First-year student nurses must complete basic, or general, science classes. These typically serve as a prerequisite to more advanced, second-year or beyond, nursing practice and body systems course work. Students enrolled in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) four-year degree program may need to take a larger number of basic science requirements than those on a diploma or two-year associate track.
The American Nurse's Association states that beginning BSN students usually must take classes in biology, microbiology, psychology, anatomy and physiology, organic chemistry, and nutrition. Similar sciences classes may be required of an associate or diploma student.
Some basic science classes taken during a four-year BSN may be considered pre-program prerequisites for an associate or diploma program. For example, the Community College of Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, requires first year associates in nursing degree students to complete anatomy, physiology and psychology as part of the program curriculum. Although the curriculum does not include biology and chemistry, these classes are a prerequisite for other science courses, such as anatomy and physiology. Biological and chemical science classes may also require a hands-on laboratory component.
Beginning student nurses in associate and/or diploma two-year programs may start hands-on nursing skills courses during the first year of school. BSN programs may not require hands-on nursing classes until the second or even third year. This introduction to nursing practice may have a variety of names depending on the specific school. Sample names include Nursing 101, Intro to Nursing, or Nursing 1.
An introductory nursing first-year class includes nursing as a career/profession, basic legal issues in healthcare, pharmacology principles, nursing diagnosis and care, healthcare evaluation, and assessments. This class may be paired with a hands-on school clinical laboratory class as well as a hospital or medical center-based clinical practicum. Students will learn the basics of nursing practice and care, while honing skills in a real-life healthcare setting.
Following an introductory nursing course, first-year second-semester associate and diploma students may be required to complete a clinical course in health promotion and illness prevention. This class includes content on nursing care as it applies to preventing disease in healthy or at-risk individuals, and may cover adults, children/teens, and the elderly.
Health promotion/disease prevention course content includes classroom nursing theory and hands-on clinical practicum, in a hospital or community health care setting. A major portion of course material and discussion may be devoted to human development through the life span, as it impacts disease progression.