Nutrition and pathophysiology missing in curriculum

[on eagles wings, ASN, RN]

hi guys. i have a question for you nurses who didn't have pathophysiology or nutrition in your curriculum(ns or pre-req). how do you feel this has affected your job as a nurse? do you feel like these lasses might've helped you now that you are an rn? do you feel a step behind at all?

the reason i'm asking is because i am starting ns in the fall and only need two more classes to take. i can take a nutrition class although its not a pre-req. i wanted to take it because my friends who are going to bsn programs are taking it so i figured it would be important although i am going to an asn program.

also, my school doesn't offer pathophysiology for nursing pre-req, only pa. i thought this was weird and kind of thought it was unfair because i thought nursing students should take this class too. i kind of wanted to see if i could maybe talk to someone in the school to find out more about why this is, and if they plan to add this course in the future. i feel that maybe the new grads from my school would be more prepared for the n-clex or even clinicals if they had taken these two classes previously. but i really am not sure if it makes a big difference at all.

i really just don't want to take this nutrition class unless it will make nursing school easier for me . i just don't understand why all the bsn programs in my area ask for it, and the asns in my area don't. i've heard people say rns don't need that stuff because dietitians will take care of it. so i am a bit confused here. anyone want to clear it up?

[missy--kay]

I cannot imagine a nursing program without patho. It is the basis of everything else. How can you properly treat a patient, if you don't understand the disease process? I consult my patho book all the time and would be weary of a program that does not include it.

[CuriousMe]

My guess is that they work patho into the rest of the curriculum and don't isolate it as a class in itself.

Not sure about nutrition though, all the ADN's and BS programs in my area require it as a prereq

[on eagles wings, ASN, RN]

I cannot imagine a nursing program without patho. It is the basis of everything else. How can you properly treat a patient, if you don't understand the disease process? I consult my patho book all the time and would be weary of a program that does not include it.

Thanks for your comment. I know exactly what you're saying. I've heard students say that they learn here and there throughout the program, but I thought, "Wouldn't it just be easier if you learned it before all these clinicals and labs?" I mean, wouldn't it just make making your first few care plans waaay easier? Because these students know NOTHING about these diseases and then they have to research like crazy the night before. I mean, I don't get it.... I wish I understood but since I am not even in the nursing program yet its not clear to me. But somehow, its a pretty good program.... I would just imagine it would be better with an class dedicated only to patho, like an anatomy class is dedicated, well, to anatomy.

[on eagles wings, ASN, RN]

My guess is that they work patho into the rest of the curriculum and don't isolate it as a class in itself.

Not sure about nutrition though, all the ADN's and BS programs in my area require it as a prereq

Yeah that's what I guessed initially. Seems to me it would make the road a bit bumpier. :/

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

Patho is usually within the nursing program itself. In my program, it is in the very first block of the first semester. Nutrition was not a pre-req of my program, but it is offered as an elective. I took nutrition as a pre-req, however, because another program I was looking at required it prior to admission.

A lot of the time, what nurses need to know for patient teaching regarding nutrition is included within the patho and assessment classes. As a separate course, it was nice to increase my knowledge base, but I wouldn't think a program was necessarily a bad one if it didn't have it as part of the mandatory curriculum. Not having patho within the program or as a pre-req, though...well, that's not good.

[KateRN1]

Pathophys is incorporated into the nursing program, that's the basis for all of your med-surg classes. The pathophys program in the BSN program may be an advanced course for those who have a good handle on pathophys from their ASN days or previous med-surg courses.

It is also possible that the nutrition portion is incorporated into the nursing program, but I believe it is best done as a pre-req. For those who think "the dietician will handle it," while hospitals do have Registered Dieticians, not every nurse works in the hospital and when you're in the outside world, it's handy to have a good handle on nutrition. You need to know things like: What foods can your pt eat or not eat when s/he is on Coumadin? Why should your diabetic patient eat cheese with her apple? Why does your pt with a kidney stone need to avoid green tea? (And those are just three questions I answered today.)

I had the opportunity to take both prior to entering the ASN program. I understood a lot more and retained a lot more from the nutrition program than I did from pathophys. I'd love to go back and audit it sometime.

[PMFB-RN, RN]

I didn't take either and no I don't feel at the slightest disadvantage. Patho was integrated in my nursing school, not a separate class. I wouldn't take any class I didn't have to.

I don't know what a nurse needs to take nutrition for. It's not like we have any say in what our patients eat, at least not in the hospital, but of course I work SICU and is my patients are eating it's usually tube feeding through an NG or Dobhoff.

[ExPharmaGirl, BSN, RN]

I start school in July (BSN) and we don't have either class. I believe patho is incorporated throughout (it would have to be, otherwise you couldn't do your job as a nurse). I have a pretty heavy background in it anyway from being in the pharmaceutical industry for almost 10 years, so I think I will be somewhat ok. I have needed to know a lot about many, many, many disease states (diagnoses, disease process, treatment etc).

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

I am not a nurse yet, I am in nursing school, I did take Patho and a 3 credit Nutrition class before starting. It is required in my program to graduate but it's not a pre req. It has to be taken before entering 3rd semester.

About half the class hadn't taken the patho yet (the nutrition was an easy A for me and most people I know that took it) I know having the Patho was a HUGE advantage for Med/Surge and a lot of students that regretted not doing it before hand.

Our school required a 1 credit nutrition class but to do the BSN you would have to have the 3 credit one, so that is why I went that route. It did come into play in my classes so far, but not near as much as the Patho did.

If I were you, I would take it.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

I didn't take either and no I don't feel at the slightest disadvantage. Patho was integrated in my nursing school, not a separate class. I wouldn't take any class I didn't have to.

I don't know what a nurse needs to take nutrition for. It's not like we have any say in what our patients eat, at least not in the hospital, but of course I work SICU and is my patients are eating it's usually tube feeding through an NG or Dobhoff.

Nurses do a lot of education, educating on proper eating, foods to avoid foods to eat, we need to know what foods are high in fat, what are high in fiber, what help HDL and lower LDL, foods can impact medications. It's not about deciding what the patient can eat, it's about knowing the effects certain foods have on the body and medications and being able to educate patients on it.

At least that's my opinion on it.

[on eagles wings, ASN, RN]

Nurses do a lot of education, educating on proper eating, foods to avoid foods to eat, we need to know what foods are high in fat, what are high in fiber, what help HDL and lower LDL, foods can impact medications. It's not about deciding what the patient can eat, it's about knowing the effects certain foods have on the body and medications and being able to educate patients on it.

At least that's my opinion on it.

That's what I had in mind... I think I am def. going to take it. Thanks for your post. I really do wish they offered patho though. :/