Question about Pre-Req's

CarVsTree · Mar 2, 2004

My question is - do your schools require all those courses be taken before they'll consider you for admission - or are you getting them out of the way to have a better shot at being admitted (good GPA) and lighten your load when you get into the actual Program?

You're right, they are co-reqs. It is just that ADN programs are so competitive that generally unless you have most of your "pre-reqs" completed (with an A or B at the lowest) you won't be accepted into the Nursing program. In addition, since so many ADN students work full-time and have children to take care of, it is very tough to take nursing with other courses.

I am currently taking A&P2 (my last science woohoo! :balloons: ) and Fundamentals of Nursing. I am doing well in both courses, but am tired and stressed to the max. I am taking Speech Comm, Dev. Psych., and Ethics & Morals in the summer. Then, my last three semesters will be Nursing only.

Also, if you don't get accepted for the fall, make sure you ask why. It may just be that you need to get more "pre-reqs" out of the way. Many students don't get accepted into nursing school the first try.

chris_at_lucas_RN, RN · Mar 2, 2004

SusanNC, by any chance were you a Navy corpsman? At least I think I remember that's what the medics were called..... If so, you may have some other options.

If you want to be a nurse, and if you must for some reason wait, nursing will wait for you. It's worth it.

And nothing learned is every truly lost. (Well, not until, you know, those later years!) The A&P will be good for five years in most schools.

Good luck!~

mauser · Mar 2, 2004

In my program, the only pre-req is chemistry. Since I did not have high school chemistry, I needed to take the college level chemistry before I could even be considered. I successfully completed this and have been accepted into the fall nursing program.

However, I am taking A&P and psych just to "lighten my load" in the fall. By the way, I am 47. It can be done! Good luck.

Sheri257 · Mar 2, 2004

All the pre-reqs are different for the five schools within an hour's drive of where I live. Some have more, some have less. It's not unusual for pre-reqs to vary widely by school.

Achoo!, LPN · Mar 2, 2004

Hey Susan,

We have to have the algebra, chemistry and CNA done before we start the program. You can take the other classes at the same time but they do not recommend it. You also have to finish the A&P courses before the second year, so if you had to retake A&P due to a poor grade you would be out of luck.

Hope everything works out for you!

AmyLiz · Mar 2, 2004

Yep...our only pre-reqs are chemistry (if you haven't passed it with a "C" within the past 5 years), CNA, and the pre-admission test. Everything else we're taking are either pre-req's for certain nursing classes or general education "co-reqs". for example, you don't have to have A&P I before being accepted into the program, but it is a pre-requisite for the first nursing class.

Most of us are taking these classes for a year or so while we wait to get into the program, due to the long waiting lists.

RedSox33RN · Mar 2, 2004

Most of the schools I applied recommend you have some or all of the non-nursing courses done, so you can just focus on those when you get into nursing school. There is no way I could manage without having them done. One of the colleges I applied to, the first semester of the ADN program is:

A&P 1 - 4cr

Composition in context 1 - 4cr

Sociology elective - 3cr

General Psychology 1 - 3 cr

Nursing Fundamentals - 8 cr

Total of 22 credits

I'm studying all the time now taking 3 courses (10 credits)- one 4cr, and 2 3credit ones. I even skipped the lab on my human Bio since I have to take it with A&P.

So, I don't think programs absolutely require that your non-nursing or pre-req's are done (except for one that I applied to didn't want anyone applying until they were totally complete with B averages or above.), but I think they know there is so much info to put into 2 years, that it is to your benefit to have more time to focus on the nursing courses without all the others.

rnmi2004 · Mar 2, 2004

At my CC we have to have all of our pre-reqs finished before even being considered for the waiting list. The gen ed classes needed to receive an associate's can be completed whenever. Since it takes about a year from when pre-reqs are finished to actually start nursing classes, I went ahead and finished all of my gen ed requirements. I'm glad I did because I don't want to have to juggle nursing and political science.

longroadahead · Mar 2, 2004

At my CC there are 8 general education courses you need (Intro to microcomputer applications, Intro to psych, human growth and development, Writing 121, Sociology elective, Humanities elective, social science elective, and one general education elective) and three biology courses (A&P I and II and Microbiology) But admission is dependent on a point system. For each general education class an A is equal to 18.75, a B is 16.875, and a C is 15 points. In the biology courses an A is 50, B is 45 and C is 40. You get 10 points for living in the state (oregon) and on top of that you have to take a reading assessment that can equal up to 50 points. Together there are 360 points maximum and last year they accepted 44 students with the last one accepted having 324 points.:uhoh21:

I've taking the reading assesment (can only take it once per year) and it was hard. They told me anything above 25 is good with the lady giving the test saying the highest she's ever seens is a 41.

But there are also other programs I've been looking into (in case I don't make it into that one) that go on a lottery system. So it doesn't matter your grades, if your name is picked you're in which I think is completely unfair.

Heather

manna, BSN, RN · Mar 2, 2004

I'm applying for a BSN - you have to have completed 64+ hours of courses before the program begins, and can't apply until you have at least 50-something hours.

Most of the community college RN programs around do consider the courses co-reqs (so you technically COULD take them along with the nursing courses, but the competition to get in has gotten so fierce that they now only look at people who have already completed all or at least most of those courses)

Ruylupez · Mar 3, 2004

In my program we MUST have Biology and Chemistry finished before applying to the program, then we MUST have Nutrition done before actually starting. All of the others are technically co-reqs. Most students get some or all of the other classes out of the way rather than risk letting themselves get overloaded during Nursing school. I did save Microbiology as my one class to take during the summer break between first and second year but I wish I hadn't. If I had finished it earlier I could have worked full time all summer in the hospital and had a lot of good experience (And a little extra money) going into next year.