Did you take all non-nursing classes first?

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I was wondering if anyone else here took all of their non-nursing/clinical classes before actually applying to nursing school? I do not plan on actually applying to nursing school and doing my clinicals until my youngest child is in preschool which will be in four years. Would it be a good or bad idea to get them out of the way?

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During LPN schooling we had classroom lecture as well as our nursing class lectures and clinicals. Nothing worse than knowing you have to study for an exam in psych as well as having a nursing class test and having to go to clinicals. It was rough.

I purposely got all of my pre-reqs and non-nursing classes out of the way so that when I started the nursing classes of my LPN to RN bridge classes that I would only have to worry and concentrate on the nursing classes and clinicals. I have friends who are in the RN program who did not finish all of their non-nursing classes and would be under so much pressure and stress when tests for non nursing classes would fall on days that they had a big nursing class test etc. A few started to have sub-par grades in the non-nursing classes (which they have to pass in order to graduate) and/or the nursing classes. It was just too much for some of them. The other friends who had gotten their non-nursing classes done prior to starting the nursing classes were still freaked out/stressed when tests came up but they were so thankful that they only had that one class to worry about.

I'd do my non-nursing class prior to having my nursing classes all over again in a second. But that's just me and my $0.02 some will disagree and say its fine to do both types of classes at the same time. I'd just prefer not to and I recommend to my friends who will be starting nursing school to do as many of the non-nursing (preferably ALL of them) prior to staring nursing classes. :)

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Depends upon the program policies. Some schools require that certain prerequisite and corequisite courses be completed before applying to the nursing program while others only suggest that other coursework be done first. It only makes sense that you want to clear your plate of everything possible so that you can concentrate on nursing while in the nursing program.

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I took all of mine because The ADN program here went by a point system and is very competitive. It took me a year and a half for Pre-reqs only because I had several from when I went to school right after high school. Some programs let you take Pre-reqs while in an actual program for me honestly there was no way in Haiti I could do it!!

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Specializes in Forensic Psych.

I took almost all of mine because of a points system, as well. It's basically impossible to get in without the maximum number of completion points, so I took all but 4 credits, which I'll be finishing between year one and two of nursing school. No reason to not get them over with, honestly. It'll just free up time to focus on nursing classes when you start!

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I took ALL of my pre reqs and co reqs before I started my RN program. I knew that nursing school would be challenging all by itself but when you throw my 4 kids and husband into the mix, I wanted to make things as easy as possible. I'm so glad that I did! I couldn't imagine trying to take my nursing classes along with micro or physiology. I like that I only have one or two classes a semester.

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Specializes in Primary Care; Child Advocacy; Child Abuse; ED.

I took all of mine but I am not sure if that was the smartest thing I could do. I receive a stipend that is determined by the credit hours I have a semester. I should have saved some of the easier classes to take with my nursing classes. The college I go to only teaches RN's and RT's. So there isn't a lot of prerequisites to choose from. I pray I can manage it all I can't afford to lose my stipend.

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I took all of my ADN pre-regs before starting nursing school. Most schools need recent A&P classes (within 5 years), so you might want to do the basic pre-reqs first like math, micro, psych etc etc. It took me two years to finish my pre-reqs at 2 to 3 classes per semester.

My grant isn't as high, because I won't be taking additional classes with my nursing classes. However, I want to concentrate on my nursing classes and I have kids to think about. I'm glad that I finished my pre-regs :)

Good luck! You will do great

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That's what Im trying to do. But for me its partially about lightening the load but also just what I want to do while waiting to get in since there's a bit of a waiting list at my school. I feel like this is the most logical thing to do, personally. Why not try to make your life easier?:) Just be aware of the expiration policies on some classes (I believe its 5 years? So you should be ok if you stick to your current plan)

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In our Community College programs you need certain classes just to apply (BIO, CHEM, A &P, ENG, COMPUTERS). There are then other classes (psy, eng 102, microbiology for example). Most student take this co req classes before they start the program and in fact most programs urge this. I think it would be a great idea to start now!

Good Luck!

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I agree with everyone who said get the non-nursing courses over with. My school says that while you only need A&P1 to apply, you should have no more than 6 credit-hours of non-nursing coursework left to do when you start the nursing program. I I plan to be done before I start nursing classes in August. And especially if you have a young child at home (and in preschool counts to me as both young and at home) it will be far easier for you to spread things out and take the lightest possible course loads for a longer time if you can afford to do so.

One big caveat, though. All the schools I have looked at have a time limit for A&P and Micro. They expire and you have to repeat them if it's been more than 3-5 years between taking them and applying to the nursing program. So you really don't want to do them too early in your plan. Find out now what pre- and co-reqs the programs you are interested in require, then take the english, and math, and speech and humanities and chemistry etc up front, and do the A&P sequence when you get to within 2 years of your target.

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Specializes in Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.

I will if I'm not accepted for the spring '13 semester. After the fall, I'll have 9 hours left of non-nursing courses.

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