Western Governors Univ - Microbiology

[DEE S.]

I am getting ready to take this course, it is my second course since going to WGU. How hard was this course and was the lab portion easy to master? What about the final exam, please any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated. Last how long did it take you to complete the course, did you need the entire time?

[viperblue72]

For the lab, start ALL the experiments ASAP-they can take over a week. You have to grow bacteria and then inoculate dishes, etc. Read through ALL the help documents and watch ALL the videos. They will be very helpful.

For the test, take a practice test, find out your weaknesses. Read through ALL the material with a focus on your weaknesses and take a second practice test. the Objective took me about a week, the lab I worked on while doing other classes-it took me a while to get the initial s. epidermidis to grow. Definitely need to set up a well-regulated incubation box-don't want to kill the bacteria!

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Your post has been moved to the Western Governors University forum with the goal of accruing responses from those who have completed this course.

As someone who recently completed WGU's online RN-to-BSN program, I felt that none of the courses were particularly 'hard' or difficult.

[CVICU-Nurse1.5]

Cannot comment on WGU Microbiology, but I took straighterlines and it took long because of the growing of bacteria and dissecting the fetal pig. So labs first for sure.

[Furies Fire]

I finished the microbiology class a while ago and I am finishing up the microbiology lab this week.

The class itself wasn't terrible, they really did a great job setting the class up so you can apply microbiology to things you already know as a nurse. If you look at the pacing guide and talk to your mentor they will recommend that you take the practice test right up front and if you do well enough they will encourage you to go ahead and test out of the class. Again this is primarily because we as nurses already know more about microbiology then we think we do. I was too nervous to trust that my practice tests scores were high enough to test out so I spent more time studying than was probably necessary.

The microbiology lab is a whole different animal, it takes patience but is also very doable. I signed up for one of the go at your own pace email cohorts and it has been a fantastic resource. The videos links included in the emails are very helpful. The course instructor demonstrates almost every lab you need to complete in a simple step by step way. I highly recommend viewing them if you look at the lab manual and feel overwhelmed like I did. In addition to that it will encourage you to accelerate a bit. You'll be encouraged to work on five different tasks at one time, which worked out really well for me and kept me from procrastinating.

Only three more tasks to go and I'll be through the course.

[DEE S.]

Thank you...I should have checked back sooner, your advice to start the experiments quickly was much needed. I will start them all this week. I am a bit anxious about doing this experimenting in my kitchen where I prepare meals. Any advice would be helpful to ease my anxiety.

[DEE S.]

Thank you! What is a "email cohorts" how do you sign up for it.