Which of these electives will be most helpful for nursing?

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Hello everyone!

I'm applying to Nursing for fall 2011, and am completing my pre-requisites this year. I'm almost done my pre-preqs.. next semester I just have to take Anatomy and Physiology II and English 102. That leaves plenty of time for some electives. I would really like to take classes that will give me an advantage once I'm in nursing school. I've listed below some classes that my school offers that I could potentially take next semester. Any suggestions as to which ones would be worthwhile? Or do you have other suggestions for electives not on my list? Thanks!

Medical Terminology (Only offered online)

Pathophysiology (Unfortunately this class is only offered at 8:00am, which means I'd have to wake up at 6:00am. Although I'm sure I'll have to wake up early for nursing school, so maybe I should get used to it!)

Introduction to Patient Care Skills (This is a basic intro class that covers vital signs, chart documentation, communication, etc. It also has a lab component where you practice these skills.)

Pharmacology

Thanks for your help :)

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I'd take Medical Terminology for sure (I did it online and was easy!) and Patho, if it isn't one of your required nursing courses.

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Are the electives required? Pharm is part of the program at my school....it's not at yours? If that's the case, then I would definitely do that. If not I would go with medical terminology.

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Patho and Pharm were both required for me. Double check with the nursing program you're applying to see if those are part of your program. If they are, then definitely take Med Terminology. I wished I had taken that. If Patho and Pharm aren't required or incorporated into your program, then take them both. I can't imagine not having either of those classes prior to nursing school.

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:nurse:Medical Terminolgy is required by most schools? If you are going to take electives, my sugestion is to take a Spanish speaking course. This has become a 2nd language and valuable to most employers! :nurse:

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I agree with Gumby. My program requires both Pharm and Patho, but not Medical Terminology. I took it when I was trying to get into the Radiography program and it has helped a lot!

Another one I would consider (depending where you live and plan to work) is Spanish for Medical Personnel. It will make you MUCH more employable if you have a large or growing Hispanic population in the area. I plan to take it this summer.

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Thanks for the advice! It doesn't seem like Patho and Pharm are required classes at my school. It looks like the only classes we have to take for nursing, other than the usual pre-requisites are Physical and Mental Health I-IV. These classes are 9 credits each and are taken over 4 semesters. Maybe things like patho and parm are covered in these classes?

I live in Massachusetts, and I'm not sure if Spanish will be that important here.

What do you guys think of the intro to patient care skills class? I think that this would be very basic stuff, but I don't have any experience in health care so maybe it would be useful for me to get more comfortable before I start clinicals next year.

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I think you'd be better off getting a job as a nurse tech or cna than taking electives if your purpose is to prepare for nursing school. If your purpose is to fill minimum credit hours, then look into the prereqs for further degrees. BSN requires stats, if you are going for a BSN already then what minors does your school offer.

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I'm in MA also... which school is this?

My program does all necessary patient care skills in the nursing classes...so that seems like it'd be redundant to take it twice. Yes you'd get some experience and may feel more comfortable, but I'd rather take a class that isn't PART of my program. I can't even believe patho/pharm aren't a part of your program. Maybe components are just built into the nursing care classes, but if possible, I'd do both of those.

If by some chance you are mistaken and patho/pharm ARE part of the classes you'll be taking anyways, I'd go for the Med Terminology or like previous posters said, a Spanish for healthcare providers if available.

Good luck :)

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