Well, I have applied for some night school classes with hopes of applying to the Practical Nursing program next fall.
I am 32 years old, and while my current career (payroll for transportation company) and past career (admin assistant for a record label) do not point to a career in health care, I have really always wanted to do this and now I have decided I have the funds and the time to do it part-time.
I went to a "free, one-on-one career counselling session" at my school tonight with someone from the career centre.
I left in tears.
I have severe apprehensions about my math abilities, as well, my high school was limited (got my diploma, but was heavy on "artsy" subjects like English and drama - a few sciences but no math at a senior level) and I have to upgrade my high school (with a college prep course I am taking this next January). She listened to the whole long story, then blurted out
"Why on EARTH would you want to NOT pursue something you are good at (English, the arts) and pursue something you find really really HARD?!?"
She then spent the next 45 minutes pointing out why I can't do it -
I don't have the prereqs from High School - well hello! That was 15 years ago!
I am very worried about my math skills "and you need to be very quick on your feet with those, you know"
I will be competing with about a million graduating High School students for a place in the program because in Ontario this year Grade 13 is being abolished, so there are double the number of grads from grade 13 and 12.
She ended it by telling me to "find a nurse and ask them about their job" hello, I've been grilling every nurse I've met for years. I read this board. For what it's worth, I watch ER religiously!
Well, geez, why don't I just kill myself. Kidding, but man, my morale has never been lower. I felt like asking for a tuition refund before I even start my one little class next week.
I have been looking forward to this appt. for weeks. I was hoping to get some encouragement. Instead, I got depressed.
some people are so fricking rude!!!!!!!!! please do not listen to this idiot follow your dreams and take one day at a time we are all here for you at allnurses!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If this is something you feel strongly about, then go for it. Nursing has always been a dream of mine too. When I started classes before, I had people laughing at me, telling me I'd never make it. I believed them, so I quit back in 1994. I went back in 2000, (not listening to anyone this time...) finished up my pre-reqs and am now waiting for my Authorization to Test from the State, so I can take my boards and become a nurse.
You can do this....listen to your heart and do what YOU want and need.
Worthy, I dont know how many people told me that I would never be able to finish nursing school. Well guess what...... I have been nursing for almost 12 yrs now.
As for the math part............ you are doing the right thing by taking an upgrade class........ I didnt do well on my entrance exams in math so I had to take a refresher course....... science was always my thing..........anywho........... the math in nursing is so unbelievably easy once you learn your conversions........it is nothing like algebra or calculus that we have to take in general ed classes......... why we have to take those I have no idea. Once you have your general math out of the way, see if you can find a nursing student who has taken pharmacology........ and buy their math book for that class......... one I recommend is Math for Meds......... and start working on learning your conversions.
Do NOT let ANYONE tell you that you cant or shouldnt go into nursing if that is what YOU want to do. Deteremination is the best thing to have........ as for me....... if anyone ever told me that I couldnt do something or shouldnt do something....... that made me even more determined to prove them wrong....... I know Im bullheaded.........lol but hey, it got the job done and I sent everyone of those people who told me i couldnt do it an invitation to my graduation hehehee
Just remember something my mom told me............... you have to weather the storms to reach the rainbow................
The encouragement means SO much to me, especially after such a negative experience. I am so touched by your kindness. I won't give up!
And iamme457, I have horses! You are a farrier? That's a TOUGH job. I have two - a broodmare and a yearling. I ride dressage. Actually one of the reason I figure I can handle the "Gore" quotient of nursing! I've wrapped, cleaned, dressed many many horsie type wounds over the past 20 years - held them for the vet while being sutured, etc. etc.
First, don't listen to her. She isn't even a nurse so how can she possibly know or understand how easy or difficult the course work will be?
Second, and I don't understand why, but for some reason when you tell non-nurses that you are going into nursing, 99.9 percent of the time they will tell you not to do it. Unfortunately, you just get used to it, so don't let it discourage you. They just don't understand.
Third, you and this advisor are concentrating way too much on what you did in "high school". If I read your message correctly you are in your early 30's so you would have graduated high school about 12-14 years ago. Don't you think you have changed quite a bit since then? I'm sure you'll admit that you don't have the same interests as you did back then so who is to say that you're not allowed to be interested in science instead of English? That was another life time ago. You are allowed to mature and find new interests!
