PLEASE HELP! I AM STRESSED TO THE MAX!! How long do Prerequisites last?

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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  1. should I give up? I really want to be a Nurse Anesthetist!

    • 1
      Yes
    • 2
      No
    • 3
      Absolutely NOT
    • 0
      YES! You'll be too old by the time you finish the Nurse anesthetist program!
    • 1
      Find another major

7 members have participated

I wanted to know how long prerequisites for nursing school lasts. Do they expire EXACTLY at the 5 year mark? Or do some nursing schools give you leeway? I took chemistry back in spring of 2013. I had stopped going to school due to child care reasons. I took chemistry TWICE!! BARELY passing. I got a C+. So, summer of 2016 I finally told myself that it was time for me to go back to school to better myself so my child and I could have a good life. So now it's Fall 2016 and I am literally failing AP1( a C- is failing because NO nursing school will accept that). It is so hard I don't know what to do. I've been studying but I guess not good enough. For my first exam I focused more on lab and not lecture part. For my second exam I focused more on lecture and not lab. My average is a C- and I have ONE Exam left. I doubt that I can raise that to a B with having only one exam left. Even if I got an A on the last exam. I'm so frustrated! I know that I'm gonna have to take AP1 again. I'm honestly really worried about having to take chem over. It expires I'm guessing spring '18. Worse case scenario, if I have to AP1 over again which would be spring '17 I would have to take AP2 in the fall '17 and then micro in spring of '18(when my chemistry expires I'm guessing) would nursing school not accept me for fall of 2018?

Honestly, I'd be more worried about your GPA being competitive at this point.

Well I only need a 2.7 to get into the program so I'm not that far behind. And yeah I do want to get higher gpathats why I'm just gonna take it over

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Well I only need a 2.7 to get into the program so I'm not that far behind. And yeah I do want to get higher gpathats why I'm just gonna take it over

That's what my school requires as well, but when I went to the open house it was put out that students with gpas under 3.0s are rarely accepted. If I were in your shoes I would retake chem & a&p. I know it's time consuming, but if you applied with a low gpa and didn't get accepted then you would still have to retake them in the future to boost your gpa. I voted not to give up because if you really work for it you could bring that gpa up in no time and get accepted. Good luck!!!

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PPs are offering great information and advice. Nursing is a health science profession. The success of our nursing practice depends upon our ability to apply some fairly complex concepts. In order to get there, we first have to achieve a proficiency in the basic sciences, especially A & P. Without that, there is no hope of making it through the clinical portion of the cumulative nursing curriculum. Based on your comments, it seems as though you already understand this. The rationale behind course expiration is twofold: 1) over time, your recollection of the content will fade if you haven't used it, and 2) knowledge is continually changing (especially for A & P).

But I just wanted to add that CRNA is THE MOST "sciencey" nursing specialty... getting there requires a very high level of mastery, stellar GPA & Critical Care nursing experience. If you're already having difficulty with the basics, maybe you should consider another end goal. There are other practice areas that may be more achievable.

thanks for the advice. But nursing is something I really want to have as my career. I'll just take the course over and try harder.

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Specializes in Family Clinic.

You really need to talk to your advisor or an advisor in the program on what their requirements are. Our school only lets you retake a prerequisite science class once and you have to maintain a C in those classes after that you are no longer eligible. 2.8 GPA is a minimum but you better have a seriously good looking resume/application packet or you won't even be looked at. I wish you the best of luck!

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Right 2.7 is the minimum. Remember that there are only so many seats and you're competing with students who have well over a 3.0. I don't think anyone in my cohort has less than a 3.0.

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Well I only need a 2.7 to get into the program so I'm not that far behind. And yeah I do want to get higher gpathats why I'm just gonna take it over

Many schools don't allow you to retake classes - or if you do, your second grade isn't taken into account at all. I went to college at 18 and got a C in English Comp - and that's all she wrote.

That said, the minimum GPA for my program is a 2.5. The average GPA of students that make it into the program is 3.5. Something to consider.

You should also consider that the grades you're making right now will absolutely impact your ability to get into an advanced practice program.

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Specializes in ICU.

