Too much 1st semester?

pinkiepie_RN · Mar 7, 2009

I think it depends on whether you think you can handle that or not. My first semester of nursing classes, I took Pathophysiology, Fundamentals, Nursing Skills, Health Assessment, and Pharmacology. I also took Cognitive Psychology, for my psychology minor, which brought me up to taking 19 total credits that semester. I didn't find it too hard to balance, but it does take a bit more effort.

lillyofthevalley · Mar 7, 2009

I can't speak for you, but my first semester, I took Health Assessment, Intro to Nursing, Nursing Skills, Clinical I, and Medical Terminology, and I barely had anytime for myself, I was constantly studying. And I have taken 19 hours before in one semester. If you feel that you are structured enough to spend ALL day studying, then i say go for it. But the first semester is really to get you in "the groove of things". Try not to stress yourself out, because it gets more challenging every semester.

CaptScrubs13 · Mar 7, 2009

Thanks for the responses!

lillyofthevalley, that's kind of what I was thinking, too. Last semester I had 5 classes and 2 labs, and managed pretty well. Now, I have 5 classes and 1 lab, and still doing well. However I think next year, my classes are all going to be a lot harder, plus 12 hours of clinical a week on top of that. I would love to get a required course over and done with, but not at the expense of my grades for nursing courses.

Hmm.. I'll have to ask the sophomore nursing students if any of them took an additional class!

cursedandblessed · Mar 8, 2009

No! No! and no!(unless you really feel you have to) Nursing is enough IMO, take something over the summer, those in my class who try to take anything other than innerpersonal communication have an awful time.

CrazedStudent · Mar 8, 2009

There's no way I could have taken another class on top of the nursing classes and clinicals.

If you've loaded yourself down before and done well, then go for it. You know what you can handle.

matilda123 · Mar 8, 2009

Nursing classes are so much more involved than pre reqs or other classes. Nursing classes are very different from other classes. The reading alone will take all of your time. Our program recommends 3 hours of study time for each classroom hour. I found that very conservative, and spent at least that to just get the reading done. Assignments and essays and studying added another few hours per class. Now that fundamentals is over it has lightened up, but only a bit. I would suggest taking summer classes instead, at least until you know how you handle everything.

BabyLady, BSN, RN · Mar 8, 2009

My advice is to take some of these classes this summer.

I am concerned with the schedule you have written out...if you add another class, that would be suicide.

Like other posters have said...nursing classes are not even CLOSE to regular pre-req classes. The workload is completely different...you have exams more often and they are in much greater detail..

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Mar 8, 2009

I don't think we can answer this for you. People are so variable. My first semester I took 12 credits and I struggled to cope. Now I'm in nursing school and taking 21 credits with less stress than my first semester with 12 credits.

I saw an answer to this type of question a while back here in this very forum that resonated with me. It was something like, "If you have to ask others if you can handle it, you probably can't." While that may or may not be true, it really made me think. When I enrolled in 21 credits for this semester, I didn't talk to anyone about if I could handle it. I just did it knowing I would be just fine (but tired!). When I arranged my first couple of semesters, I was overwhelmed with my classes, unsure, and asked others for advice about my course load quite a bit.

I would say this: when in doubt, under-schedule yourself.

BMXMom · Mar 9, 2009

I was in the same position as you last year. I only had one preq. left which was advanced a&p. I took it over the summer and I was glad. My core nursing classes were hard and we lost a lot of students after only a few months. If you can take summer classes go for it. The core classes are hard enough and the grading scale is harder for them also.

missjennmb · Mar 9, 2009

Nobody in my program could take another class and not struggle. Nobody. Every single student left in my program (about half the original class at the halfway point) is studying every waking moment.

I think it depends on your program. Mine is TOUGH because they're terrified someone will pass that wont pass the NCLEX and its a fairly new program so they are afraid of losing their accreditation. Its TOUGH.

I am a person who can generally fly through any and every class I take with As and with absolute ease. I can NOT fly through my nursing classes that way. Not even a little bit. Every waking moment I study, yet I've never had an A in nursing class. Every single student in our class is an overachiever (they only take 1-3 out of every 20 who take the entrance exam), and within our group, only 2 students out of 16 have been able to pull an A. Fundamentals I had a 93 (94 is an A), Med Surg 1 I had an 87, Med Surg 2 I had an 84, (taking Pharmacology along with Med Surg 2 and 3).

I would say a resounding no. Take it second semester if you think you have a good handle on things in first semester. You are going in blind right now, so better to go easier than needed, and add things later than overdo it. You can take gen ed classes at any point, but what will happen if you fail a nursing class???

deftonez188 · Mar 9, 2009

Beware NS, it can find ways to eat your time up - I am only taking two classes currently (Med Surg 2 clinical and Med Surg 2 class) which doesnt seem like much, but when calculated out with contact hours it is equal to approx 24 credit hours (that's how I get paid!)