How to prepare before nursing school + prereqs

[kimathomas]

Hi there,

I am starting my pre-reqs for nursing this fall, and then will hopefully get accepted into the RN program the year after. I am wondering if anyone has advice, tips or books I can check out on how to prepare for my pre-reqs and nursing. A bit of background...

I have been out of high school for 7 years, and so I haven't taken a chemistry class in at least 7 years. I haven't taken any anatomy or physiology, although did do biology in high school (again, over 7 years).

I purchased these books (used) through Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0130417122/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416044051/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Anything else I can do to try and get ahead of the game? I was never a strong science student and was heavily involved in the arts. I'm concerned about memorization and just overall trying to understand science.

[grownuprosie]

Check out the Student forum. Just click "Students" in the Yellow bar up top. There is an abundance of info that can help you!

[ScientistSalarian]

It took me a few years to decide on nursing and then work through the prereqs and the most important lesson I learned was not to think/plan too far ahead or it will distract from the tasks at hand. I love to plan and organize (so: control freak) but I found that I was putting a lot of extra pressure on myself by going down that road of "if I don't get a perfect score on this test I won't get an A in this class which will lower my GPA and I won't get into a nursing program and then I'll never get a job as a nurse blah blah blah STRESS." I realize this is incredibly trite advice but truly, take it one day at a time.

Many, many students going though nursing prerequisites have been out of school for far longer than you have so don't go into it with the mindset that you're already behind. Just go to every class, sit in the front row, take excellent notes, and go talk to your teachers the minute you feel that you're not keeping up. If you're worried about the biology classes I would get the anatomy/physiology coloring books and do a few pages here and there just to familiarize yourself with what's coming. If you're going to have to take an entrance exam for nursing school down the line (the TEAS, etc.) you could pick up one of the more inexpensive study guides and flip through to review the basics of anatomy, physiology, chemistry and physics. It's really not that bad - just plan your schedule wisely, develop good study habits early on and you'll do fine. :)

[LoriRNCM, ADN, ASN, RN]

I am more the art/English type myself. I'm much older than you (49) and have been out of high school a very long time, and the few liberal arts courses I had in college were in the 90s. The sciences and math are hard for me, have been since high schol. But I started my pre reqs in 2010, not going full time, and start the ADN program in August. Eventually, the sciences began to click for me, maybe it was because I had better study habits, or maybe it was because the material is so intense, but it got easier. This average science and math student ended up with an A in A & P II and in Math for Allied Health, so it can be done for us artsy types! Good luck to you!