What nursing preprequisite(s) did you struggle in the most?

vashtee, RN · Feb 6, 2009

I loved anatomy and statistics, but I thought chemistry, physiology, and microbiology were difficult.

WalkieTalkie, RN · Feb 6, 2009

Chemistry is definitely my enemy. It's not that I don't understand it, I just have a problem with equations and stupid math mistakes. I transpose numbers frequently. I don't have problems with drug calculations, it's something with the symbols and factors and whatever else, but I honestly think I have some sort of math disability. *sigh* and I have yet to take organic for my pre-req for CRNA programs...

TiffanyNichole0695 · Feb 6, 2009

Anatomy! I am currently in it right now, just now to chapter 9. Whoo memorizing all of these structures, it's crazy:banghead: And the whole dissection thing is bothersome to me too. I'm a total cat lover and it's going to be hard, but guess that's what nursing is about huh?? I'm glad everyone (mostly) says anatomy was the hardest because I figured it could only get worse from here. lol:uhoh3:

CaLLaCoDe, BSN, RN · Feb 7, 2009

I can still recall my kind class mate who had survived the dreaded speech class together with me. Her crying at the dreaded expectation and dreaded reality with the statistics exam in hand and tears rolling down her pretty face. She had the same look as my step sister, so I couldn't help but feel compassion on her hapless luck.

So, I am grateful to have passed every prerequisite. I don't think I would do very well on any, I mean any exam now that I am a nurse. And its hard to know what prerequisite helps me the most during the daily grind of juggling 4 patients.

truern · Feb 7, 2009

I hated advanced patho...but I wish now that I'd tried harder. :selfbonk:

I didn't do well in Micro because I just could NOT see thru a microscope because I'd had monovision Lasik. Thank goodness for my lab partner!!

TXstudentRN · Feb 7, 2009

I didn't have a problem with stats - I was dreading it because I struggled with math in high school, just because the concepts can't really be applied to anything to think it through. Statistics on the other hand just made sense to me - not that we actually use it now, but it was applicable to real life situations.

And I can't comment on chem - my nursing school decided a few years before I entered that it wasn't a necessary pre-req. I love them for that more than I can explain, and have not had any problems with not having that info, though I had taken AP chem 2 years before in HS so I had a pretty good basic understanding.

And then there was A&P. Micro I did fine and enjoyed - though it haunts me to this day, only because I think of all the nasty germs walking around in the hospital and how they multiply like crazy! But yes, A&P was bad. My only C has been in Anatomy, managed a B is phys just because it was more about how things work then just how things are. I actually did great on the lab practicals (though our prof caught on to the excellent idea of taking pictures of charts and using them to study and banned them) just because it was straight memorization. It was the tests - the dreaded "all of the above, some of the above, or none of the above" questions that got me. And I think I also had some mental block against it, because everyone tells you horror stories about it and you feel like you're destined to fail.

I often think about what it would be like to retake it now, when you actually know how all of those systems interact in real-world situations. My biggest advice though is to make sure you really learn the stuff, not just memorize it and forget it, because you WILL need to know it! And don't sell back any textbooks!

Good luck - it's definitely worth it!