I took issue with this class because I can see a real need for a nurse to be able to know how to talk to someone whose loved one just died, lost an arm, got cancer, whatever. Whether you like it or not, I imagine people are going to want to talk to you. While not a shrink, I think a class dedicated to how to talk to these people would have been a good class to have.
Instead it was just a meaningless class. I need the info I learned from there the same amount as I will use my Stats or English comp. classes. I know you just have to take the meaningless classes at college, and I can live with that. What bothers me is that I think having the skill of being able to direct (not council) a person would be beneficial.
What do you say to someone who just lost a loved one or found out they have cancer?
(this is not a complaint about the class being 'hard'. I got an A that was so strong in the class I was allowed to skip the final)
Surely the two examples you gave are not all you took away from your A&P and lifespan psych courses. These (and other prereqs) are the foundational courses upon which your nursing education will be built. Understanding basic A&P and basic concepts of developmental stages and psychology are necessary for you to understand the content you'll be encountering in nursing courses as you progress in school, and the concepts you learn in those courses are knowledge you will be using every day as a practicing nurse (if you plan to be competent and effective, that is ...)
"Meaningless class"? Much of what you "learn" in class isn't the material. You learn effective study habits. You learn time management. You learn how to complete assignments (like a doctors order) on time and correctly even if you do not agree with the importance of them.
You learn from everything. Nothing is meaningless unless you choose it to be.
Like previous posts try to explain, this is not a nursing course. It is a general class. More than likely, not everyone in your class was a pre-nursing student. If you make it into a nursing program, you will take another psych class that will be more detailed and teach you how to talk to people.
I think the problem is you seem to think that Lifespan Psych is meant for nurses or nursing students. It isn't. It's a very general introduction to understanding psych issues at different stages of the lifespan. That's it, nothing more. You are expecting an indepth class but you didn't take an in depth class, at least not yet.
You will get meaningful psych classes later. You did not take a course that is supposed to provide meaningful nursing information yet. Let it go.
I have to disagree that Lifespan is a meaningless class. You learn developmental milestones for small children, psychological development of reasoning abilities in children, common issues that arise in adulthood and older life... It's anything but meaningless trivia.
I am in lifespan now and I find the course extremely educational and fulfilling. We are spending the last couple of weeks discussing death and dying, and I feel like I've grown emotionally. I am certain my development with the subject will help me be a better nurse!
We can just have a difference of opinion on this class. The class was an easy A, so i am not going to lose any sleep over having to take it. I didn't even say I didn't enjoy the class, it was ok and a good way to help get my feet wet in college since that was the first class I had been in for about 20 years.
Only reason I am posting again is because others here have said that later classes go in to how to deal with patients in the situations I have described? Which classes are those, and how does that fit into the practical side of the class? I am only going for a 2 year degree, and will get my 4 year while I am working. The next 2 years have me with a 9 hour class each semester except the last, and the last has a 9 hour plus a 3 hour. I am guessing the type of education you are mentioning would be taught in a bridge program?
We can just have a difference of opinion on this class. The class was an easy A, so i am not going to lose any sleep over having to take it. I didn't even say I didn't enjoy the class, it was ok and a good way to help get my feet wet in college since that was the first class I had been in for about 20 years.
Only reason I am posting again is because others here have said that later classes go in to how to deal with patients in the situations I have described? Which classes are those, and how does that fit into the practical side of the class? I am only going for a 2 year degree, and will get my 4 year while I am working. The next 2 years have me with a 9 hour class each semester except the last, and the last has a 9 hour plus a 3 hour. I am guessing the type of education you are mentioning would be taught in a bridge program?
Therapeutic communication is considered a basic nursing competency. Basic principles of therapeutic communication are taught in any nursing program at any level, LPN or RN, and you will be expected to practice and develop them in your clinicals. Like everything else in nursing, you will learn the basics in school, and continue to develop those skills on your own over time.
I'm in a psych 100 class right now, which is intro to psych...praying that 200 is a little bit more interesting. It's all just memorization with literally zero emphasis on learning or understanding.
There's lots of bio involved which is neat, but a lot of it is just memorization.
I was so excited for psych, so I understand your frustration. I also think that some things can't be taught, and also maybe we have sort of a misunderstanding of what pysch really is, I think we'll learn a bit more about talking to loved ones etc. through actual experiences...also maybe in nursing school/communications classes. Good luck
elkpark
14,633 Posts
Surely the two examples you gave are not all you took away from your A&P and lifespan psych courses. These (and other prereqs) are the foundational courses upon which your nursing education will be built. Understanding basic A&P and basic concepts of developmental stages and psychology are necessary for you to understand the content you'll be encountering in nursing courses as you progress in school, and the concepts you learn in those courses are knowledge you will be using every day as a practicing nurse (if you plan to be competent and effective, that is ...)