Off topic..feeling really dumb and afraid!

Nurses General Nursing

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Hello all..

I am currently working HH as an aide and love my job. I am furthering my education and TRYING to prepare for my ACT that I take on Friday, August 8th. My school assured me that it's based on what you have already learned over the years throughout your education. They said it measures what you already know and combines the scores to give you a composite score. So, I'm reading through the practice booklet and can only answer LITERALLY 2 questions on the math part. Of course some of my guesses may be correct but for sure I know of 2 that would be correct.

I have been out of high school for nearly 19 yrs and haven't had a math course since. I barely passed my freshman and sophomore mandatory math classes then, and never took any extra classes the rest of my years. I'm talking probably a D- if I can remember right. I only have to have a composite score of 15 to get into my classes which starts in mid-September and I am so fearful that the math part will bring my score down to where I can't even get a modest score of 15. I would be sooo humiliated. I was also looking at the science part with all the little graphs and am completely lost on that too. Obviously my science grade wasn't the greatest either, hmmm, but now these subjects interest me, funny how age makes you see things differently isn't it?

Any good stories similar to mine where you were or are worried about such a thing. I worry about getting into the classes with an ACT score, what's it going to be when I'm actually into the program classes. My focus is completely different now than 19 yrs ago. I have a HUGE desire to get good grades and am currently doing well in my classes. I have a 4.0 now but have only taken easy classes so far (easy to me that is). Unfortunately, I don't have any time to take a refresher course in math like I planned in the beginning, I was lucky to get in as quick as I have. I've been looking online at math.com and others but it seems like I just can't comprehend anything mathematical. Give me something to memorize with flash cards etc and I'm fine, but anything using my brain with math just doesn't work for me. :banghead: Embarrassed to say I still usually use my fingers to add larger numbers. I blame myself and my parents for letting me get through school without having the basics down. A teacher can only do so much having large classes to test etc so I take full responsibility for my lack of knowledge. I feel as if I was just passed on through school without having a proper education and promise that will NOT happen to any of my 3 children. I swear I am one of those mental block people when it comes to math (and other stuff). BUT...my desire is great to learn and not be afraid of it anymore.

Any words of encouragement/help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for listening, sometimes just typing it out and getting feelings off my chest seems to help calm my nerves.

TIA..

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

I would recommend http://www.number2.com. The website is down for today for maintenance (I just checked). It has FREE test prep for the ACT, SAT, GRE, and I would highly recommend it. I used it for my GRE test , and it really helped.

All I can say is try as hard as you can to get the 15, then take some math courses. And keep taking the ACT till you get a high score. I don't know what your program requirements are, but if there is a wait list, you will probably need to do considerably higher than the minimum to even have a possibility of getting in.

Where I teach our minumum requirement is a 20 over-all (math min of 19) , but we don't really even look at your application unless you have a 24 with a math min of 21).

Good luck!

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Unfortunately for you, nursing is not memorizing facts from flash cards. It requires A LOT of critical thinking and creative problem solving. If math and science boggle your mind due to the critical thinking involved, then you are really in for a ride when you start your nursing program.

If you are still feeling unsure of yourself, then slow down. Quit trying to push on into the program as soon as you can. Take the remedial classes that you need, so that you can grow comfortable in these subjects. If you are puzzled with the basics, it will be hard to build from an unsteady foundation.

Slow down, relax, study hard, and give yourself more credit. Good luck!

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First of all, not all of us are math geniuses. That said, you need to be able to do it confidently. I had to take the TEAS exam last yr and while I thought overall the book was not very good, I did think the math section was helpful (as we may sometimes get rusty on the basics:imbar). So the TEAS prep book you may find useful--it covers the basics and then builds on that.

I would NOT hesitate to run to my school's academic success center (a.k.a. tutoring center) and get some tips, texts, and possibly a tutor ASAP. You need to be confident to do well on the ACT and they are supposed to help you get that confidence. Seriously, go now.

