"Expiration" dates on pre-requisite courses?

[HenryH]

I am interested in becoming a CRNA and still have a year to go before I graduate from my undergraduate nursing program. I was previously awarded a science degree in 2010, and my course requirements for that degree included general chemistry 1 & 2 as well as organic chemistry 1 & 2.

However, I took general chemistry 1 & 2 during the fall 2006 and spring 2007 semesters, and I took organic chemistry 1 & 2 during the fall 2007 and spring 2008 semesters. Considering that it will be another year before I even start working as an ICU nurse, my chemistry courses will be pretty old by the time I'm ready to apply to CRNA programs.

So having said that, is it common for CRNA programs that require the above-mentioned chemistry courses to also have "expiration" dates on how long ago they may have been taken? Organic chemistry 1 and 2 were especially painful educational experiences for me, so if I'm going to have no choice but to re-take those courses to be eligible to apply to the schools that require them, I think I would honestly rather just apply to CRNA programs that either don't require them or which don't enforce time limits.

[PVCCHoo]

I am not even in nursing school yet, but wouldn't it be beneficial to have those classes more recently as Milk said? Seems like that would help you when you get to school. Also, as I understand things, CRNA school is very heavy in chemistry, so if a student had trouble with chem classes, wouldn't that mean CRNA school would be more difficult for them too?

[Yuppers21]

I would have to disagree with avoiding certain schools just because it would require you to take an additional class or two. Everyone will have their own set of criteria in what they want from a program but dont let application requirements be a deciding factor. You will be spending 2-3 years of your life (and many thousands of dollars) to earn your degree. Don't let a few semesters of pre-reqs keep you from getting into a great program.

[happyparrot]

I guess I should rephrase my statement and say; the decision to take additional classes to meet school-specific criteria has potential drawbacks, therefore the prospect of admission should be well worth the extra effort to meet the admission requirements.

Sadly, admission to the school of your choice is never guaranteed

Bottom line is lots of research.