Prerequisites

barcode120x, RN, NP · May 25, 2016

It all depends on you and what your school allows. My school required to have Anatomy to completed first before I could apply/take Microbiology and Physiology. Once anatomy was done, my school let me take the next 2 classes in the same semester. It was not a great idea for me. Even though those were the only 2 classes I had the next semester, both classes were tough at the time and I ended up with a B in Micro and a C in Physio (B in anat) which barely let me apply for the program. Keep in mind this was me yearssssssssssss ago as I was an average college student. So, it depends on your study habits if you think you'd be able to take 1-3 classes in one semester (if your school allows). If I had the chance, I would have taken all 3 classes separate and taken them seriously :nailbiting:

Quota, BSN, RN · May 25, 2016

Depends on your science background, how strong/weak you are in science in general, format of the classes you are looking at, etc. Personally I'm taking all my pre-reqs online in condensed classes (8 or 12 weeks each) while working full time. So I'm going with minimum overlap of my classes but also completing some of them faster than the allotted time as well. I also have a previous BS in Biology so I'm coming into this with a strong science background and a lot of the general knowledge already under my belt.

So far I've completed BioEthics and A&P I with no issues and I'm currently in week 2 of an 8 week A&P II course. BioEthics was simple, A&P I wasn't really hard material (for me) but it is a LOT of material to jam into 8 weeks and requires a lot of hard work and study time. If I stay on track to complete A&P II in 6 weeks instead of the 8 weeks I'm planning to sign up for an 8 week Nutrition class that overlaps a few weeks with the A&P II class. Talking with another student on AN who completed the Nutrition class I'll be taking it should be manageable. The work load from A&P is my only concern along with my full time job, 1.5-2 hours of daily commuting, and other real life responsibilities that require some of my time.

I took Microbiology when I earned by BS and got an A in lecture, B+ in lab but that was over 10 years ago so I'll have to repeat it. I don't foresee any difficulty but many people seem to find Micro challenging. So yeah... Your results may vary based on tons of factors we can't know. I wish you luck whichever you end up doing.

SD123CA · May 25, 2016

Hi,

The schools that I am applying to also require a chemistry. I'll be taking chemistry along with Anatomy/Physiology 1 in the fall. In the Spring semester I will take Microbiology along with Anatomy/Physiology 2. Hope this helps. And I might or might not take a third class with each of the two classes each semester, like an intro to sociology or something.

Mamasalsera · May 25, 2016

Thank you!

fyrephish, ADN, RN · May 25, 2016

From my experience, which is limited at this point, most of my classmates in Microbiology seem to have taken A&P I and II and are already accepted into the nursing program. I'm a year behind them, and I haven't taken A&P yet, but at our school the only prerequisite is Biology. I'm doing the accelerated 6 week summer Microbiology class, and although it seems a challenge, I think with focus it's possible. I would recommend spacing those classes out if you work full time, to achieve the highest possible grade. You probably know your capabilities best. Good luck to you!

dorkypanda · May 26, 2016

From my experience, which is limited at this point, most of my classmates in Microbiology seem to have taken A&P I and II and are already accepted into the nursing program. I'm a year behind them, and I haven't taken A&P yet, but at our school the only prerequisite is Biology. I'm doing the accelerated 6 week summer Microbiology class, and although it seems a challenge, I think with focus it's possible. I would recommend spacing those classes out if you work full time, to achieve the highest possible grade. You probably know your capabilities best. Good luck to you!

I took micro during a summer session too, and yeah it was a little bit of a monster. keep reading and studying daily you should be fine.

dorkypanda · May 26, 2016

I took them at a random order since availability was limited I took whatever was open at my school district. From what I gathered, people generally said you want to know the anatomy structures before learning about how different parts of the body works and it makes sense. With a full time job you must be quite busy. So depending on how badly you want to get the courses done you may combine if you need to. If you're not in a crunch you should spread it out. You can take micro anytime, I personally took it after completing physiology and anatomy due to availability. All courses require a lot of dedicated time to study and read.

Zoey10 · May 26, 2016

Hello! I just finished up all of my prerequisites while working full time, and I would suggest taking anatomy/phys/micro all separately if possible. I have a science background so the material wasn't completely new to me, but time was by far my biggest constraint since all of those classes had a good amount of reading and/or time needed for memorization/comprehension. If you need to take chem, take that first, then micro, anatomy, and phys last. Some classmates who were also in the pre-healthcare track said that you should take anatomy then micro, but personally, I liked taking anatomy and phys back to back since you learn structure then function while it is all still fresh in your mind.

kassiahgp · May 27, 2016

This is the order I am taking mine:

A&P 1/2 in a split session (which means normally they are separate semesters but I squeezed them into 1. I guess like an accelerated course)

Chem (principles) 1/2 in a split session

Microbiology

I DO NOT recommend taking any of these together in a semester even if you aren't doing a split. I think it doesn't truly matter what order you take them in, but ask your advisor what order the professors recommend and what order students often take.

Good luck to you!

Mamasalsera · May 27, 2016

Great information, than you so much!