Microbiology

[colleen10]

Ahhh, Yes, Microbiology, the name that strikes fear into the hearts of students throughout the world.

I am currently taking Micro and I was wondering if anyone else was taking it right now or took it recently.

I'm asking because my instructor is kind of a flake. She doesn't really lecture or put notes up on the board. She just stands there and goes through the book and says a quick sentence about various topics.

For example, "Viruses kill more people than all wars combined, There are three Domains in Microbiology, Peptidoglycan is found in cell walls"

It makes for a really boring two hours.

I was wondering how your micro classes are. Are they interesting? What kind of stuff do you learn? I really feel like I'm not learning anything yet. She said she would make the class apply to nursing and medicine but she really hasn't been emphasising anything that would apply.

Do you feel that your micro course will help you be a better nurse?

[Gator,SN]

Colleen,

I feel bad for you! With an instructor like that I hope that you learn everything that you need to learn. I took Micro last year and I had the best teacher in the whole world....a Microbiologist who changed careers 10 years ago and is now a CCRN!! he geared the whole class toward the nursing aspect of learning and he gave us many examples for past experiences. He is my favorite instructor so far.

Good Luck to you....lets us all know how it works out!:)

Gator

[NurseDianne, ADN]

Ahhhhh, I'm having the same problem you are! I am taking Micro this semester and am hating the class. My instructor sounds much the same as yours. She gives us an outline of the chapter and rattles on throughout the class. When she does go over something, 90% of the times she ends up saying, oh well, that's not really important, or something like that. I'm not even sure what to study.

The high-light is the lab. I am enjoying that, but it is learn-as-you go.

Let me know if you come up w/ a fool-proof way to study for this class.

[essarge]

Had micro last year. Found it to be "not so interesting", except for the labs. Our instructor was VERY knowledgeable in this area and would copy his lecture notes onto a disk for you if you brought him one. He followed it pretty closely.

I really feel bad for people who have the blah-blah professor because it is tough enough to understand without that going on.

My suggestion would be to find a student who has already had that class and did fairly well. Ask them if they kept their notes and study from them.

Good luck!!

[MelH]

I took Micro this past summer and at first I thought I would fall asleep :zzzzz each time I opened the book. But as we got further into each chapter I really did start to like Microbiology. Yes, at times the subject can be rather boring but I am here to say that the first day of nursing for us in Infection Control---I WAS NOT LOST!! It pertained to Micro in a lot of ways!! So to answer your question, yes, it will help you in your nursing career later. For example doing cultures on patients---best way to diagnose a disease if you ask me! You will learn a lot! Good luck!

[jschut, BSN, RN]

I am taking it now, and find it rather interesting. We have lab every week.

For right now, it's coinciding with my Advanced Human Physiology, so I can't complain yet!

[Alie]

I'm in Micro now. My teacher is okay, it is just boring right now beacause I have studied everything we are doing now already(from Chemistry and A&P I&II). He does use material out of the book, but it's not like he is reading out of the book. I've had that, BORING!! Any one could do that.

[det01]

I took Micro this summer and loved it. Most people said the teacher was hard, but I enjoyed the subject so it wasn't for me. I can understand how you would not be enjoying it with a teacher like that though. Try reading on your own and watching some of the shows on Discovery Health Channel such as COnfessions of a Germ. You might enjoy it more then.

[babynursewannab]

I must have been spoiled in my micro class this summer. The teacher was awesome. The class was incredibly difficult, but he made it so everyone could get through without killing themselves. I even have a meeting with him today to team up with him on some research for my honors program. He's a goofy sweetie.

I'm sorry, too, that your teacher is doing that. I would pay close attention and if your tests go over things the teacher never talked about or told you to read on your own, you have every right to go to the chair of the department and let them know about that teacher's ineffectiveness.

[hcnursesoon]

My teacher was from India. He was really smart, but we southern students couldn't understand him at all. It was hilarious translating. We didn't do many labs though. I was disappointed. But I did get an A.

[colleen10]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the encouragement and words of confidence.

Found out last night that the first lecture and lab exams are take home tests. So, I really feel like I lucked out with that because if we were to study on our own and have the exam in class I would have no idea what to study.

Last night she covered a whole chapter in 45 minutes and most of the time she would say "oh, well, that's not really important".

I do have to say that reading the book on my own I find the material pretty interesting, like studying the courses of diseases like Legionaire's or Hanta Virus. WOW!!! Really amazing stuff. And I was watching the Discovery Channel the other night and they were covering a disease that occurs in Central and South America and is caused by the bite of a bug which is called the "Love Bug". It's kind of like West Nile. I may have to rely on Discovery Channel to apply what I'm gleaning from the book.

Thanks for your advice!

Col

[Nurse K-Bear]

wow my proffessior was just to into micro. She is a Phd and thinks we all had one as well. Half the time I just read the textbook and said a prayer before I took an exam. that was one tough class. I took it this time last year. I was just glad we did not have to write a paper that would of been worse!