Pharm., Fundamentals, and 2 sciences

[I think I can..., ADN, RN]

Hello,

I am still trying to decide on my course load for the Fall semester and I could use some advice, please.

Here is my situation: I am planning on doing a dual enrollment in my community college for a Bachelor degree. So, I was contemplating not working at all for the first semester of nursing (this coming Fall), and filling up my schedule with the science classes I have left: Microbiology (online?) and Pathophysiology (this one one I know would be online). That way, I would be able to work on my Bachelor degree's classes while doing my 2 years in the community college, following the advised course planning offered by the university, for their dual enrollment.

My question is: if I follow this idea, my Fall semester classes would include Microbiology (4 credits), Pathophysiology (4 credits), Pharmacology (2 credits + some online work), and Fundamentals (6 credits). Would that be WAY too much, knowing that I would not work? Or, is it possible with implied hard work, of course?

[JessieMari]

That is a heavy course load with a lot of heavy classes. Micro and Patho might be easy from the outside looking in but if you're trying to grasp the material it's a lot to take at one time. Pharmacology is a lot in and of itself. Pluse Fundamentals is the foundation for your nursing coursework. It may sound easy but the level of studying and time that has to be dedicated to just the nursing parts of nursing school is a lot. This is the reasing for guided courses in nursing school, I'm sure each school has the recommended electives for the semester you're in. In the end, only you know what you can handle. I'm coming from a different background and all I had to take were nursing courses while in the program so I hope this POV helps.

[Simplistic]

I once took fundamentals, anatomy and physiology, child development and an english class in one semester. I studied roughly 4-5 hours a day that semester. But that was NOTHING compared to when i took my pediatrics and OB nursing classes. For those, I had to study close to 7-8 hours a day. Your course load IS heavy, and you are going to have to be willing to dedicate a significant amount of your time towards your classes. Can I ask what the rush is? Cant you carry over at least 1 of those classes towards next semester? Or at least take 1 of those classes during the summer?

[I think I can..., ADN, RN]

Hello, thank you for the response. Yes, I agree, it is a heavy course load and I do understand that it would take a lot of dedication to do well with it. After thinking about it, I am thinking that it just may be too much for me; I do not want to spend all my time sitting behind my desk, study, and nothing else. I am just worry about the dual enrollment and having enough courses to be kept in the program... I am putting so much on hold to become a nurse, and I just want to start my new career whenever possible. I think I will just keep the schedule that my school has set, and just add one class per semester towards the Bachelor degree, as well as summer semesters. Thank you!

[araew2129, ADN]

I can't answer as to these specific classes but can tell you that I think if you are already worried it will be too much, you may just be right. I have 7 prereqs to complete in order to apply to the nursing program. I tried front loading the classes, taking A&P, Chemistry and nutrition this summer with A&PII, Chemistry II, micro and devel psych in the fall. I did this because I won't be working and I am generally a good student so, while I was worried about it, I figured with hard work I could do it. I quickly found that while I could try, I didn't think I would really benefit from the classes all that much. I decided to drop down to 1 summer class, 2 in the fall and so on. This means putting off the nursing school app for a while year (They only admit once per year) but I know it will serve me (and future patients) better in the long run.