If you are considering pursuing a nursing degree, you may be wondering if you need to like science to study nursing. This can be a good question to ask, as it’s important to consider your particular strengths and interests, as well as potentially weak areas, before you commit to any field of study. It can also be important to remember, however, that sometimes interests change and deepen over time, especially in pursuit of an important goal. It can also be helpful to realistically assess how much and what kinds of science you might need to study in order to become a nurse.
Science in Nursing
If you’ve decided to become a nurse, it’s likely that you will begin by pursuing either an associate of science in nursing degree (ASN) or a bachelor of science in nursing degree (BSN). Either of these degrees can help you prepare to take the national licensing exam in order to become an RN. You will probably notice that both of these degrees have “science” in their name. Obviously science is an important component of your nursing studies.
However, you don’t necessarily need to panic if you don’t like science. What you will really need is some basic competency in chemistry and biology. If you are currently a high school student looking ahead to a possible nursing degree, you should try to take both chemistry and biology in high school. These courses will help prepare you for the college level courses you’ll need to take. Your nursing studies will likely include work in anatomy, physiology and pharmacology so having a good grounding in basic biology and chemistry will help.
Keep Your Goals in Mind
What if you’re looking into nursing a little further down the road and didn’t do well in those science courses in high school? You probably don’t need to despair. Even if you didn’t do well in high school chemistry or biology, you may find that you are able to do better in them in a higher education setting, especially if you are determined to become a nurse. Keeping that goal in mind will give you more perseverance, even in subjects that are difficult for you. You may think you’re not great at science, but the very fact that you have an interest in nursing would seem to indicate at least some level of interest in how the human body works. As you begin to learn more about nursing in general, you may actually find your interest growing as such knowlege will help you to be more effective with your patients. Bear in mind that you will also study many other things in order to become a good nurse, including psychology, community development and leadership/management. Good writing and communication skills are also needed to work with patients, supervisors and colleagues.
Honestly assessing your strengths and weaknesses as a student is a good thing and knowing what you like to do can be a helpful indicator of what profession to pursue. Whether you need to like science to study nursing is an open question, but the fact that you will need to take science courses as a nursing student is not.
Still unsure if nursing is right for you, please see: How Do I Know if a Nursing Degree is Right For Me?
