Lemon Bars Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 I really dislike chemistry. Second semester general chemistry for science majors was 95% math. I feel I hardly learned anything useful or relevant to medicine. A nurse friend showed me a medicine label for ear infections and it was acetic acid. She said that's basically vinegar and I feel like such a moron for not knowing that. What good is graphing titrations and doing multi-step equilibrium calculations if I don't understand the simplist chemicals and their possible use in medicine? Now I'm in organic chemistry for science majors drawing carbon chains and learning about electron orbital hybridization. When can I stop taking chemistry and learn something useful? Can I quit after this semester or must I do a whole year in O-chem to get into PA school? Why won't PA schools accept "chemistry for nurses" it's not like I'm personally going to work in a lab designing my own prescription drugs. Isn't Pharmacology what I need instead of Chemistry? I could use a little perspective from others who have travelled this road. Sorry for ranting and thanks for any advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted August 23, 2012 Moderator Share Posted August 23, 2012 pretty much Every program requires 1 yr of general chem and maybe 50% of programs require at least 1 course of o-chem. I never took ochem or biochem. I also hate chemistry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Steve Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Only did chem 104... Haven't felt lacking yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PYRITE Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 My program required two semesters of gen Chem and two semesters of O chem. Like you, I hated gen chem and found second semester to be basically an algebra class. I liked O chem better. Are either one relevant to medicine ? Well, they give you a foundation for biochem which is relevant. My program gives us biochem as part of the program, some programs only have it as a prerequisite. Chem sucks, but it is a neccessary evil to get where you want to go. Check the individual programs you are interested in to see if you need organic II. Many programs require only 1 semester. Maybe you could move to bichem which is relevant and more interesting (at least to me). Good luck, it gets better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timon Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 I felt the same way about chemistry as you did. When I took o chem my instructor tied it in to relevant structures in the human body. When I took biochem everything fell together. Finally there was a class that put everything together. You have various chemicals all having reactions in the body causing one thing to another. I highly suggest you take chem up to biochem. We learned a little about drug design in o chem in biochem our professor tuned it together again with more drug design as well in conjunction with reactions that occur in the body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 1. The amazing thing about organic chemistry is that it requires NO MATH! 2. Organic chemistry is very useful! If you learn it well, you can understand any chemical reaction! Understanding the basics of electron flow is THE ONE AND ONLY KEY to understanding this whole topic. Electron flow in "easy" reactions such as the formation of same acetic acid leads to understanding complicated biochemistry aaaand medicine. If you get used to those carbon chains and electron flow, you will not only be able to understand any chemical reaction, you would be able to predict how ANY chemical forms. I got so good at it that I was drawing reactions of chemicals in the back of my shampoo bottle in my head for fun. Also, get Organic Chem as a Second Language. Must-use book if you actually care about learning the topic. Having said that, most programs don't require Biochem but they do recommend it. Biochem after taking orgo is a nightmare. Biochem without a solid understanding of orgo is a death sentence...Just sayin... ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemon Bars Posted August 24, 2012 Author Share Posted August 24, 2012 Thanks everyone for your input. So Purplez, are you saying that biochemistry is essential for PAs? My microbiology teacher just showed us a small section of a biochemical pathways chart and it looks like plans for the Death Star. Very, very, very complicated. Is second semester o-chem and then biochem worth the effort in terms of understanding material in PA school and then when practicing medicine? No math is wonderful, yes I will admit that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Lemon Bars, understanding Biochem is essential for understanding drug interactions, etc. I am just starting out so I don't have a lot of room to talk but I think all my friends will confirm that Biochem is very useful in PA school (or med school). And you can't understand biochem w/o orgo. That micro reaction (was it in metabolism section?) looks complicated until you learn organic and a little bit of biochem. They are all small reactions in a series of bigger reactions. My second semester of orgo I learned more complicated reactions. Not sure if it will help you THAT MUCH with biochem. My school required one semester of orgo before we could take biochem. I took Orgo 2 and Biochem together and did fine, but Biochem did consume my life. So technically no, you don't need second organic semester. I guess you have to look at your school of interest requirements to decide whether you should take it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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