Why Is Chemistry Important to Nursing?

Since chemistry is a required course for nurses, many wonder why they have to take this class. Often, college requirements do not make as much sense until actually working in a field. Nurses rely on all of the sciences to do their jobs properly. Since all of the science builds on one another, having more than a basic understanding is important. Nursing students will have a difficult time understanding biology if they do not have a firm grasp of chemistry and physics as well.

Nurses must not only know that something is happening to their patients but must understand why it is happening. The health of the patients can depend on the knowledge of their nurses.

Many of the biological actions of the body are really chemical in nature. The processes that the body undergoes at the cellular level have a lot of basis in chemistry. From the transfer of oxygen into the blood to the regulation of glucose in the blood, these bodily processes and many others require chemical reactions to occur. For nurses to properly help their patients, they must understand the many different chemical reactions that occur in the body.

Nursing Programs

Many nursing programs require a few basic chemistry courses, such as general chemistry, organic chemistry, and possibly biochemistry. These classes should support any biology classes that the students need to take. Consequently, the chemistry requirement can easily be met in a few semesters while taking other classes. Once in clinical practice, the chemistry knowledge will become indispensable.

In addition, many students start out as nurses but may want to continue their schooling and go on to advanced nursing degrees, specialized nursing programs or even on to medical school. Having these classes completed and understanding the material in the classes will put that student on the best course for further study.

Chemistry and Medicine

Nurses care for patients throughout the day, while doctors only stop in once in a while to check on the patient. Therefore, nurses must know what is wrong with their patients and what treatments are being administered. Here, knowledge of chemistry is very important, especially in relation to dispensing medicine.

One primary job of a nurse is to dispense medicine to patients. The chemical reactions that take place in the body in relation to the medicine being administered is very important to know. While doctors should be monitoring this as well, nurses are really the first line of defense for a patient.

Nurses must administer fluids and medicines depending on the problem that a patient has. If nurses do not know how medicine will react in the body, they could be putting their patients lives at risk. Many nurses will probably use dosing charts or the pre-dosed medicine from the pharmacy. While these are convenient, knowing proper dosing and possible adverse reactions between medications and the patient may just save someone’s life. Dosing information is learned in chemistry class.

Nursing Careers

Nursing as a profession is in demand given the aging baby boomer generation and the fact that many nurses themselves are retiring. Salaries for nurses average between $47,000 and $67,000, and since nurses are hourly employees, many are eligible for overtime pay. Because of the salaries and positive hiring outlook, many people look to nursing as a career.

Educational requirements and training necessary can be difficult which is why many potential nurses may wonder, “Why is chemistry important to nursing.” Many practicing nurses agree that they may not have understood the importance of chemistry as nursing students, but as working practitioners, they understand and appreciate chemistry in their careers.