Nursing degree after Biology degree

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

Published

Hello-

This question is directed towards those nurses and nursing students who had received a b.s. (Preferably in Biology) prior to attending nursing school. I currently have a degree in Biology (pre medicine) and am considering applying to the BSN program at MSU Denver for Spring 2019 start. I have talked to numerous former Biology students who are currently enrolled in nursing programs and they all say the same thing when I ask about their programs ease and intensity and whether or not a degree in Biology prepared them for nursing school. I get a resounding, "This is the easiest thing I have ever done." Honestly, these responses terrify me more than they ease my mind. Can nursing school really be as easy as my friends say or are they just trying to sound "cool?"

So, to all my fellow Bio friends, did your degree in Biology prepare you for nursing school and in what ways? Where do you feel that your background in Bio helped and where might it have hurt?

Thank you.

Anyone who has obtained a previous hard science degree will find nursing school comparatively easy.

The clinicals can be a lot of pressure, but not because they are "hard". In large part, it is because nurses start eating their young right away.

Also, students typically don't have much time to prepare for the clinical, often just one evening.

The average hospitalized person has some 10 diagnoses, often more, and is probably on at least that many drugs. Counting prns, 25 different drugs would not be unusual.

So you've got one evening to look all that up, try to figure out priorities, and write up a care plan.

Meanwhile you don't have a good grasp of the context of the situation, simply because you are a newcomer, and you've been told some conflicting things.

And right away, even as a student, you are socialized to understand that everything is your fault.

You will be regarded with suspicion until you prove yourself, which is not true in other professions.

So, yeah, it can be "hard", but not hard like organic chemistry or calculus.

My first degree was in biology, I am half way done with nursing school and I wouldn't say that it's *easy,* but I am definitely struggling less than some classmates. I think the key factor is that as a biology major, you need to have strong study skills just to scrape by, let alone do well in the class. In a sense, nursing school has been easier for me than biology because I am in tune with the ways I need to study, so far I have a 4.0 (knock on wood to maintain it) but I still work hard. So yeah, I wouldn't say it makes it a whole lot easier, you may just have a one-up due to previously learned study habits :)

From ancient history, many nursing students in my class were parents, and also worked part-time.

Pretty hard to compare it.

Getting a degree in Biology is generally tougher then a nursing degree. I say this simply because you have to take Organic chem 1 and 2. In addition, to Physics 1 and 2. I think these four classes are perhaps some of the hardest classes bio majors have to go through. These classes really make or break you. Now, getting a degree in Nursing in no easy feat. So, be prepared to study, just like you always did and I guarantee you that you will be just fine. I wish you the best. Good luck. - Mike

I am majoring in biology and nursing at the same time. I will be graduating this May. Sciences are different but not harder imo. I thought science courses were easier actually, even chemistry. When I got to the core nursing classes I was getting less than A's on exams for the first time.

I'm not trying to brag. I mean that nursing is a different way of thinking than straight up memorization in A&P, orgo, etc. You use more critical thinking in nursing. I'd "color code" my flash cards or notes for sciences. In nursing, there is too much info for flash cards and memorization won't help anyway.

Some nursing students will not dedicate the time or thought to studying enough, and they can still pass, then they will learn on the job, but not every nurse will actually reach a level of critical thinking that should be what nursing as a science is. What I'm saying is that you can make the most out of a nursing school education, or fly by with minimum work put in. But science is more like you know it or you don't, open ended questions, lab practicals etc.

I'm graduating with a 3.9 and my science and gen ed GPAs are 4.0.

Specializes in Assistant Professor, Nephrology, Internal Medicine.

I teach both applied pathophysiology and med surg 1 at the university level in a nursing program- patho is challenging is the sense of memorizing; med surg 1 mixes patho/pharm/assessment and makes the student critically think and need to use personal judgement (which is the essence of nursing science). I find students struggle more with nursing science as many questions have so many variables to consider, vs patho, which is more black and white per se.

I have a BS in physiology with a goal of PhD in physiology before making the career switch to nursing. I found nursing science much more challenging initially than my bench science background. I think your friends are full of it- maybe being in their last semester is making them arrogant.

+ Add a Comment