Wishing you all the best!!!:up:

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Are you required to take the ACT or other standardized test to get into Nursing school? If not, don't.

You do need to be good at calculating dosages in Nursing.

Why not take a prep course for ACT if you must take the ACT?

I wish you well.

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Thanks for your replies..

I'm sorry I forgot to mention that I'm not going into an actual nursing career. I do work as an aide and LOVE it, but I'm more interested in the social service part of life with helping people off of drugs/alcohol, womens shelters etc. I'm enrolled for Social Service with focus on drug/alcohol counseling. Although there is NO connection between social service and actual nursing I feel like I can do "my" form of nursing (kinda like a nurturing nurse if you will) by being available for the emotional part of life. I started out taking nursing pre-reqs and realized after my CNA classes that the bedside nursing wasn't what I truly wanted. I want the emotional part as I said (not that nursing isn't emotional, it is GREATLY emotional, just a different emotional than what I want), I want to help people out of abusive relationships, talk with people who are in need of a change and help them with that change if they so desire... heck..who knows, I might even be able to help change a few lives and help get a few more people educated and out of bad situations like I have helped myself.

This is the reason my ACT score has to be a minimum of 15. When I was enrolled for the RN program I believe it was a 21. I'm studying really hard and believe that I can do it, but being human my doubts and fears take over. In a few weeks I will be saying that my score was much better than I anticipated and now I'm actually excited to get it over with. Maybe I'm just thinking about it too much. Relax, relax, relax..:chuckle

Thanks again everyone...

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Specializes in UR/PA, Hematology/Oncology, Med Surg, Psych.

I'm surprised that you need to take the ACT to return to college as a working adult. Actually the only admission testing I ever had to do was for LPN school, and that was a placement exam. I'm in a BSN program now and didn't need any testing prior to that either.

I thought that after a certain amount of time had passed since high school the ACT/SAT exam requirements were waved at all schools? Isn't that true?

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

there is a list of websites that you can go to in order to refresh your math abilities and maybe pick up a few pointers. see post #9 on this sticky thread:

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Specializes in ICU.

2 words........Sister Hildegard! she was my high school physics teacher and her name describes her perfectly. she was this nun built like a brick s**t house and never, ever smiled. she wore these silver oval glasses down on her nose. i remember our first experiment in the class. we rolled a ball down a slope and she asked what we could learn from that. all my mind was screaming was duh...the ball would go down. it was the most horrid year of my life! that was 30 years ago. now i'm well on my way to my physics degree. what was soooo hard then is like food to a starving man. i need to know, i want to know, i have to know. if the old girl could see me now.......she's probably turning over in her grave.

interests change as we grow up. 'want' is a big motivator to the learning process. go figure! :smokin:

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I just want you to know that I know exactly how you feel!! I am 34 and decided last year to go back to school. I also was passed through High School with no teachers or parent to care what my grades were. I remember being in a "normal" Math class and getting a low grade. Instead of trying to give me help they put me in a remedial class and that teacher would let us leave in the middle of the class to go to the library(in reality we left to go to 7/11)! I am not saying it is all the teachers fault. I WISH I had the ambition that I have now because I would have started on a "career" much younger and when I didnt have a husband and 3 children. I did attempt to go to college in my early 20's and when I tool the placement test to see what basic classes I should be in I of course scored very low in Math. I started Basic Math(Passed with an A), took Pre-Algebra(Passed with a B)then went to College level Algebra and it was so fast paced that I got behind very quickly. I remember sitting in this HUGE classroom and being so lost that I just got up walked out and dropped the class immediately! I never stepped foot into another college until last semester and guess what class that was, BASIC MATH ! AGAIN! :banghead: But, I am determined this time to get over this fear I have of Math. I know it will be hard, but I am tired of this subject being the reason I have held myself back. I plan on getting tutors for when it gets hard and I plan on NOT giving up.

Sorry this is so long! Maybe you can take a online Basic Math class through a community college? Good Luck to you and Dont give up!!

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