Help! I suck at math!

Nurses General Nursing

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I am a 20-yr veteran ICU RN that has decided to go back to school to do my BSN. I have been accepted at a great University and am planning on doing some general Ed classes at a local community college because they charge about $170 a credit compared to the University's $420 a credit. I only need a few classes, like Social Science, Diversity and Humanities, and then will do my core nursing classes at the University.

The Community College want me to do an entrance test and it includes two components...English and Math. While I excel at English I suck at math and have managed to avoid it for the best part of 20 years. Included in this test is Algebra, and I have never actually done any Algebra. I tried reading up on some to see if I could muddle my way through what is apparently a very short and basic aptitude test. It's like Greek to me! I simply could not make sense of any of it and now I'm panicking. It seems so silly because the University, which is a very prestigious school, accepted me without hesitation when they read my resume, but the didly little Community College is the one giving me a hard time. I can't see why I should have to do a general Ed test when I've been emplyed for 20 years at a professional level and the course I intend to do does not contain any math! They say it's to "place me" whatever that means, but if I fail Algebra miserably, which I will, will they deny me entrance to the college? I can just go and do all these classes at the University but it's a difference of $17,000 at the college and $24,000 at the University. That's a lot of money just because of a silly math test! What should I do? :confused:

I frequently use Algebra in nursing to double-check the pharmacists' medication calculations (maybe I'm anal, but anyone can make an error, even a pharmacist). You could consider taking one of the tech college's algebra and/or math classes prior to the exam.

Good luck!

Amanda

As noted - - you use algebra all the time - you just don't give it a name! All your dosage calculations have been ALGEBRA!!! Every time you compare prices in the supermarket you use ALGEBRA.

We just get hung up on the word algebra.

Best wishes!!!

Specializes in NVRN, ICU, Critical Care.

Most Statistics classes require College Algebra. If those endless formulas and math skill have escaped you they will place you in a remedial math class until you work up to the College Algebra level. THEN you can take statistics. Sometimes this is process is a saving grace (in my case, needing a good math foundation) however, Colleges also use this system to make money. ex. I got an A in my last math class, transferred to a different college(w/ the same credit system) and b/c I was a transfer student I HAD to be tested...Scored a little lower then I would have liked too, and they put me in the same math class I was just in.lol Now I'm soooo bored in class. oh well

Maybe try yourteacher.com or youtube. lol. there are lots of algebra videos on youtube. The yourteacher.com site looks good though. You can start where you need to and work your way up. They have videos of each lesson, practice tests, ect.

Also they have standardized test programs.They have a long list, Compass, THEA, TEAS ect..Find the test your supposed to take and supposedly they will prepare you for it. If you use it, let me know how it works for you. I've heard awesome things but haven't actually used it myself.

The one, the only:

http://www.khanacademy.org/

Thanks for posting that! I just started looking at it. So far it looks pretty neat!

:yeah:

Oooh awesome. Never heard of that. I'll just have to set some time aside and see what's on there!

Specializes in Cardio-Pulmonary; Med-Surg; Private Duty.
As noted - - you use algebra all the time - you just don't give it a name! All your dosage calculations have been ALGEBRA!!! Every time you compare prices in the supermarket you use ALGEBRA.

We just get hung up on the word algebra.

This. Totally this. Absolutely totally this.

My kid started doing algebra-type problems in third grade, as I recall.

"Johnny has three dollars. Beans cost 45-cents per can. How many cans of beans can Johnny buy?"

That, in a nutshell, is algebra.

If you're really worried, go ahead and take a basic community-college math class. Or even adult education, if offered in your community (our local school district offers all kinds of "adult ed" classes, from guitar to basket weaving to Finances for Dummies to Microsoft Office to yoga, and everything in between... the typical class runs once or twice a week for 3 months and costs fifty bucks).

Specializes in Cardiology and ER Nursing.

Algebra is all about learning the rules of mathematics. Basically it boils down to what you do to one side of an equation you do to the other.

check out mymathtest.com

It is a customized tutoring program specifically for entrance tests and algebra. I do it. It is great. I go at my own pace. It tailors a tutoring program based on your strengths and weaknesses. It has step by step instructionson how to solve problems and many problems have video so you can watch a person do the math "Live"

Specializes in Critical Care and ED.

Thank you all for your suggestions and your links. I shall definitely check them out. I've never done Algebra before so this is very challenging to me. I come from another country where we didn't do Algebra unless you pursued Maths at senior level. I guess the time has come to conquer my fear of math and just do it from scratch. I figure I'm going to need it at some point anyway. Thanks again.

Specializes in CriticalCare.

i decided to follow gilarrt around and found this post.

in addition to khanacademy, there is http://www.mathtutordvd.com/

if you view the left-hand navigation, there is algebra1 and algebra2

reasonably priced, extremely systematic, working out the problems on the 'chalkboard' step by step.

i have watched both and they both have something to offer: reinforcement.

as for the khanacademy, remember, they are downloadable--just use the vlc player--you can adjust playback speed with that player. I frequently review videos at 1.3 to 1.45 playback speed.

many ppl 'suck' at things until they have done it enough.

i 'sucked' at icu nursing for awhile too.

i 'sucked' at nursing for even longer (nursing assistant helped that along).

it is all a matter of practice/exposure/reinforcement when it comes to undergraduate level work.

be glad you are a good writer--that is much more difficult to become an expert at IMO, esp. secondary to the limited resources.

Try to find some videos on how to write nursing research papers??????

:)

be glad it is mathetmatics.

be well.

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