When should I take Microbiology while in the 2010 El Centro Nursing Program?

cjcsoon2bnp, MSN, RN, NP · Dec 14, 2009

I don't believe that this is the right forum for this question. This should be transferred to the forum that is the specific state or country this college is located in so that more people from the area could answer the question.

!Chris :specs:

Neveranurseagain, RN · Dec 14, 2009

Any chance you can take it during the summer before you start? It would lessen your workload and allow you to concentrate just on nursing classes. Congrats on being accepted!

Dogstar · Dec 14, 2009

Hi max0602. First of all congratulations, and welcome aboard; you're in for one wild ride! I'm a 4th semester El Centro ADN student graduating this May (good Lord willing & the creek don't rise). El Centro is a pretty tough program, and depending on who you get for clinical it can be nothing short of overwhelming. Therefore, I would highly recommend taking Micro during the summer between your first and second semester, especially considering your work schedule (BTW, I also work 24 hours a week, so our time commitments sound pretty similar). The last thing you need is to deal with Micro while you're working and in the program, especially if you're shooting for high grades. Also, understand that comparing pre-req and support course hours to nursing school hours is an apples-to-oranges proposition. You'll soon find that your 8 or 9 credit hours is really a full course load.

I know taking a course like Micro in the summer sounds daunting (and to be honest, it is), but believe me, it's nothing compared to nursing school. I took A&P 1 & 2 back to back in one summer, so I'm not just blowing smoke. As hard as that was, it enabled me to have all of my support courses done before I started, and I am so very glad that I did. Whatever you decide to do, good luck!

babe48076 · Dec 14, 2009

I was also accepted into the program but need to take micro. My program runs straight through the summer as well. I am debating to take it either in Nur 1 or Nur 2 which will be in the summer.

CoffeeDrinkin'BJ · Dec 14, 2009

Hello! I say to try to take Microbiology in the Summer if you can. Do not, repeat, do not try taking it with your nursing classes. It is rough and other classes on top of them is even harder to manage! Take my advice and the others! Congrats on getting into your nursing program!

max0602 · Dec 14, 2009

Thanks for everyone's advice. I suppose I will chance it during the summer session. Just a little scary because I've heard from some it is harder than A&P. And I have Tunnell for my clinical instructor, whom I have heard is rather difficult. BTW....we were told in our orientation that we will have assignments due in our clinicals. Any idea what those assignments entail?? Thanks again everyone!

Dogstar · Dec 15, 2009

Hi max0602. Don't be scared of Micro. It's stuff you need to know, and besides, it's interesting. If you did okay in A&P, you'll be fine. Just stay on top of it, and don't get behind or miss class -- things go by really fast in summer sessions.

As for routine 1st semester clinical paperwork, it's pretty involved. You will probably have to go to the hospital the day before your clinical and pick a patient. You'll have to research and write up all the meds your patient is on, comprehensive labs (including what is abnormal and why), and all your patient's pathophysiologies before coming to clinical the next day. After clinical, you'll discover the joy :loveya: of writing nursing care plans :eek: . These are done in a fairly rigid format, and each one is based on a single nursing diagnosis. You'll use the med, lab, and patho information you gathered along with the independent care you and the nursing staff provided for the patient to construct these beasts. You'll also include care that is collaborative (e.g. how nurses physical therapy worked together, as applicable) and care that is dependent (i.e. physician ordered, such as meds and prescribed wound care). You'll probably also have to write up histories and your basic assessment in detail. At some point in the semester, you'll be required to do the dreaded and feared major care plan, which takes all this to a new level of ridiculous detail. These things are usually about a half inch thick. You'll also have to do a communication project and a teaching project.

Again, I can't stress enough how the difficulty and complexity of all this will depend on your instructor (I don't know Tunnell -- sorry). Clinicals are basically little dictatorships, and the instructors run them as they see fit with minimal oversight. Obviously, that can cut both ways. Some instructors will have you up all night before clinical cobbling this stuff together to their generally unattainable satisfaction, while some (precious few) recognize that after a certain point, busy work becomes counterproductive to actual learning. In any case, just do your level best to give them what they want, and be ready to work your butt off. The name of the game is survival, and remember: 76 = RN.

Finally, a caveat. This is based on what I had to do my 1st semester at El Centro, and I had a really tough instructor. What you may have to do will hopefully be pared down somewhat. Hopefully your instructor will explain things clearly. You might also consider taking Jessie Beecham's care plan seminar as early as possible in your first semester just to make sure you understand what is expected. It's about eight hours, and I think it costs about fifty bucks. There are also a number of nursing care plan books that I'm sure you'll hear more about.