Nursing School Questions?

Hi. I'm in my later 30's and am getting ready to enter into Nursing school with no previous college experience, except some vocational, years ago. I am bright and full of self-motivation and determination but to be honest, I fear the Math involved in Nursing. Math has always been my weak point. I fear that if anything, this may prevent me from fulfilling my goal of becoming a Nurse. I would like for any advice from Nurses, preferably RN's as opposed to LVN's, as I already have spoken to a family member who is an LVN's. Any advice would be greatly appreciated and taken to heart. I realise that what one person considers difficult, may not be for another, and visa versa, but still desire feedback from someone already in Nursing school or someone who's been through it already. Tips on avoiding getting discouraged, difficult courses, etc. ANYTHING! The more answers, the better. you can't give me too much advice, believe me. Thanks in advance.

I am not a nurse but my wife is an RN.

She did have her college degree then she decided to get her RN. To do that she took a few correspondence courses at an accredited school in New York. Then she took her practicals in another state. She was about 40 when she got her RN license.

My point here is that you can do almost anything you really want to do. Obviously it may be a little late to be an Olympic skater or one of Britney Spears' social friends. ;P

So, can you take your math course online and have it apply to your nursing degree? Very possible.

What you need to understand is that an RN through a community college is that you will be putting in abour three to four years of college anyway because you need to get the prerequisites before you are accepted.

I recommend that you go for the four year BSN degree from the get-go because in many states the waiting lists to just get into the 2 year programs are getting longer every day.

I know this flies in the face of the clamor about nursing shortages. The shortage of nursing schools and teachers may be one of the main reasons for this dilemma. There are additional reasons for the shortage.

Wherever you go to school, ask the school if you can take your math and other base courses online - if they will accept the courses toward giving you a degree.

My problem with nursing school too. I worked myself into a frenzy, failed the test, cried, and then took the test again, with 100percent. It's not rocket science. It's basic conversions and basic algebra and the nursing instructor will go over the problems and how to do the math. This is the first obstacle you will have to overcome in nursing school. You can do it. Repeat, repeat, repeat, Don't get all freaky about something that you can do! Good Luck

You are getting into a frenzy, it is basic math and conversions with very basic algebra. Your instructor will go over it then in practical it all will make sense. Good Luck, We are in such a demand for nurses in Virginia ........Don't be afraid...............Study and get a tutor if you need to

I sincerely believe that anyone with a little motivation is capable of learning math, so don't let your math hangups bother you. I would start out at a community college and take a math placement test. That will help you determine where your current math skills are, and you can start with a review class if need be. When I started, I had to take a remedial math class, b/c I had forgotten all of my algebra from high school. I was initially insulted, but it turned out to be a very good thing for me.

When you get to anatomy, you will be learning lots of terms you have never heard before, and will have to locate them and know what they do. This can be overwhelming, but constant repetition with the models is the only way to learn. A medical terminology course might be helpful before anatomy, but it is often not required.

Also, don't put a time-line on nursing school, because you really never know if you will get in the first time you apply. If you want to be a nurse, it will still be worth it, even if you have to reapply. You only live once, follow your dreams!!

You sound just like I did!!! I feared math, thought I sucked at it. But honestly, the math you need for nursing is NOT all that intimidating. It is basic algebra formulas.

At my school, in order to take my chemistry pre-req I needed to pass a certain level of math on an assessment / placement test. I scored two points below the requirement, so I self-studied and retook the test and scored 3 points better and made it into my chem course. They also had a "nursing math" course for 1 credit that they required you either take and pass, or you could try to test-out and take the final exam without taking the course. I did the test out - it was VERY easy - all questions were like "If you have a prescription for 400mg of a medication and you only have that medication available in 50mg tabs, how many pills will you give?" Seriously.

If you are going for a BSN degree, you will need a college-level math course as part of your grad requirements. Many programs require statistics. It's hard, but honestly, they teach you everything you need to know - and if they don't, they are not doing their job as teachers! It is your job to ask questions and seek help if you are not understanding. Use your college's resources - most have student tutors available at no cost to you, and they are wonderful! See your instructor in their office to have them help you work through some sample problems.

Don't let your fear of math stop you. The nursing coursework itself is more challenging than the math, lol! Again - not that it's "hard", there is just so much information to manage, it's very time consuming. But you'll be fine if you dedicate yourself to studying.

Good luck to you!