Chemistry - do you need the foundation for other classes?!?!?

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Specializes in NICU.

I was fortunate in that my school accepted my high school Chemistry grade from 1990!! so I don't have to take college chemisty However, I am a little concerned that not having the information from that course semi - fresh in my brain will somehow hurt me. I don't remember a blessed thing :p though I am very mathematically inclined and always made good grades. Any thoughts?? Will not taking college chem now make other classes more difficult for me? Thanks :)

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Most of the chemistry you'll be learning in nursing school isn't much different from what you learned in high school chemistry, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to do an introductory college chemistry course anyway. 1990 was a long time ago, and you need to have all that stuff about fresh in your head for topics like fluids and electrolytes, and oxygenation.

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I was also given credit for taking chemistry in high school. Went back to school at 38 so I remembered very little but the foundation was there. I did fine.

steph

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I have taken gen chem I and II but it was about 10 years ago and it was accepted as my chem credit. So far I haven't really had a problem with not having taken a more recent course. I was a little worried at first but it is okay because there are many resources out there to look things up and refresh the old memory.

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Specializes in PCU, Critical Care, Observation.

They don't even require chemistry in my ADN program. I could see it being a little helpful with microbiology, but I got an A without it. As far as needing it in nursing.....I have yet to see where it is a necessity & I'm going into my fourth semester. I think you'll do fine.

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There's another thing you might want to consider. Depending upon what your long term career goals are, if you are considering progressing on to a graduate nursing program you may want to go ahead and take Chem now why you have the chance. Many graduate programs (as well as more and more BSN programs) are requiring 1 to 2 semesters of Chem as part of the degree. Can you imagine how upset you'd be 2 or 4 years from now if you found the perfect program you wanted to get into only to find out that you will have to wait 6 months to a year because you don't have the prerequisite Chem courses under your belt? Besides, like another poster mentioned, it will give you a better understanding of electrolytes and such, and it certainly makes Microbiology a lot easier.

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

Then of course there's Pharmacology, otherwise known as "Better Living Through Chemeistry". Please, please take chemistry. Including organic.

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Organic Chemistry--otherwise known as, "an experience quite similar to chewing on sand for 16 weeks at a mere cost of $140 per credit hour."

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