able to "zone out" during menial or repetitive tasks, but learning and more importantly understanding brand new material requires conscious thought and effort. I would estimate for most people this is too much stress and they would not be able to adapt sufficiently.

For the very brightest students I would say this is possible, but if you're able to ace nursing school concurrently with acing two notoriously difficult hard science courses then why not just go to pharmacy school?

Ask yourself what you really want to do and then go do that. If you want to be a nurse, go to nursing school and don't worry about pharmacy school. If you want to be a pharmacist, then go to pharmacy school and don't worry about nursing.

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I definitely wouldn't do it. I've been taking only nursing classes and have on semester of nursing school left and am going crazy. I don't want to do ANYTHING related to school (and my last 2 test grades show it).

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For the very brightest students I would say this is possible, but if you're able to ace nursing school concurrently with acing two notoriously difficult hard science courses then why not just go to pharmacy school?

Ask yourself what you really want to do and then go do that. If you want to be a nurse, go to nursing school and don't worry about pharmacy school. If you want to be a pharmacist, then go to pharmacy school and don't worry about nursing.

bhanson made an excellent point. It's obvious you are no stranger to hard work and that you're completely ok with the knowledge that it is nothing but hard work still ahead of you. With that sort of grit and determination, and your obvious primary interest in pharmacy school, why not set all guns ablazing at that target? I think it's only when we second guess ourselves and invest valuable time, money and energy into backup plans that we lose sight of the main goal and suddenly the backup plan is the main plan.

My .02? Go for what you really want.

Good luck and keep up posted!

jen

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