General Bio w/Lab vs Human Anatomy and Physiology w/Lab I

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When I signed up for classes this year, I didn't know I would go into nursing. However, I am finishing off my Gen. Ed. Requirements for the school.

I'm taking Statistics, which is a requirement for the nursing program.

The other classes I'm taking are to finish up my humanities requirements. I need one social sciences requirement left.

My problem is the natural sciences requirement.

The nursing website says it wants Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II. But when I go to sign up for that class, it's strongly recommended that I take the Gen. Biology w/Lab that I've already signed up for. But the nursing website doesn't list that as a requirement. So I'd be taking an extra natural science on top of the 3 others that I need.

I really want to get into the nursing program. It's my first year in college but I came in with AP credits. I am currently listed as a Criminal Justice student. It's apparent that I need to talk to the Nursing adviser ASAP. But I think I'm going to have to wait for school to start. Which is only in like two weeks. So my first day I'll try to find the adviser.

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It really depends on you as a student and your foundation in Biology. I took A&P I without taking BIO 101 and I struggled tremendously for the B that I received. I did however, go back and take BIO 101 and the material covered would have given me better footing in A&P I (chemistry as well). I guess the professor and teaching method should also be taken into consideration. Mine had a thick Indian accent and worked full time as a doctor and taught on Saturday mornings, thus his lack of rest made him more difficult to understand. His exams were almost in clinical format where you were presented with a case and had to go through the diagnosis & management in essay format. There's a lot to consider. Maybe ask around to find out about some of the professors at your college and how the class is presented, talk to an advisor and hopefully they can guide you in the right direction. I know you don't want to take xtra classes, but you also don't want to negatively affect your GPA, as many reputable nursing programs are highly competitive. Best of Luck!!!

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Well you might need the class depending on if you want to get a BSN. I have looked at BSN programs in my state and some programs want two general biology classes along with A&P I &II and they want two chemistry classes as well. I didnt take general biology and I dont plan on it and you sure dont need general biology in order to take A&P. I took A&P I and I still managed well without it. I think it just depends on what nursing program you want to apply to.

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I would also recommend taking a BIO class before, it helps to have basic knowledge of how the body works before diving into the entire anatomy of a person.

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Well, it says that it's highly recommended. So I'm just going to take the Gen. Bio because it's a pre-req. for a few other classes I need. So it's fine I guess. And I'm a good student. So I'm definitely going to do everything to keep my GPA up. I graduated high school with a 4.4 gpa. I'm not planning on slacking off this year.

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I'm going against the grain and saying that I would start with A&P and skip gen bio. It's really not needed UNLESS the A&P classes don't start with the first few chapters of the book.

At my school, there are 2 types of A&P classes.

There's one that the nursing students take which doesn't have gen bio as a prereq. It starts from the very beginning, but builds on prior knowledge of bio since high school bio is a prereq for acceptance into the program.

There's also one that's for bio (or other majors) who are in on the pre-med/dental/vet track which requires gen bio and gen chem (2 semesters of each) before it can be taken since it doesn't start with those basics, and goes over both human and mammalian A&P.

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As sad as this may be. My mother has said no changing my schedule. lol So basically I'm stuck with the bio class. But I checked all the A&P classes and they all say that the bio is HIGHLY recommended. So I'm going to not rock the boat and just take this class.

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