Undergrad pharmacology before adv pharm?

sailornurse · May 9, 2007

I would recommend you take a basic pharm class somewhere. Any available that you could audit???Advanced pharmacotherapeutics can be tough, even for those of us that have been nursing 25 years. My advanced pharm was taught by a PharmD & was very intense. Just curious: You do have a Bachelor degee in another field? Because the program you are entering requires one. Also, the people in my FNP program with very little (we're talking less then 4 years of RN experience) well they struggled, could not figure out why those of us with more then 15 years experience were not struggling as much.

Congrats on your recent graduation. Power to you for continuing on.

zenman · May 9, 2007

I plan to start an RN-MSN FNP program in January. I am a graduate of an ADN program that did not require pharmacology.

Wait a minute, there are nursing programs that do not require pharm???

jer_sd · May 9, 2007

Yes take a pharmacology course, and pathophysiology if you have not had that as well. Both of these are given at an advanced level in NP school and if you do not have the undergraduate foundation the calsses will be much more difficult. I am assuming pharmacology was intergrated into other classes but I would still strongly take pharm and patho before NP school, even if it is by distance learning.

Jeremy

RN007 · May 9, 2007

Thanks, everyone, for your advice. Yes, I already have a degree from another field (a graduate degree, actually). I also plan to pursue the MSN part time so I'll have nursing experience by the time I get the degree. I have no illusions about being an advanced practice nurse without real experience. And, yes, my program did not require a separate pharmacology class but incorporated meds into each unit study. Other students said they would have preferred that because it made the meds they were learning relevant. Good advice about patho, too. I'll start looking for online classes so it doesn't interfere w/my work schedule. If you all know of any, let me know. Thank you again! :)

sailornurse · May 10, 2007

HI,

I googled & came up with at least one. there were other things that came up but thought this was a start.

http://education.hsc.wvu.edu/som/pcol761/pcol260_info/overview.htm

I will PM you with my home email, so we don't clog the board.

BerkeleyMom · May 13, 2007

Hi,

I am currently taking pharm online from Indiana University, it is NURS B219, through the school of continuing studies. It is rolling admissions and you have 1 year to complete the course. You can create your own schedule and turn the assignments in as your times allows. There are 10 lessons to turn in and 3 proctored exams--the lessons are in test format and can be mailed or emailed.

As far as difficulty, it depends on how much you decide to put into it. I am reading through the book carefully and typing up the notes as I go. I did my BA in Biology, but I am still finding the course interesting and am learning a lot of new things. I am sure it would not be too challening for those that already have some familiarity with the terms.

I am starting a direct-entry FNP program in the fall and just trying to get a little head start too.

Best!

--Berkeley

RN007 · May 13, 2007

Thank you so much for this info! I will certainly look into the course. It sounds great. How do they proctor exams if it's online? Thanks again!

BerkeleyMom · May 13, 2007

Thank you so much for this info! I will certainly look into the course. It sounds great. How do they proctor exams if it's online? Thanks again!

You have to find your own proctor, and you have 2 hours, closed book, all multiple choice. You can find a proctor at a local library, college, or even high school--just call around. I had a little bit of trouble finding someone, so I contacted the IU exam center via email, and within a day they responded with 3 people in my area that students had already used ... turned out, one of them is at the nursing school that I will be attending in the fall. After you set up your (estimated) exam time and finish the lesson preceeding the exam, they send the exam to the proctor. It sounds a little complicated, but it is straightfoward.

I also took pathophysio online at a different school, Chemeketa Community College, out of Salem Oregan. It was very affordable, less than 300 I think, and you can take the exams from home online. If you need a grade in that class before starting your program, I would recommend it. If you just want to brush up on your patho, you can just as easily purchase a text and read though it. This course has a shorter timeline though, and I do not remember if it is rolling admin.

I personally get more out of classe that I sit in. These 2 above courses are the only online classes that I have ever taken, and I am finding it hard to stay disciplined ... maybe that is just my problem. Eitherway, I will be auditing them in the fall, so I should learn a lot more. ... when it comes to patho and pharm, there is always another level learn!

-berkeley

RN007 · May 13, 2007

Thank you. I'll look at the patho class. I have since found out the school where I will do the FNP has undergraduate pharm and patho classes online, but I'm not sure when they're offered (plan to call) and may prefer to stay anonymous with those since they're not required. My alma mater offers them online patho, too, but it's $600 per credit hour ....