Microbiology

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Just wondering, I am about to enter micro in nursing school. Is it very difficult? I love science but I heard it is one of the most difficult classes from several nurses at the hospital I work at.:idea:

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Specializes in Army Medic.

A lot of new terms to memorize. I enjoyed my A&P more.

It's definitely one of the hardest, simply because the nature of the subject requires a large amount of time to learn.

Be creative in your study habits, and study at least a couple hours a day (including weekends) and you should do fine.

I put a lot of effort into my class and managed a B, having a good teacher helps as well.

EDIT:

This site came in handy for me a few times when reviewing my options for professors, if you're stuck with who you've got then there's no reason to visit it - but if you've got options...

http://ratemyprofessors.com/

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Micro is challenging, but don't let it snow you: it was also one of the most fun classes I had in prep for nursing school. The algorithm approach to problems that works in micro ( is it a or b?, if it's a go here, if it's b go there, etc) is just the way my mind works naturally, so I had a lot of fun with it. And we had a teacher who genuinely liked the subject and liked teaching and let us in on the interesting stories and the history of the subject. Nursing students as a group often create trouble for themselves by over worrying/over thinking their classes. Study methodically, take care of your health, get enough sleep and nothing in our curriculum is really all that hard. If you find yourself in material you don't understand, go back to the last thing you feel confident on and work forward again. It all falls into place.

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Hey thanks. It is very helpful to hear from people who have already taken the class. I have very good study habits. I am strict on myself, all I do is study and work at the hospital untill I graduate nursing school lol... what did you think of pathophysiology:chair:

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Specializes in Army Medic.

Don't get ahead of yourself, worrying about courses that you won't be taking next semester is counterproductive.

I really think the difficulty of the course is largely defined by who is teaching it. I find that Professor's with tenure usually give a much better experience.

Do your research on your teachers, is what I'm getting at. I've had teachers that expect nothing more out of you than studying what is gone over in lecture, and I've had others who are part timers; throwing things on the tests that were never mentioned in class. It can mean the difference between a B and an A.

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The answer is : it depends. Some schools have more challenging curriculum for Micro; some don't. Some students struggle with this type of science class; some don't.

I loved Micro! I got an A in both lab & lecture. I didn't even buy the (overpriced) textbook, and instead I just did focused studying in the library, then brought those notes home to review.

I did take the slightly higher level of Biology (bio into for science majors) vs the basic bio 101. While everyone else was just looking at pond water, I was getting a head start learning about cellular metabolism, DNA, PCR, genetic engineering, electrophoresis, intro to organic chem, and of course general biology of life. It helped me *alot*. When Micro started, the fundamentals were a review for me, so I could relax and enjoy growing cool new organisms. It may not be an option in all schools, but it might be worth looking into.

It is a time commitment. If you struggled in Bio, just budget a little extra time to get your Micro work done. Don't be afraid to utilize any resources the school gives you: free tutoring, professor's office hours, extra materials in the library. I was often at my prof's office hours. Teachers usually love to see students trying hard, and even if they can't hand you points on a grade, I've found if I listen carefully I get tips & insight which really help me succeed.

What I should not have done was wait to take it once I got into the nursing school : it was in addition to Nursing school full-time classes and Clinicals, and the stress for me became really unpleasant.

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Specializes in Near Future: ED, Future Future: ACNP!.

I took micro in the summer as a prereq to apply for nursing school. I absolutely loved it and had a lot of fun! It is definitely challenging, but you will learn a lot.

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HEY THANKS YOU GUYS.

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Specializes in Psych.

I loved micro. It was my favorite class out of all my prereqs. The lab was definitely more hands on than in A&P, and I really liked that about it. Its definitely a challenging course, but not impossible. In fact, if you've taken A&P already, some of what you learn in micro you will have heard before (ie DNA replication, basic cell structure, transport, metabolism and the like)

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Micro was my absolute favorite class besides Chemistry. It was very difficult, but very interesting at the same time. I got an A and our teacher was very hard. We lost points for spelling something wrong by one letter, etc. LOL. Anyway, if you have good study habits, you will do fine. Enjoy it. You learn a lot in the class.

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Specializes in L&D,surgery,med/surg,ER,alzheimers.

I went to a difficult nursing school (pre computer era) and Micro was a very difficult course there. The book was huge. Lots of students failed the course. I LOVED IT! I played little mind games to help me memorize everything. I made flash cards. I taped the lectures and listened to them on the long drive home from class and then back on the way to school the next morning, so i heard each lecture 3 times. I did this for all my lectures in each subject. I studied hours every day. I made a 100% on every Micro exam and made a 100% on the final exam giving me a 100 average for the class. I was the only one to make a 100 average out of 184 students who began the class. Sorry about the bragging, but I worked my butt off and I really enjoyed the class. The lab was terrific and we did all sorts of things with petrie dishes and diseases. This was in 1989 and I remember the class very well.

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Hi

I took Micro and it was extremely hard. My teacher was great. I studied my ass off and I did great. I did not do good on the finale. If you study, you should do find. Good Luck

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