Difficulty of Nursing Classes Vs. Biochemistry

jjjoy, LPN · Apr 16, 2008

Short answer... it shouldn't be a problem for anyone who has done well in the type of courses you are talking about... however... (long answer)

It's difficult to compare nursing courses with other courses. While major's level O Chem and Biochem are difficult because they take quite a bit of investment of time and effort in studying to understand, doing practice problems, learning chemical reactions, etc. nursing courses are difficult because there is a mass of material to cover. That content isn't very in depth (compared to major's level chem or bio course) and doesn't build upon itself. It covers hundreds of medical conditions, giving a quick overview of pathophys, etiology, signs and symptoms, treatments, nursing interventions, & prognosis. Many nursing texts are over 1000 pages and are covered in a term or less.

Pharmacology is taught differently in different schools. Some have a specific course on it, which means a quick overview of all types of drugs, indications, side effects, mechanism of action... again, not too much depth, just LOTS of material to cover. Ive heard, though, that some schools work the pharmacology into other courses.

Finally, nursing tests are different from most science tests you may be used to. They are usually multiple choice, often written purposely a little vague where more than one answer that could work... but you're supposed to choose the "best" answer given the information. This is to reflect the testing style of the nursing boards (NCLEX). These tests are a real bear as "best" can sometimes be argued different ways, but it's up to any individual instructor whether or not to give you credit for an answer different than the one they said was right.

So in terms of comprehension, I'd say a chem/biochem major would have no problem with nursing pharmacology. And a chem/biochem major has probably already honed their studying skills so that they'd probably also be able to pull off good grads without feeling overwhelmed.

I personally did quite well in chem and bio and did well academically in nursing school. But I felt very dissatisfied by much of the nursing coursework because it wasn't as in depth as I like. I learn better when I really *get* something, but with so much material to cover in nursing school it can be difficult to find the time and motivation to do *further* studying in other references to get the kind of depth that I can sink my teeth into. And some instructors can get intimidated and give you a hard time if you ask them in depth questions. Heck, my experience, and many others' experience, is that instructors are pushing to cover so much in lecture that there's not much opportunity to ask questions at all anyway. Sigh!

What can I say, I think nursing education needs a major revamping across the board!! But you've got to work with what's there, so if you want to be a nurse, you've got to go to nursing school!

IcanHealYou · Apr 16, 2008

Thanks a lot for your time =D. That's kind of what I'm worried about, those multiple choice exams. It's all or none unlike writing essays. I guess I'll manage though.

IcanHealYou · Apr 16, 2008

Double Post.

labcat01, BSN, RN · Apr 16, 2008

Some have a specific course on it, which means a quick overview of all types of drugs, indications, side effects, mechanism of action... again, not too much depth, just LOTS of material to cover. Ive heard, though, that some schools work the pharmacology into other courses.
I personally did quite well in chem and bio and did well academically in nursing school. But I felt very dissatisfied by much of the nursing coursework because it wasn't as in depth as I like.

Ditto ditto ditto!

The pharmacology class I had to take was a joke. It was pretty much all about memorizing the drugs and their side effects. It is completely different from biochem or o-chem which really required you to think about through a lot of things. If you did well in biochem/ochem you should be fine in pharm. Good luck!

Yelena · May 25, 2009

I just finished Biochemistry degree and I'll tell you I took O-chem over 8 weeks both 1 and 2 org2 8 am and org 1 at 10 am, made A's in both of them. Organic Chem is very easy and fun. It's physical chemistry that killed everyone, my GPA is down because of those pchem classes. I am also premed and doing nursing here for a little while. But i think if we can handle the classes that we have been nursing is not going to be that difficult. Because i am still thinking about going to med school.

whoknows56 · May 25, 2009

I just finished Biochemistry degree and I'll tell you I took O-chem over 8 weeks both 1 and 2 org2 8 am and org 1 at 10 am, made A's in both of them. Organic Chem is very easy and fun. It's physical chemistry that killed everyone, my GPA is down because of those pchem classes. I am also premed and doing nursing here for a little while. But i think if we can handle the classes that we have been nursing is not going to be that difficult. Because i am still thinking about going to med school.

I took a pathology and pharm class that is focused towards nursing students. The classes were as easy as heck...nothing like med school level.

I took organic chemistry and biochemistry and those courses were much tougher.

Debating between a nursing career and a medical career simply comes down to treating the patient or caring for the patient (for non NP positions).

2BSure · May 25, 2009

Like some of the other posters have said, I found pharmacology sooooooo easy. I have studied o.chem, inorg. chem, molecular biology and the nursing pharmacology class I took was more like a survey course. Frankly, I found it a little frustrating because I wanted to learn more in depth. Also, it was taught by an instructor who, even though she had an MSN, I cannot imagine she did had studied pharmacology past the RN requirement.