What electives should I take for RN-BSN pre-reqs?

[Peppermint_RN]

I graduated this past May with my ASN and have registered this fall to start working on my pre-reqs for my BSN. I have to take 8 hours of electives.

First, this may sounds dumb, but I am not really sure what electives are I only took the exact classes I needed for Associates of Applied Science degree, so I did not have to worry about electives. They're just "extra" classes right?

Second, I am really interested in Psych nursing, so would taking extra psych classes count for my electives? Would it benefit me to take them if I want to get into Psych nursing? Or maybe some Sociology classes?

Third, if they are "extra" classes, can I just take a class that sounds fun/interesting? There is a Honors course my college offers that sounds really cool (it's about the history of vampires & monsters and theology related things. I'm a dork, I know! lol)

Thanks for the advice!!

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

electives are designed to allow you to get the required number of hours for graduation while allowing you some freedom to choose. The psych courses would be good, as would a computer course, ethics - anything related to the healthcare industry. You might ask your advisor for input. He/She might have good ideas.

[donk]

We had mandatory electives (psych I and psych II) and then we also have a choice for two electives. We can take anything from gothic literature to language courses. We also have "nursing electives" that we have to take and can choose from things like public health, elderly care, chronic illness and health care system.

If psych nursing interests you then I would think taking extra psych courses could be of benefit!!

[Valnoslo]

If you think Psych nursing is interesting definitely take some psych and sociology classes, and if you have never worked in mental health before, see if you can get into an internship/field work experience in a psych setting. =) Majority of psych nursing jobs are on inpatient units, with patients in crisis, so it can be very intense. Prior to nursing I worked as a mental health worker in a supervised mental health group home where we had interns from local universities. It was interesting to note which interns would last, and which discovered within days that this type of psych was not their cup of tea.

Any psych, sociology, and any behavioral science class can only benefit your future career as a nurse- as nursing is a holistic profession, dealing with patients as a whole.

Good luck! =)

and PS- take the honors class. One of the things I regret the least about my overpaid bachelors in a non-nursing field (prior to getting my ADN) was taking some awesome elective classes.