what are "the sciences"

[piper_for_hire]

So what exactly are "the sciences" and should I retake them if my old grades were low?

Here's my situation:

I got a non-nursing degree about 11 years ago and it included a 2.0 GPA for chemistry and physics, but a 3.0 overall.

I have a 4.0 for all of the nursing pre-req (A&P, Biology, Micro) and let's assume that I will have >3.5 for my BSN.

When you average out my ten year old science grades and my new science grades you get a 3.05.

So my question is - do physics and chemistry count as part of "the sciences" with respect the CRNA programs and should I go ahead and retake them before I apply to any programs? I am certain that I would get A's now.

Thanks!

-S

[charles-thor]

Please don't take what I have to say the wrong way. If you don't understand how chemistry and physics impact the practice of anesthesia, perhaps you should do a little more research about anesthesia before you dedicate your life to it. Re-taking the classes will only help, especially as the competition within applicant pool increases. Feel free to pm me with any questions. I'd love to help.

[piper_for_hire]

I'll take that as a very insulting "yes", as it was clearly intended.

-S

[CougRN]

i think charles was being very helpful and not insulting. chemistry and bio-chem are very important to the basis of what anesthesia is as well as the gas laws of physics. chemistry should also have been one of your pre-reqs for nursing school as well. i would say you need not repeat physics if you took it in the past unless it is listed as a pre-req for the crna school you plan to appy to. but you should have A's and B's in ino-chem and should at least take one o-chem class prior to applying.

also, be careful how you respond to people on this BB. just about everyone here is willing to help and is very kind. i think charles answered your question very honestly.

best of luck.

[piper_for_hire]

sorry about that - I got some bad news this morning and I was a little snippy.

however, I still found his response extremely condescending and completely orthogonal to my question in the first place.

-S

[yoga crna]

i like to think of science that is necessary to study anesthesia as the "hard" sciences, such as chemistry, physics, anatomy, physiology, etc. Biochemistry is one of the most important subjects to understand pathophysiology and pharmacology. Forget taking any nursing theory type courses, they will only impress the nurse educators on the admissions committee, but won't make you a better anesthetist.

The previous comments were made with the best intentions, I'm sure. You will need a tough skin to get through the admission process, to get through school and to give anesthesia for your entire career. Most people on this board are here to help.

Yoga CRNA

[charles-thor]

I'd like to reiterate the fact that I had no intention of sounding condescending or anything of the sort. I was just trying to highlight the fact that the decision to pursue a career in anesthesia should not be taken lightly, and anyone who thinks they would like to take this route should have a clear understanding of what lays ahead. As I said previously, I'd love to help. Feel free to search any of my postings and you will consistently see my point. Best of luck!!!

Thanks CougRN for trying to rectify the misunderstanding.

[London88]

Charles-thor's comments are very appropriate. I have had enough chemistry and physics to last a lifetime since being in anest. school.

piper_for_hire

Get a syllabus from a school of anesthesia and see what it involves and maybe you will not feel insulted by charles-thor's comments. Most schools have their syllabus online so you can access it quickly. At my school there is heavy emphasis on the sciences preinterview. If you scored at the lower end in one of the hard core sciences it may not be a major setback, however if you scored at the lower end in more than one you may want to improve those scores before applying to anesth school to better chances of being accepted.

Please do not take offense to this post as my intention is to help.Many of us have been a part of this BB for a long time and we do not as general rule mud sling.

[AnesthesiaBound]

I have to agree with all of the responses here. In my interview, one of the interviewers keyed specifically on my science grades and wanted explanations for any less-than excellent grades.

I've got friends in several different schools and they've said every program is heavily influenced by science, as you might guess. In short, doing well in chemistry, biology, physics, etc can only improve your chances in the interview phase as well as with success during school.

Hope this helps.

bj