CSULB Nursing - Spring 2014

deliverator, MSN, RN, NP · Apr 27, 2016

if money isn't an issue and if you want to make your program lighter, take pathophys and pharm before you start your program. two less classes to worry about. I did all my bsn pre-reqs at golden west college before I started my RN degree at GWC, so when it came time to get my BSN, I only did BSN relevant nursing classes. However, prior to getting my nursing degree, I had a bachelors degree in another field, so I had all my common core education requirements filled.

anyways, if you go for your MSN, you're going to have to take pharm and pathophysiology all over again.

jaybees · Apr 27, 2016

if money isn't an issue and if you want to make your program lighter, take pathophys and pharm before you start your program. two less classes to worry about. I did all my bsn pre-reqs at golden west college before I started my RN degree at GWC, so when it came time to get my BSN, I only did BSN relevant nursing classes. However, prior to getting my nursing degree, I had a bachelors degree in another field, so I had all my common core education requirements filled.
anyways, if you go for your MSN, you're going to have to take pharm and pathophysiology all over again.

thanks for the tip! one last thing I forgot to mention. Both those classes i found are online courses. with that said, I'm afraid that taking it online, I will not be able to thoroughly learn the material because I can just zoom past the lessons. I don't mind doing that as long as I get an A, but do you think this will affect me when I study to take the NCLEX, or just even the knowledge I should have as a nurse? pretty much what I'm trying to say is, I don't think I will really learn the subjects taking it online, and is that okay?

thanks again sYSvTaFFolIAAAAASUVORK5CYII=

#1nrsstudent · Apr 27, 2016

I just graduated in dec. I would take it now so you can focus on it. The pathophysiology at Cal state is ok. Not enough time to cover everything. Start now, it definitely won't hurt, it will actually help lol.

deliverator, MSN, RN, NP · Apr 27, 2016

thanks for the tip! one last thing I forgot to mention. Both those classes i found are online courses. with that said, I'm afraid that taking it online, I will not be able to thoroughly learn the material because I can just zoom past the lessons. I don't mind doing that as long as I get an A, but do you think this will affect me when I study to take the NCLEX, or just even the knowledge I should have as a nurse? pretty much what I'm trying to say is, I don't think I will really learn the subjects taking it online, and is that okay?
thanks again

It depends on how you study and learn material. Do you need your professor to read to you directly from a PowerPoint presentation of the material? Or are you able to do that yourself?

I just finished my masters courses in pathophysiology and pharm and I can tell you I could have done without sitting through lecture having my professors read verbatim from PowerPoint slides.

There are a lot of online resources for studying for these subjects. Flash cards help tremendously. There are also a lot of practice tests and quizzes online as well. Don't worry about the nclex-rn now. You have a lot of time later to think about the nclex-rn and what you need to remember for when you become a RN.

jaybees · Apr 27, 2016

It depends on how you study and learn material. Do you need your professor to read to you directly from a PowerPoint presentation of the material? Or are you able to do that yourself?
I just finished my masters courses in pathophysiology and pharm and I can tell you I could have done without sitting through lecture having my professors read verbatim from PowerPoint slides.
There are a lot of online resources for studying for these subjects. Flash cards help tremendously. There are also a lot of practice tests and quizzes online as well. Don't worry about the nclex-rn now. You have a lot of time later to think about the nclex-rn and what you need to remember for when you become a RN.

I agree. I am able to learn by myself but i have found that when i take online classes, i don't retain as much as i would in a actual class because there is no professor or classmates around you. and i feel it is easier to get a good grade because you can get by doing things that you wouldn't be able to do in the actual classroom.

how important is it in having a solid foundation in pharm and pathophysiology for the upcoming courses? if the other upcoming courses do not heavily depend on these 2 courses, then i may just take it online.

btw, thanks again your advices!