Biology Major-- Im told nursing school is a lot easier?

itsmejuli · Nov 21, 2009

If you completed a biology degree with a 3.8 GPA, you have little to worry about with pursuing a nursing degree.

There's another career that might interest you with salary comparable if not higher than a CRNA.

Cardio-pulmonary perfusionist

http://www.mshealthcareers.com/careers/perfusionist.htm

I observed open heart surgery and talked to the perfusionist, very interesting and challenging job.

CuriousMe · Nov 21, 2009

It's not that any specific thing in nursing school is academically challenging.....it's the volume of everything that can be difficult. For example, last term in our program we were taking pathophysiology, pharmacology and Acute Care (kinda like med-surg) and could be responsible for 3-4 chapters per week per class. So, 9-12 chapters of material a week....contrast that with my organic chem class (I'm getting a minor in chemistry) where we cover a chapter every week and a half. Now the O chem is more challenging academically....but nursing school has been more of a challenge in managing the volume of it all.

So, it's just a different kind of hard. The other part that influences stress levels in general is that you're not working on frogs, or with just theoreticals, you're dealing with people. It's a different mindset. You're training to possibly be the person who helps patients and their family through the worst/most stressful days of their life. So, there's an emotional aspect of all of this that can sap your energy. Learning how to manage that is all part of nursing school.

We have plenty of folks in our program who are on their second degrees, with science degrees behind them (one has a molecular bio/chem minor degree, another a biochem degree, etc)...they seem to be struggling just as much as the rest of us :)

llg, PhD, RN · Nov 21, 2009

I agree with CuriousMe. The science requirements of nursing should be easy for you. However, nursing also includes a lot of social sciences that may or may not be difficult depending on your natural inclinications for those types of classes. Sometimes, people with strong "linear thinking skills" honed in physicial science courses struggle with the non-linear thinking required for the humanities and social sciences. Do you have any experiences with humanities and social sciences courses that would give you an indication of how you do in those?

Also, nursing school includes clinical practicums -- designed to not only teach you the physical and psychosocial care of the patient, but also to socialize you into the values and culture of the nursing profession. Sometimes, people who have done well in other realms of life struggle with that socialization process. Grading includes a subjective element and instructors are looking for the student to demonstrate behaviors that might not come naturally to you. If you rebel against that socialization/enculturation, you could easily set yourself up for frustration and failure. Clinical courses are also very time consuming.

Finally -- of course it depends on the particular school. Just like with any academic major, some schools are more difficult than others. Some are more academically rigorous than others. Some have "kinder, gentler" clinical faculties than others. etc.

Good luck to you.

rbytsdy · Nov 21, 2009

I totally agree with the pp - it's not that nursing school is more academically challenging. It's the volume of material that's all thrown at you at once. I have a BS (and I was 3 credits away from my MS) in a biological science. I used to have up to 3 labs a semester which, as I'm sure you know, is 1 credit for 20 hours worth of work. In science, there is a right and a wrong. In nursing, there is so much more gray. You can prepare for a chem exam. Nothing can totally prepare you for what you will run into when you get to the hospital. I am a bundle of nerves during my drive to the hospital b/c I have no idea what my patient will really be life. Some have been super sweet. Others have been rather grouchy. You think you can memorize drugs, injections, IV soluntions etc. And you do! But then you get to the hospital and find our your patient needs a shot of lovenox. And you start thinking, okay - this shot goes into the abdomen. Or wait, am I thinking about Lasix? Also - being book smart doesn't make you good with patients or good at procedures. I'm not saying you won't be good at procedures. This is just one of those things that I had to learn. It's great to say I got an A on the midterm! But there is so much more to nursing. At the end of the program, it doesn't matter whether your average is a 98 or a 76. As long as you pass the boards, your title is "RN." Honestly - with your record, I'm guessing that the book stuff is going to come much more easily to you and that will be a huge help. My class includes a lot of people who are not the most "book-smart" people but they already work in the hospital so the clinical stills come easier to them. I've had to struggle with that a bit since i don't have the same exposure.

Delta_Notch · Nov 21, 2009

Thank you for all the replies----

Now concerning any social sciences I have taken sociology, psychology, abnormal psychology, ethics etc. I have received all A's. So I done well in those classes.

L8RRN · Nov 21, 2009

I was a 4.0 student...until nursing school. In our nursing program, a B was like an A in other classes. BUT it wasn't that it was "hard"...it is different. There isn't always a cut and dry answer like there is in traditional type classes. You just have to get use to the NCLEX style questions. Even if you know the material inside and out, you may have an internal debate in your mind about which one is the correct answer. :-) And, at least in the program I graduated from, there was A LOT of busy work. Papers, article summaries, teaching projects, care plans, concept maps, journal entries, process recording, growth and development write ups, patho reports, medication sheets and more. Not necessarily HARD, but just time consuming and took away from reading and study time...and family time!