And just because you weren't an "A" math student then, doesn't mean you can't be one now. I remember when I was in high school I really dug biology but was horrible at math and chem. I was too young to understand that not everything comes easy and rather than work at classes I didn't quite understand I just gave up and tried to breeze through with a "C". I was more interested in going to the movies with my friends than school work. But when I got to college I didn't have a choice, I had to get through Math and Chem. And it was very hard but I did it because I wanted to succeed. I got a degree in Agricultural Science and the girl who once cried over a math book because she couldn't understand fractions was whippin our complex equations figuring out the plasticity of soil for god sakes!!!
And I'll admit, going back for a nursing degree now ,I still find the math and chem to be hard. And I've only been out of college for 5 years. I'm thinking of taking a refresher math course.
The point is, if you really want to do it, you find a way and get through it. You would be surprised at how many of us on this board are not Math whizzes!! Where there is a will, there is a way!
And something else I wanted to pass along to you.
I once was watching Oprah, and this was years ago. She had a woman on who was a type of motivational / spiritual speaker. There were a lot of people on the show who were saying that their problem was somewhat like yours in that there was something they wanted to pursue but couldn't because they either didn't have the self esteem or people told them it would be too hard, etc. She gave this piece of advice...............
That if you want something, or want to do something, you have to put it out there into the world, then doors will start to open up.
I know it sounds hokie, but what she meant is that if you want to do something, start saying you are going to do it. Put it out there into the World! So, tell everyone you know, "I'm going to start nursing school." "I want to be a nurse." Someone asks what's new in your life, say "I'm going to school to pursue nursing."
You will start to build up your confidence about doing it and you'll see that doors will start to open up. You might find more people who will say "That's great!" rather than "why on earth would you want to do that." You might meet other peole who are nurses, know nurses, or are also students trying to go back to school.
Let me share my story which is very similar to yours. I went to a community college in 82 to sign up to take classes and get into the nursing program. My advisor told me the following things:
1. your too old to get into the program
2. you would have to take algebra and chemisty
3. you would have to take the ACT
4. you will never be able to do this since you have been out of school for 8 years
I was so disappointed. I like you, was good in english, so I took that and the other two above courses before I signed up to take the ACT. I did all and passed All.
When I got to the math dosages and solutions pretest. I struggled as I knew old math and not the new math they were teaching since i was an older student. I went to my instructor and asked if she could please show me how to set up the problems using old math since I am an older student. I was told, yes i know the old math but I will not teach you that. You are too old. I hired a tutor and had her teach me the math formulas and such. I passed my test.
Then I took all my pre-nursing courses and was ready to start the clinicals. They told me sorry the seats left for this semester and next are only for high school grads not older students. They told me to take more electives until I could get in next year. Mind you I had already gone for 2 years in an ADN program. I had to hire a lawyer and threaten them with a discrimation, age, lawsuit and I got in miraculously. I passed with flying colors. The school did nothing but discourage me. On orientation, the first day of clinicals the class of mine was 500! It was huge! All in an auditorium. The instructor said to us, Our job is to make things as hard on you as possible. Half of you will fail. We graduated only 250. She was right. It was very very sad.
I love nursing and I am glad I stuck it out. Don't let people try to stop you. You may need a tutor or something but hey you can do it. You just have to put your mind to it.
Fortunately/unfortunately, my BSN program didn't allow calculators. We managed.
I returned for my BSN after having earned a BA in English. I had absolutely no desire to become a nurse. I was afraid of math because of a bad experience in high school geometry (never move a high-schooler in the middle of the school year!). I worked as a clerk in a hospital lab for a couple of years, got over my fear of math & decided that I wanted to make a difference & become a nurse.
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
I have not much to offer that these wise folks did not already do. All I will tell you is, never let the naysayers dictate what you do with your life and your dreams. I was raised by two people who told me forever I was worthless and never would amt. to a hill of beans in my life. It was a LONG journey to discover that this was only NOT TRUE, but I had SO MUCH TO OFFER so MANY!
