The Prerequisites for Accelerated Nursing School You Need
You recently decided to become a registered nurse; now what? Before you can think about enrolling in an accelerated nursing program, like Madonna University’s, you will need to understand how prerequisites for accelerated nursing school work.
While Madonna’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program puts your non-nursing bachelor’s degree or 60 college credits to work so you can become a registered nurse sooner; there might be some courses your first degree missed that you’ll need to take before you can get started.
These prerequisite courses not only help ensure you have the primary knowledge needed to undertake professional nursing study, but also set the tone for your entire 16-month nursing education. Read on to determine what your prerequisite course load will look like, why they’re important, and how they’ll prepare you for your nursing school journey at [email protected]
How many prerequisite courses do I need to complete?
At maximum, there are 13 prerequisites you must complete as part of the admission process. However, the number of outstanding academic prerequisites depends on your academic history and what credits transfer in.
Whether you have to complete all of the required prerequisites or just a few, at the end of the day, it’s important to remember that these courses lay the foundation for everything you will encounter in nursing school.
Thanks to my prerequisite courses, I came into the program with a well-rounded education. Therefore, I was prepared for the rigorous coursework and schedule of the program.
— Taylor, Accelerated BSN student
What prerequisite courses do I need to complete?
If you have 60 college credits or a non-nursing bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or institution, you must complete the following prerequisites with a passing grade of C or higher:
- Microbiology
- Human Anatomy and Physiology I
- Human Anatomy and Physiology II
- Pathophysiology
- Intro to Life Chemistry
- Probability & Statistics
- General Nutrition for the Health Professional
- Therapeutic Nutrition for the Health Professional
- Intro to Psychology
- Lifespan Development Psychology
- Intro to Sociology
- College Composition
- College Composition II
If you already completed some of the science-based prerequisites as an undergraduate, you must have done so within the past seven years. Otherwise, they are considered expired. To make sure your past college credits are eligible for transfer, you’ll want to connect with one of Madonna’s admissions representatives.
When you’re ready to get started on your prerequisites for accelerated nursing school, Madonna makes it convenient for you to do so by offering the courses online. While it’s not required that you take your nursing prerequisites through Madonna University, the admissions team believes it is your best bet. This allows your admissions representative to assist you better and gives you immediate access to your classes and grades for a smoother transition into the Accelerated BSN program.
Why are prerequisites important?
Prerequisites are vital because they introduce you to Madonna University’s mission and vision, and help you feel more comfortable and confident with the subject matter. “When it comes to nursing prerequisites, having a healthy foundation contributes to your overall success,” says ABSN admissions representative Daniel Parrish.
Here’s what current Accelerated BSN students have to say about the importance of prerequisites:
Prerequisites help you learn the basics and progressively move onto more difficult subjects that pertain to nursing.
— Kyle, Accelerated BSN student
Prerequisites give you a basis of knowledge and prepares you for the nursing program.
— Taylor, Accelerated BSN student
Prerequisites prepare you to understand nursing concepts in areas such as pharmacology and health assessment.
— Ed, Accelerated BSN student
How will prerequisite courses prepare me for nursing school?
According to Ed, prerequisites help you prepare for the program by giving you the knowledge of essential concepts related to a patient’s health. He says his success in courses like pathophysiology, chemistry, and anatomy gave him a better understanding of the nursing process.
These courses are the foundation for the understanding of nursing science and the understanding of nursing methods. Here’s how a few prerequisite courses can specifically help you in your nursing education.
Pathophysiology
Pathophysiology gives you the knowledge to test, diagnose, and treat illnesses. It’s crucial for you to understand these steps because not every patient with whom you come in contact is going to understand the depths of their disease or why doctors are running certain tests on them. As you care for patients in clinical rotations, having an understanding of pathophysiology can help you do your job more effectively — it may also lead you to a valuable discovery.
Chemistry
Chemistry helps you understand the elements that make up the world you live in. In the Accelerated BSN program, this is very important because as a nurse, you will administer medications to patients, which will require you to know how they react with symptoms, as well as which medications complement each other and which will revert when taken together. You will also need to understand how electrolytes affect the body and when they are needed.
Anatomy & Physiology
These two courses go hand-in-hand and outline the foundation for the work that you will do on a daily basis. They are designed to help you understand the structure and function of the human body and the different systems it contains, including the reproductive system, the skeletal system, the heart, and limbic system, the integumentary system, and more.
You will need these courses to comprehend how to take proper care of your patient. The body must stay in a balanced condition to operate. If unbalanced, it is your job to work with the doctors and other support staff to find out how to recover the body’s stability. This will require you to think critically when your patient needs proper care.
Contact our admissions team to put your nursing school prerequisite plan into action or to learn more about [email protected] in metro Detroit.