thinking of nursing. questions if you can answer...

[rcclover]

Hi everyone.

This is my first post here. I used to be a special education teacher but am currently staying home with my two young children. I have been doing some soul searching and trying to decide if I want to go back to teaching in the future, and I don't think I do. I have been looking into nursing as an option because it is in the "helping people" field, which I love. I also really appreciated and respected the good nurses I have had (and recognized nurses that weren't so great and friendly).

Anyway, so I have been looking into this for the past few days and have a few concerns I was hoping you could help with.

I've never been a big "science" person, so the coursework for the nursing program kind of scares me. I'm sure I could study really hard and get through it but more importantly I guess I'm afraid that even though I could get through the tests, would I be required to retain ALL that information for the actual job? Does that make sense? I'm not sure how to word this without it coming out wrong but I'll try. I'm afraid of "just getting through" the tests and nursing program and then not being able to remember all that information they threw at me during the schooling. So maybe my question here is - (because I've heard nursing school is really hard) is it easier once you start the job as to what you really need to know? Do they cover way more than you will ever need to know in school or ?

I hope all that came out right. I'm sorry that my question/concern isn't very clear. Hopefully somebody understands what I'm trying to ask! :)

Thanks in advance!

[Quickbeam, BSN, RN]

Hi, rcclover. Welcome! I'm responding because I was a career changer to nursing and I know the drill.

There is a lot of science in a nursing program. You might want to get a course list from a local nursing program. Even though I had a BS in another field, I had to take 60 credits as pre-requisites (almost all science) before I could even get into a BSN program.

Nursing differs a lot from teaching in terms of working conditions. I remember many years working nights with 2 weeks off a year as my neighbors, both teachers, partied from May through August. Working Christmas. Nights. Missing weddings and birthdays. You need a fairly flexible attitude towards time. Hospital work is very physical. In general I found I didn't get a whole lot of credit in the nursing world for my prior career. At 31, it was like I was beginning at the start.

Nursing is very rewarding and offers a huge palette of options. You'll see a big opinion range here but I always recommend getting a BSN if you are interested in Public Health /school nursing/maybe going for your MSN.

There are a lot of people on this board who have career changed into nursing. You should get a lot of feedback! :)

[Antikigirl, ASN, RN]

If you want to be a sucessful nurse, then yep...you better know your science big time! We nurses need to know anatomy/physiology, pharmacology, math (for the most part...that differs between facilities I find...I have a great pharmacy that helps!), fluid/electolytes and much more.

The reason...you can't treat a person safely unless you know what your actions are going to do to a person.

Anatomy...what about assessments, or even transfering a person with a fractured hip...need to know it! What about when someone complains of a pain...will you know where it may be coming from if it is in an area like the shoulders for a heart attack or gall bladder probelm (that can be a sign called 'refered pain'). Why do certain cancers go faster than others? Anatomy is a biggie!

Physiology...what exactly is that heart medication doing, and should I give it if they have a fast or slow pulse. How do pulses even work? Why do we need wounds to close from bottom to top? Why do bacteria or viruses survive in certain conditions and how do we stop them? Why do we use normal saline drips vs D5? Why is potassium so important...all physiology and used every day!

Math...mostly meds! Right ratios, you are the person administering it...is the label on that IV correct..it is up to you to double check! Or the typical...the order is for a med say 8 hours apart for so many days...but the pt goes down for hours for a procedure...how to you make that up safely and communicate that to others?

Fluids/Electrolyes: What happens if a person takes too much alki-seltzer and changes the pH of their blood? How about a diabetic with high blood sugars, what is that doing to cells and organs via the bloodstream? Why does lasix (a water pill) work and what are the risks to fluid and electrolyes in the body? What happens to the elderly pt who accidently gets too much IV fluid too fast because of a position change caused the IV to flow fast (or opposite..if it goes too slow?). Fluid and electrolyes are another biggie!

We nurses have to double check things constantly, and in order to do that we need a good knowledge base in science to understand treatments/reactions and what an MD is doing for the pt. Also in urgent and emergent situations when you have to make quick decisions to save a life...

But never fear! I was able to do it just wonderfully with knowing how I learn, and getting those resources and good books! In fact, I was horrible in chemistry but once it was in the context of what I was learning in the body...the light turned on over my head and I understood it wondefully! Just took the motivation and the right context for me!

Good luck with your choices and research!

[newohiorn, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

With regard to the science, I guess my short answer is no you won't have to retain a lot of it. By this I mean that you won't need to remember chemistry and the life cycle of a cell from biology, etc. On the other hand, it will be important to retain some basic anatomy and physiology. Some science concepts keep coming into play--things like osmosis, etc. but I don't recall seeing any other chemistry or biology or microbiology on any of my nursing tests. There is quite a bit of "science" in understanding disease processes but I guess, to me, that's not the same kind of science as understanding physics or chemistry, etc. Not sure if that's what you're asking but hope it helps some.

[newohiorn, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

I agree with what the others have posted--I think I interpreted your question a little differently. I do think you need to have a scientific or analytical mind to be a good nurse as you will use scientific concepts in your nursing every day. On the other hand, I do not think you need to get A's in your science classes to be a good nurse and I do not believe you will need to remember exact equations, have a complete understanding of chemistry, etc. to be a good nurse. Basic concepts of science will be necessary--not tiny details.