How hard are your Nursing Classes?

Nursing Students General Students

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Just wondering what I have to look forward to. How hard are your nursing classes in comparison with your prerequisites? Are they harder, easier, or about the same as A&P or Micro? What are the most challenging nursing classes?

Not only are they more difficult, they are graded by a different grading scale....if you didn't already know that. In my program, anything below 75% was failing.

They don't test you on 'regurgitation of information' ability either. It's hard to describe a nursing test unless you've already taken one.....you'll find out soon enough. You have to critically think your way to the best answer out of a given set of possible answers. Any of which would be acceptable...you just have to pick the correct one for that particular situation.

My most difficult was Peds......they are different little beings. Everything about them is different from adults....vital signs, how you interact....etc.

Enjoy your pre-req classes....you will miss them. I promise.

Anne:D

Nursing classes are definately harder than prereqs, but thats how it works in nursing school. You go up a level, you work a little harder. You really have to know your stuff, because one answer hardly ever sticks out, cause they all could be right. (well, maybe except "patent airway", but my instructors don't give us too many freebies like that.) Nursing school is hard, but its not impossible if you are willing to work at it. Good luck with your classes. :D

Specializes in PCU, Critical Care, Observation.

I'm in my first semester of nursing & I find it is easier than microbiology & AP II. Perhaps it's because the material is more relevant to real world stuff instead of being so scientific.

As far as the tests go, it is a different concept & sometimes there are answers that could all be right---you have to figure out which one is best for the given situation. However, I don't find this type of testing to be more difficult than what we are normally used to. Some of it is plain common sense & some of it you have to really read the question through to see what they are asking. There is still memorization to a degree---because you have to know your information, but it tends to sink in & stay with you. Very unlike what you learn in microbiology in which as soon as the test is done, the information is forgotten.

I don't know if I just have a great instructor who lectures well or what it really is because I don't have anything to compare it to yet. She is going on maternity leave in a month & we'll have a new instructor, so it will be interesting to see if this change will have an effect on our grades. We have to have a 78 average & for the most part, everyone in the class is passing.

I've heard that it gets tougher after the first semester & I've heard if you make it through the second semester---then most usually go on to graduate as long as they don't run into problems outside of class. I don't really know though, because like I said, this is my first semester. I was very intimidated the first week of class with all that we had to do in the first two months of class--but looking back, it was not bad at all. Our last lab day was last Wednesday.....we didn't even realize it....that's how quickly it went by.

Our class gets along very well with one another. I've heard of some classes that can be very competitive. With ours, we lend a hand when someone needs help, some of us type up the notes & share it with the others & this Tuesday we are throwing a surprise shower for our instructor. Everyone took part in it & we're all looking forward to it---as it is also the day of our last evaluation.

The best thing to do is keep a positive attitude, be organized & make friends in the class. They can be a great support system.

I had a 4.0 going into the program, so yes, I thought they were a lot easier! First semester was quite easy for me. Now that we're doing major clinical time on top of tough classes and work, I'm definitely having a tougher time of it.

Kristy

At my school the first semester was pretty easy which totally threw me off balance for the second semester. The second semester was a whole different ballgame with an 80% increase in stress level. It was just totally different. The second semester was more like what I thought nursing school would be like. There is just so much more required, care plans-study guides-papers-presentations-drug cards- along with clinicals and class. It was a nightmare. I am now in the 5th semester and I still believe that the second one was the worst. That is the one that our class lost the most people in. Anyway-just be prepared and stay on top of everything and you will be fine. Forewarned is forearmed!!!

Good luck,

Robin

Much harder......jump in and sink or swim is how it seems to me. It is harder than I expected and many in my class are having a really hard time.

Specializes in Pediatrics, Geriatrics, Call Center RN.

:eek: I feel like this little face sometimes after tests. I'm doing the best in my class right now and have a 91.8% That is a high B. I got 4.0 in pre-req's. The courses I'm taking the non-nursing courses I take I will spend a few hours on, then nursing is an all afternoon and evening thing. You have to be able to apply what you know to clinical situations on tests. Next semester we have to have 100% on dosage cal tests before we can even participate in clinicals. I hope though this prepares me for boards as well as my LPN classes did. Good luck to you!!

Thank you for the responses. I'll have to admit the answers aren't what I was hoping for but I guess I'll be better prepared if I know what to expect. At least most of the classes will be more interesting since they are directly related to nursing.

Thanks!

Nursing classes are definitely harder. Anything below 76 is failing for us. We take our tests on computer, so it'll get us used to the computer testing for nclex.

Specializes in Pediatrics, Geriatrics, Call Center RN.

Computer tests are a good idea. I am taking one nursing class and 3 pre-req's online. All test are online except algebra midterm and final that are all on-campus proctored tests. I took my LPN boards the old fashioned way. Computer use before boards will help with the nerves.:)

My hardest class was Pharmacology for some reason. The rest were ok, there was hard stuff, but with the right instructor, you can do it...

Keep that in mind....

Good Luck to you! :)

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