"You should also consider that the grades you're making right now will absolutely impact your ability to get into an advanced practice program."

ItsThatJenGirl is absolutely right. Rather than getting the minimum GPA to get into a nursing program, really try to get that GPA up. Once it's low, it's hard to raise it. IF, in the future, you were granted an interview at a CRNA school they WILL ask why you got a C in class. Most CRNA schools want about a 3.5 or higher, and may take lower if you do well on the GRE and/or have many years of ICU experience to make up for it.

Calculate what you would need on the final to get a B in the class. You should be able to do this if that is all you have left in the class (the final). If it's not achievable to get a B...perhaps retake the course. It sucks, but it will help you reach the end goal.

Just focus on getting into nursing school first, and get the best grades you possibly can. After that you'll have to do 1-2 years in ICU, get your CCRN, take the GRE, and start applying to CRNA schools. It takes time, but focus on the present for now! Baby steps.

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Many schools don't allow you to retake classes - or if you do, your second grade isn't taken into account at all. I went to college at 18 and got a C in English Comp - and that's all she wrote.
Same here...I got a B 25 years ago (yes, that long ago) in an English class and I recently petitioned for that college to allow me to retake it so I could get an A and improve my GPA and they said "no!". I went into my pre-reqs with the knowledge that I had to get A's to be competitive. Fortunately I did well and I am now a nursing student. However, the schools that I applied to had a minimum GPA as well but most people that I know who applied had a 3.8 or higher. I met many people who were struggling who were really hoping to get in just because they want to be a nurse, but unfortunately that desire isn't good enough when you are trying to get into a competitive program. I recommend that people take their sciences pre-reqs slowly and get the A instead of trying to do too much at once.
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Haha Oh gosh! I'm sorry. I'm 24 I'll be 25 New Year's Day. My class is full of moms who work and just don't have time. And my professor is always out the door 5 minutes before class ends. I feel that she doesn't care to stay after class especially bc I have a night class mondays 5:00pm- 6:25pm(lecture) then lab 6:30-9:25. On Wednesdays it's 5:00-6:25. That's the only class I'm taking because they only classes I need are AP1, AP2, and Microbiology. My GPA is a 2.6 . The only school closest to me that will take chem past the 5 year mark is Norwalk community college.(I'm from Connecticut)

You aren't old! Geez lol. I'll be 27 in a month( new year's Eve! Lol)! Same GPA as you, only accepted to a few (too pricy) nursing schools. So I'm going to have to apply for next fall. You've got time, just give yourself the time and focus..one at a time . Time will fly by anyway, might as well not overload yourself and make sure you secure those A's the schools will be looking for. The profession isn't going anywhere.

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Specializes in Telemetry.
Well I only need a 2.7 to get in to the nursing program.

My school has a similar minimum GPA requirement, but we all know that means nothing. The lowest GPA that got a seat was a 3.6. It's one thing to really, really want” to be a nurse, and a whole other beast to want to be a CRNA. I don't want to rain on your parade, but if you are having this much difficulty with A&P, nursing school is going to be a rude awakening. Most schools fail anything under an 80%. I've seen probably 10 people fail out of nursing school in the past 6 months….these people had 3.6-4.0 prior to admission. Considering you are barely passing basic science courses, I think you should be more realistic with your goals.

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My school has a similar minimum GPA requirement, but we all know that means nothing. The lowest GPA that got a seat was a 3.6. It's one thing to really, really want” to be a nurse, and a whole other beast to want to be a CRNA. I don't want to rain on your parade, but if you are having this much difficulty with A&P, nursing school is going to be a rude awakening. Most schools fail anything under an 80%. I've seen probably 10 people fail out of nursing school in the past 6 months….these people had 3.6-4.0 prior to admission. Considering you are barely passing basic science courses, I think you should be more realistic with your goals.

I will just take it one step at a time. Thanks for the advice

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Specializes in Medical/Surgical/Telemetry RN.

Never Give Up! Remember what is going to make you the best nurse is putting in the time everyday. This will make you skilled. Keep up the fight and you will make it. Nursing is hard work and you will spend countless hours on the subject. Remember to enjoy it even if it takes you a long time because all that time spent will be worth it. Don't quit.

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