Nursing Pre-Reqs Nearly Done

Posted on February 13, 2026

Good morning, afternoon or evening Readers. My name is Ziggie and I’m back after a bit of a hiatus. I’ve been attending the Community College of Allegheny County full time. I’ve had full semester of 4 classes, totaling 14 credits, so my plate has been full. I’m not complaining, now that I have a better grasp on my classes, you’ll be seeing more of myself.

I’m attending CCAC as a pre-nursing student. In order to get into their program, certain prerequisites are required. A plethora of math and science classes, as well as supplementary classes on nursing practicum like dosage calculations. You can start nursing school before finishing all your prerequisites, if you take them along with your nursing courses. Doing that isn’t advisable because the nursing course is quite complicated with onsite patient care. So, when I decided to take the nursing pathway, I made sure that I could have the smoothest transition possible.

One aspect that helps me with school is keeping it consistent. When I mentioned taking 14 credits, initially it took some getting used to. Prior to taking those, I took a semester of just two classes, in order to get acclimated. As an autistic adult, I try to proceed with caution and preparation, that way I can meet future expectations. In a sense, that mindset allows me to have an ideal nursing mindset. Being a nurse means prioritizing patient safety first and foremost, prior to doing anything else. If you are someone who wants to attend higher education and wants to finish within a certain timetable, rather than dividing it all at once; getting some initial classes out of the way may help. Because once you are acclimated, a lot of anxiety related to school, regardless of major, becomes manageable and you feel calmer.

Sometimes, I also think about those who may have misgivings that someone on the spectrum can be a nurse. And to that I ask, why not? Nursing is a varied and broad field, ranging from direct patient care, which can be in a hospital. To nursing informatics, combining technology into nursing practice. Nursing is just not one thing, and that’s one of the best aspects of it, because there are so many ways to care for patients. I also think it’s invaluable to have someone on the spectrum who is a nurse because they can offer insights into working with autistic populations.

I have a few more prerequisites to finish before I start nursing school this fall. And I just want to say, if you are considering higher education, you can do it. Prepare a plan with a college advisor, take a few classes to get your feet wet, then proceed with going forward. A lot of life is just showing up and taking it from there. Do what feels reasonable for you, not others’ expectations of what you should do. I believe in you.