What are the toughest classes in nursing school?

Sparrow91 · May 24, 2014

That really depends on the program and the student. I know at some schools mental health can be one of the hardest were as at my school it was one of the easier. It would probably be better to ask around the school you will be attending. I will say though that some of the most important classes to pay attention in because you WILL see the information again is pathophysiology and pharmacology. You will be seeing those in pretty much all of you nursing classes. Good Luck! :)

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · May 24, 2014

Honestly, the toughest classes are those that you are weakest in knowledge....and that varies from student to student. Different programs, also, will offer differing versions of the coursework, and that might be interpreted as difficult by one student but easy by another.

How to prepare? Know your areas of weakness, and plan to allow more study time for those areas. Some people breeze through A&P, some struggle....you get the idea.

Once you begin, you'll get a better feel for what you need and where you need it.

Good luck! :)

RunBabyRN · May 24, 2014

I agree, it really depends on the person. Instructor makes a difference, too!

For some people, it's maternal child, but for me, that was easiest, because I've worked in that area and plan to pursue midwifery. For some (weirdos LOL), pharm is easy, I have a REALLY hard time with it.

As far as doing well, figure out what study methods work best for you. For some, study groups work, but I find that most of them end up being 10% work, 90% play. I like note cards, but they don't work for everyone. I'll also record myself reading some things and listen to it in the car. Experiment and see what works for you.

nursing_student93 · May 24, 2014

I thought the hardest class in the first year of my program was pharmacology because we had to memorize so many drug names and physiological mechanisms. It was very time consuming.

NCLEX-based med-surg classes CAN be very difficult because often times the instructors would present a general overview of the topic in class but the tests would be from minuscule aspects of the readings. This depends on your instructor and how well they teach the lectures to the NCLEX.

JDK1 · May 25, 2014

Thanks for that information! You guys are all helpful.

Im worrying about pharm more than anything right now. You guys pretty much confirmed what I had thought about it. I can see how it can become really time consuming. Is it more memorizing rather than connecting actual concepts?

Im planning on going to Barnes and Nobles to pick up a few NCLEX review books for that subject so it wont be such a shock when its time to study during the semester. Im hoping it might help figure out how to approach the subject when the class actually comes.

RunBabyRN · May 25, 2014

I've heard really good things about using Saunders NCLEX review guide during school from multiple people, but cannot personally attest to this. I would get just one if I were you, so you don't overwhelm yourself. If you go through some of the posts here, there are a lot of us who have posted lists of meds one might want to review if so inclined before starting nursing school.

Here's a link to that book. Make sure it's the 2013 edition, as the NCLEX standards changed in 2013.

Amazon.com: Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN® Examination, 6e (Saunders Comprehensive Review for Nclex-Rn) (9781455727551): Linda Anne Silvestri PhD RN: Books

LoriRNCM, ADN, ASN, RN · May 25, 2014

We don't have an actual Pharmacology course, but it is figured into every class..... except fundamentals, we didn't do much pharm in there. But pharm is def my weak point because I am better with critical thinking (on disease processes and assessment) and I am terrible with memorization and pharm is a lot of memorization. Out of the four courses I have had so far, I think I liked community nursing least.

BahSun · May 25, 2014

Thanks for the heads up. I will take Pharmacology in the Fall.

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · May 25, 2014

I agree with everyone that said it depends on what you already know. For me, I am not expecting pharm to be that hard. I have a lot of different illnesses and have been on meds for as long as I can remember. I was also a pharmacy tech for a few years so I pretty much know most of the drugs. I know their usage and what they interact with. Probably for me it will be the introduction into nursing all together. Like foundations and med surg. I do not know much in these areas so it will be all new to me. Patho is something I have always loved and researched on my own. So I already have a basic foundation in there.

Kuriin, BSN, RN · May 25, 2014

Purely subjective, however, most people that I've spoken to say MedSurg is the hardest.

malestunurse · May 26, 2014

Acute illness and trauma.