Taking general ed courses with nursing classes

[hbmc13]

I was planning on taking one 3 credit hour general ed class each semester with my nursing courses to stay full time. It's the only way I can get a scholarship but I will also have a toddler around the time my nursing classes start. I was wondering if this was a good idea or should I try to get them done before I even start the nursing program??

[DisneyNurseGal, BSN, RN]

I would get them done early if you can. I consider it a GREAT day when I can squeeze in a shower, let alone another class.

[priorities2]

Depends on the program. At one school I applied to, it was a BSN with nursing courses spread over 3 years, so students were expected to take gen eds at the same time - else they would be only part-time at school. At my program, it's a BSN with nursing courses spread over 2 years, so students were expected to get all their gen eds done during the first two years and only focus on nursing in the latter two. I would talk to your program, as they would be able to tell you whether it's a good idea to take additional coursework alongside the nursing classes or not.

If you absolutely must for financial aid but are worried it will be too much, you could try finding a really easy class. For example, say you should really be in Spanish 3, maybe you could take Spanish 1, or go to ratemyprofessors.com and find a teacher that's known for his/her easiness. Good luck!

[Sun0408, ASN, RN]

General ed classes had to be finished before starting the nursing courses at my school. It wasn't an option. Check with your school to see what they allow..

[TNT365]

I had the same dilemma. I am starting this fall with Nursing 101. So I decided to add Pathophysiology and Pharamacology. Patho is a 2 credit hour class and Pharm is a 3 credit hour class to make me fulltime. I checked out the instructors via ratemyprofessor.com and also ask around about them. They are both said to be great teachers. So, I will see how this goes. I just know I have to buckle down and stay focus. Its said to be doable but it will be hard. I have two children and I work fulltime nights 8 hrs shifts at a hospital. But because of my job, I am able to get my reading and studying done since we have a lot of down time.

Good luck to you and I believe you can do anything you put your mind to.

[Kskar91]

We have to take two gen ed course while in the program. Somehow how we have to fit human development and speech in there somewhere. I opted to take human development this semester because I love pysch and tend to do good in those classes because they interest me so much. This put me at 14hrs and I have a 3yr old who is nothing but energy. So I have to crack down and MAKE mommy alone time. My hubby and I had a talk about my hours and how much support I will need while in the program and sharing chores, responsibilities and stuff. He said hes up for it too. I know its doable but nowhere close to easy. If you have someone to help you and support you Id say go for but if I didn't have hubby I know I couldn't manage it very well. You know what class load you can personally handle.

[ambitiousBSN]

I'm finished all of my pre-requisites because my program told us that we had to have all of our Science pre-requisites complete before we could apply. They're apparently allowing transfer nursing students the opportunity to finish (including other pre-requisites) during the program. I'm glad I'm finished everything because I think having extra classes to take along with nursing classes would be super difficult- I mean, as if nursing school won't be stressful enough? So honestly, if you have the chance to complete them before starting a program, do it.

[LoveNeverDies]

I took general classes with my first year of nursing classes, and I have to take a 1 credit class this next semester to be full time. For me it is not an option because I must be full time to receive my scholarship. It IS possible, even with a child I have seen many people do it. You must be organized, before school have your toddlers day-care/babysitting/nap times all laid out and organized. Make sure to have multiple back ups, most instructors I have seen do not find child related excuses worthy of missing anything, unfortunately. Please do not take a difficult class if you do not need to. I understand it might be interesting but a science class with a lab is not worth the extra time. (I have seen people do this and fail miserably.) If you can try an online class, they tend to be easier to fit into a hectic schedule because you can do your lectures and work at any odd hour. ( I have statistics homework open behind this window right now :) ) Checking out ratemyprofessors or asking around is a great idea. You might not want to just take a silly class with less work, but it will really be easier than taking a class with hw/tests every week. I took my first semester with full classes/clinical/ and a science with lab, along with tutoring other students and working part time but i did it, and i did well in school. (No toddler though, in my opinion thats like another 5 classes, or full time job) I know that this is taking time away from your child, but this in temporary and will benefit you both in the long run. A friend of mine gets child care for 8 hours on her day off just so she can study and get her work done, both her and her 3 year old HATE it. But its the only way she can manage to get her paperwork done and study. Good luck!