And I remember when I applied to my RN program, the director (who had to be a distant cousin of LURCH on the ADAMS FAMILY), peered at me over her glasses and said, "what makes you think you will ever gain entry to MY program? There are over 200 applicants and I will only accept 30". Wanna know what I said? "Well, I am determined to be a nurse and if you cannot use my tuition money and make it happen, well, I will go up the road and find someone who can and will" ...and I walked out. I was rejected that year. (and crushed).....
But I applied again the next year, with the same will to be an RN, and was accepted. Graduated with a 4.0 (oh yea, math/science were WEAK areas w/me, too; I overcame them with study and willpower.) YOU CAN DO THIS. DO NOT LET THIS SET YOU BACK----KEEP ON TIL YOU DO IT! I am fairly certain one day, we will be reading your name with LPN or RN after it. MAKE IT HAPPEN! I wish you the best!
I just got off the phone with the program co-ordinator. I explained my dilemma regarding my pre-requisites, and she was great - while she talked quickly and seemed frazzled, she LISTENED to what I said and answered me. She told me to call the admissions dept. and that they have an upgrading course tailored for people in my situation. When I told her I had arranged for a private math tutor, she said "wonderful!" She told me to concentrate on decimals, fractions, dosages - I told her I have the biology credit from years ago but she said I might want to brush up on that too.
She invited me to the information session for the program in November, and that they would be handing out samples of the admissions test then. While I would have loved to have a longer chat, she answered every question and didn't try to get rid of me.
I called the admissions dept. to ask about the upgrade. A very very cranky woman told me "oh yes. Upgrade. Full time program. It's full". Full? "yes, for this fall, it's full" And I said "FULL-TIME??? I can't do full time" She replied "well, you need to go back and learn things like sentence structure, computers (!!!!!!I DO computerized payroll at work. I know microsoft, excel, and probably could whip her butt at it) Science and math". I explained that all I needed was math and science.
"Well...." big long sigh"...there is a night school course just for math. The winter session is open". So I enrolled right there and then. She assured me that it would qualify as a prerequisite.
So, what have I learned? Different people at that college are like night and day and some couldn't give a rats behind whether you go to their school or not. But I am really, really really happy that the program co-ordinator was so nice, since that's where I'll be spending much of my time!
And does anyone have any questions as to why there is a shortage of motivated nurses? Fools like that counselor who think they know what you need to be a nurse because they have a list of required courses in front of them and are able to read simple English. Hogwash. You tell yourself over and over, every chance you get, that you're going to be a nurse. Tell everyone you know. Volunteer at a hospital and get to know more about healthcare and nursing. Talk to the nurses you meet. It won't take long to convince your subconscious you're nurse material, beause you are.
People who don't know any more about you than what shows on a high school transcript get notions about what you can and cannot do based on outdated information. They wouldn't base any other decision they made on outdated information, but hey, they'll tell you how to run your life based on a dropped comment you made at 14. Life and people change.
When I was interviewing for nursing school I continually heard, "with your background you'd be good in psych." Just having a strong liberal arts background does not a psych nurse make. I did not like psych nursing (and wouldn't you know it was the one cliniccal rotation that repeated when I went back for my BSN, so I had to do psych twice. Liked it even less the 2nd time around.) I admire those who do psych but it sure isn't me. Your skills and preferences are yours and no one elses.
As for the math, consider this. I had passed college calculus before going to nursing school. In pharmacology, the instructor taught us one of the most convoluted ways of calculation I had ever seen. I never did figure out what she was trying to do or teach. When working as a NA the Rns would quiz me on drug calculations. One of them watched me scrawling numbers everywhere and getting nowhere and asked "what on earth are you doing?" I answered "figuring out the dose the way they told me to in school." She got a piece of paper and showed me how she was taught. Wonder of wonders, it made sense, it worked--every time. I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I went back to school and showed all my classmates. They too were awe struck and relieved. Trust me, the math you need has nothing to do with doing well in math class. Review the basics, the rest will come to you from someone.
Since you're going to be working on prereqs anyway, why don't you consider going for your RN or even BSN. Show that fool how very wrong she is.
Kidding, but man, my morale has never been lower. I felt like asking for a tuition refund before I even start my one little class next week. 
JAYNE DANCE
112 Posts
some people are so fricking rude!!!!!!!!!
please do not listen to this idiot follow your dreams and take one day at a time we are all here for you at allnurses!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:kiss :roll