Good luck!

Isitpossible, LPN, LVN · Nov 21, 2009

i agree completely with L8RRN...its the type of questioning that makes nursing school so different in my opinion...answers are NEVER straight forward, cut and dry like with biology classes or chemistry. there are always these shades of gray!!! AND with nursing there is a lot of priority, so you may have multiple problems, and finding the most immediate priority may be difficult....thats what makes nursing education different. everyone is my class has done well in the required pre-reqs A's or B's...and find that they gets 70' - 80's on test...why - definitely not lack of knowledge or preparation...getting accustomed to the NCLEX style questions!

greenbeanio · Nov 21, 2009

Yup - what everybody else said - not the actual content but the sheer volume of work and the utterly hectic schedule.

You come out of class and wish you had the time to consolidate what you just learned by filling in the gaps in your lecture notes, clarifying any questions you may have, and rereading it once to get an overview. But no, you have to study for the next exam (on an entirely different topic) or work on the next paper/lit. review/care plan/take-home quiz/case study/skills lab prep sheet/clinical prep sheet/oral presentation/teaching plan/process recording/prompted journal entry or to rush off to clinical/skills lab/site visit/observation day/service learning project or SOMETHING. You're always moving on to the next thing, trying to beat the next deadline.

And then you have clinical instructors who hold your career in their hands and don't believe that therapeutic communication applies to their communications with students...

You'll survive. Just don't be surprised at how hard it is to juggle everything.

greenbeanio · Nov 21, 2009

Oh yeah, and in my pre-reqs I got all As and 2 A-s. In nursing school I've only managed A-s and for Med-Surg I doubt I'll get even that.

JustKeepSmiling, ADN, BSN, RN · Nov 22, 2009

Ditto to my situation!

The best advice I can give you is to shadow docs and nurses, learn what they do.

Practice of Medicine Vs. Practice of Nursing. Two different beasts.

CRNA may not be the best option.. there are CNS, NP, PA, CNM, etc.

Med school is costly, but justifiably so. Nursing school is a pretty penny too.

Med school is 4 years + residency 3-7 years.

Nursing is 2-4 years + preceptorship/advanced training.

I think what you put into it, no matter what it is, is what you will get out of it. If you take the career of nursing and graduate with your RN, your options are endless. Medicine, it is more limited. Once you graduate your residency.. it's pretty much a done deal once you sit for boards. You can always change but... my lord, why would you want to.

Nursing and medicine come closer together at the master's level, but we still operate on a different frequency than MD's do.

Nursing isn't "easier" than medicine, it's just different. Sure we don't study advanced cell bio, physics, heavy organic chem, etc, you get the point.. but that doesn't mean its easier. Nursing school places more emphasis on the treatment of the patient, not just the symptoms. Medicine is more involved on treating the symptoms, not that MDs are not compassionate or able to be treating of the patient's well being too, its just geared more one way or another.

Docs have to have a patient base to make ends meat or work shift at a hospital. Patient base means you're a potato and will take root in a particular city to remain close to your education and eventual patient base, you'll be faced with sh*tty insurance billing, doing rounds at the hospital, having to be on call, and put a lot on hold personally.. family life etc.

Nurses can be on call, but it's not like having to come into work at 4am to do emergency surgery, c-section, etc.

Nurses can pick up and move a lot easier than docs can, that is unless your in an ER or other type of shift work/no patient base.

Little to no insurance hassles, no need to pay for your own medical staff and office, malpractice insurance.

There's just a lot to compare.

Nursing isn't easy, by any means. Nursing means a lot of responsibility with little autonomy. It means having to follow orders that you may not agree with but you are not the prescriber. But nursing is for me, and it may be for you.

I strongly advise you talk to 3-4 nurses and docs in specialties that interest you and gain insight into their careers, that's the best way to really know. Nursing school isn't like the real world of nursing, the book world & real world aren't on the same page and some nursing students don't know for sure until they're working if they made the right decision and some leave and take other paths.

You're on a great site for networking, keep digging and picking brains.

LVN-RNhopeful · Nov 22, 2009

I have a B.S. in Biology and am currently in an ADN program. Nursing school is an entirely different beast. I'm an A student and I don't have to put in the degree of effort that many of my classmates do, however, it's not without its challenges. I think what's difficult is the amount of material covered in a short amount of time. And it's not just learning the material - it's also the application of the material. Genetics and its lab are quite challenging, however, there's no real potential to jeopardize someone's well-being in a science lab as there is in Nursing clinicals.

I've been an LVN for years, and I honestly can't imagine having to start with the very basics of nursing in the first semester of a nursing program. Skills that are learned in Fundamentals are practically second nature to me. So learning the skills along with the content at such a fast pace can be overwhelming. What's difficult for me is that I have a family and a job, and balancing it all is challenging.

But the beauty of Nursing is that your options truly are limitless. I wish you the best of luck.