I'm Back....

2bNurseNik · Sep 7, 2007

Focus baby focus!
Barnes is a good school. If you can, try to get the BSN. If in the future you want to go back to school, then you don't have to mess with bridging to the BSN. You can start your master's right away.
What do you need for Barnes GPA? Is there a test to take to enter? I'd be happy to help you. You can do this. Let me know. I am glad you are not messing with Chamberlain. Too much bad stuff going on with them right now.

Yeah, I want the BSN for sure. I would like to get in Barnes for Spring 2009 because they offer weekend/evening every Spring. They require a 2.75 and if everything goes the way I plan, I will have 2.8 at the end of this semester. That's what sucks; digging myself out of this hole. Right now, I'm at Webster because I WAS going to get a Business degree and maybe eventually go back for an "Accelerated BSN" but, why bother. I'm really not trying to make any more plans because they tend to fail; I'm just taking it 1 (or 3) classes at a time and aim for that "A".

muffy16 · Sep 7, 2007

Yeah, I want the BSN for sure. I would like to get in Barnes for Spring 2009 because they offer weekend/evening every Spring. They require a 2.75 and if everything goes the way I plan, I will have 2.8 at the end of this semester. That's what sucks; digging myself out of this hole. Right now, I'm at Webster because I WAS going to get a Business degree and maybe eventually go back for an "accelerated BSN" but, why bother. I'm really not trying to make any more plans because they tend to fail; I'm just taking it 1 (or 3) classes at a time and aim for that "A".

Great! You can do this. Please keep in touch. I will too.

2bNurseNik · Sep 28, 2007

FYI....I have failed the dosage calc. test 2x. I missed it by 1 question, yet again. Back to the point of giving up again :scrying:

WDWpixieRN, RN · Sep 28, 2007

FYI....I have failed the dosage calc. test 2x. I missed it by 1 question, yet again. Back to the point of giving up again

I hope you don't. I know there are limits on the # of times you can take this test per year, but I think you've got at least one more try, yes? Take the dosage calculations class again if you need to; it's certainly cheap enough. Then take the test again....not everyone succeeds the first time through in this career....read other threads where they mention that folks have barely passed or had to redo semesters....they mention that often those are the BEST nurses because they wanted it bad enough.

I promise that the pain of redoing the dosage test will last much less time than the pain of sitting in a cube, or in endless business meetings for the remainder of your life if that's not what interests you. Have you gone through that Calculate with Confidence book over and over again? Gone through the practice sheets over and over again? Where/how did you take the dosage class?

A whole bunch of us are in your corner kiddo!!

paper1225 · Sep 28, 2007

I agree-don't give up so soon....just take your time, really read the instructions, then once you finish go back and really read each question to find out what they are asking for.......I underline and circle things a lot!! You keep being pulled back for some reason!

2bNurseNik · Sep 29, 2007

I promise that the pain of redoing the dosage test will last much less time than the pain of sitting in a cube, or in endless business meetings for the remainder of your life if that's not what interests you. Have you gone through that Calculate with Confidence book over and over again? Gone through the practice sheets over and over again? Where/how did you take the dosage class?
A whole bunch of us are in your corner kiddo!!

You are so right. Yes, I have 1 more try on the test. I've always had a fondness for math and this just seemed so easy to me. But, I guess not. I figure, if I can't pass a little, simple dosage calculation test, I certainly can't handle the nursing world. I took the nursing math class at FP. I took the practice dosage test over and over again have passed. I just don't get it....really don't. :uhoh3:

WDWpixieRN, RN · Sep 30, 2007

I'm sure you are very frustrated at this point...it would help to get some other practice problems if possible....look at the student nursing forums or pre-nursing forums or just do a search on dosage or calculations or both and see if you can find some of Daytonite's websites with math. Do some of those and then redo your practice problems...if you've got time, retake the math class...maybe at Meramec....but if you're in a tear to get your name on the list ASAP, do lots of practice.

I don't remember, will they go over the test with you? It might be nice to know which ones you're getting wrong?!?! On top of that, this is extremely foundational for the math that's still to come...IV fluids build on this formula, so you want to be sure you're very clear on what's going on. You're not second guessing yourself too much are you? I know on one or two of those the answers didn't seem "right"...I redid the math a couple of times and came up with the same answer so left it.

Also, a few things not to forget:

**Label your answer -- i.e. ml, tsp, whatever the question asks for.

**Don't forget the leading zero when the answer is less than 1; i.e., 0.9, NOT .9. That's killer in nursing school tests and on the job.

**Round to the nearest 1/10th. So, 3.85 is actualy 3.9; 2.13 is actually 2.1.

Those are teeny tiny things that can ruin all your good hard work on a dosage problem!!

Please, let us know when you take it again and how you did!!

2bNurseNik · Sep 30, 2007

Also, a few things not to forget:
**Label your answer -- i.e. ml, tsp, whatever the question asks for.
**Don't forget the leading zero when the answer is less than 1; i.e., 0.9, NOT .9. That's killer in nursing school tests and on the job.
**Round to the nearest 1/10th. So, 3.85 is actualy 3.9; 2.13 is actually 2.1.
Those are teeny tiny things that can ruin all your good hard work on a dosage problem!!quote]
LOL, that's exactly what I missed. Rounding to the nearest tenth. I rounded to the hundredth. Something so simple that is explained before you even take the test. Silly me. Thanks so much for your support WDWPIXIE!!!

WDWpixieRN, RN · Sep 30, 2007

That's exactly what I missed. Rounding to the nearest tenth. I rounded to the hundredth. Something so simple that is explained before you even take the test. Silly me. Thanks so much for your support WDWPIXIE!!!

Okay....so apparently you know HOW to do the math, it sounds like you just will need to take the time to be sure you've formatted the answers correctly.

It just takes a few minutes to double-check your work. It's a good habit to get in to NOW as once you're in the program, you will be taking dosage tests each semester in addition to having questions on every test. So far, we haven't had to do the 100% thing I read that other schools have to, but it's a very high percentage comparable to that dosage test. Therefore, those few hints are necessary each and every time you do a problem, whether at home during practice and before you actually turn the test in for grading.

Keep them in mind and once you've finished the math and feel confident you've done that correctly, then go back and check for those things once last time. Those are what I consider "gimme" items or "silly mistakes"...part of the "rules" of the test similar to guidelines for an essay's content or accounting for all the bones in a part of the body on an A&P test.

You CAN do this!! Good luck!!!

Sabby_NC · Sep 30, 2007

NikNik I wish you well in following your heart and your dreams :)