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

[Ms.Gainer92]

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?

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

I knew a lot of people in my prerequisite courses who just couldn't pass them and really wanted to be nurses. Many of them were great people.

When they asked my advice, I would suggest LPN school. LPN school will make you a nurse. The prerequisites are still challenging, but often doable for someone who can't pass chem or AP, or both. From LPN you can bridge to RN if you want to when your confidence and abilities grow.

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

I won't say never give up, but I will say don't give up just yet. You are not too deep in the hole to dig yourself out but the digging will be hard. Check with your school as only they can tell you how long previous credits will be accepted. Also only they can tell you if there is a limit on retaking courses and how the grades are affected by this. Some schools wipe out the lower grade, some won't change the old grade but both grades appear on the transcript and a few average the old grade with the retake grade for a new composite grade.

If at all possible I highly suggest retaking at least the A & P class as that is such a core component. Without a good grasp of this subject the rest of your work going forward will be that much more difficult. While chemistry is without a doubt important as well much of what you need to know can be learned during other courses if you apply yourself and reach out for help when you need it. Just be sure to reach out for that help before you find yourself right back in that hole. Of course, whether or not you need to retake that as well will depend on your schools policy on how long previous credits are accepted.

It's not just A & P and chemistry you will need though. How are your grades in the rest of the pre-reqs? English, math, psychology and sociology, communications and statistics are some that come to mind. English and math may be the most important of these to master early. You will be writing a lot of papers and you don't want to lose vital grade points because of writing errors and many a nursing student has been challenged by the required math, trust me there is more of it than you think!

Think of the pre-reqs to the nursing program as the foundation of a building. If the foundation isn't strong enough to support the weight of the structure being built above it the whole thing will crumble and fall.

[Ellie G]

A 2.7? Wow. I've never come across a nursing school that would accept you with those grades and I agree with the person that said CRNA is very dependent on the sciences. Truthfully getting into a CRNA program is way more competitive than getting into nursing school

[jazz5299]

Hope you reached your goal. I myself attend N.C.C. I have been there since 2015 taking 1 -2 classes per semester. I'm 40 yrs. old with a G.P.A of 2.83. I still have 136 Mat , Chem, AP1/2 plus micro. As you can see i'm still fighting my dream and goals. I crawled and soon will be walking. Baby steps. My plan is to possibly take an entrance exam to hopefully start an L.P.N program for 2019 Fall. In the process i'm still planning to stay @ N.C.C to finish Math and Chem. I plan to pay out of pocket for A&P Spring of 2019 and Pay for A&P in the Summer of 2019 at Housatonic; with that , if i don't get accepted to the L.P.N fall 2019 , then i still plan to apply for the R.N @ N.C.C Nov. 2019 for that next year fall of 2020. All you need are short term and long term goals. Make a plan and stick to it... Wish you all the very best!!! Including myself!