Trillion

I thought I was terrible in math until I did my prerequisites for nursing school. Once I got past the mental block, I realized (with shock) that I kinda liked math. I've always loved puzzles, reading music and learning languages. And that is what math is: symbolism and puzzles. I don't know if what I'm saying is of any use to you, but I can relate to your post, FWIW. Get a super basic math for nurses book and just plod through it on your own time, outside of class. This will build your confidence. Who knows, you may find you actually like it!

I've been dreaming of this moment, where I can join the others who have inspired us by announcing their NCLEX success and RN status. I passed 3 days ago with 75 questions in about an hour. Here are my suggestions, particularly for those of you who, like me, are working parents. I entered the testing center feeling like a soldier going into battle fully armed with the latest and greatest. Believe me, this is a feeling that anyone can attain but it will take time, dedication and support. 1. Start studying early so you don't have to cram. Cramming is not advisable for a test of this magnitude and design. I started studying about 4 months prior to NCLEX. In part, this was obligatory because my school had us taking several HESI's - 3 specialty and 2 exits. I studied about 3 hours/day minimum 5 days a week. I focused on content and did roughly 50-100 questions a day. Weekends were work and family time, no studying. 2. Hurst Review online. I liked aspects of Kaplan but ultimately preferred Hurst because it is so content driven. Within the first 3 minutes, I thought "This is too simple. I've wasted $300". But NO. The series builds on itself and teaches you in a way that is deceptively simple. Hurst's presentation is so much more enjoyable -even fun! I heard their charming Southern accents in my head during the exam! All the Kaplan Q trainers are available online (slideshare.com) and strategies are available online or in their book, which I did use to study from. I highly recommend you do at least half the Q trainers to get an idea of what you're in for. Back to Hurst- I watched each video at least two times, filled out all the accompanying notes, and made flash cards from them. Hurst was essential for me. Memorization: You will have to know lab values, of course, and stages of development, drug categories and functions etc. etc. You know this already. I printed out the Hurst study pages, put them in plastic protectors and taped them all over my bathroom, swapping them out every week or so. They were in my shower stall, on mirrors, in front of the toilet at eye level, etc. As far as conditions, I was briefly tempted to use mnemonics but in retrospect believe this would've indeed been a poor strategy, at least for me. If you know content forward and back and understand the patho-phys, it doesn't matter how obfuscated the NCLEX test questions are because you know the content from its basis, not from rote memorization. NCLEX questions are presented as curveballs that require a bit of word-smithing. Mnemonics may leave you empty-handed when presented with this style of question and give you a false sense of confidence in your knowledge base. Choose deeper understanding over mnemonics for disease processes and characteristics. This is where Hurst was indispensable. 3. APPS* are absolutely essential if you are a busy person. I DL'd the free ones by Lippincott and Kaplan Q bank and exhausted them. Then I purchased NCLEX Mastery, worth every penny of the $24.99. Every morning before getting out of bed, I did Q's on my phone, and every time I had to stand in line or had 5 minutes to dedicate. Absolutely brilliant app, NCLEX Mastery. So many cool features. 4. PDA by LaCharity. I had a great deal of priority questions and ordered tasks in my exam. In truth, I think the PDA questions are harder than NCLEX, so this is like batting with weights on, or practicing acoustic guitar and then switching to electric. Don't even think about skipping this book. Do every chapter and then take notes on why you missed each question. Review these notes a few days before your test date, if not earlier. 5. AUDIOBOOKS! This was a new concept to me and honestly, it was so hard for me to study this way at first that I nearly gave up. Now I'm hooked. I listened while hiking, biking, driving to class, taking public transpo. I got every audiobook from Prentice Hall Reviews and Rationales and cannot recommend this series highly enough. These books were key in leading me to success on all my HESI's and the NCLEX. I actually enjoyed preparing for the NCLEX. I felt a lot of what I'd previously been scrambling to learn for exams was now synthesizing and making sense - very satisfying and confidence building. As a parent, I found it essential to spend the night in a hotel before the big day. This made a big difference in my ability to sleep, relax and adjust my focus. Sure, it's an added expense, but this is a (hopefully) one-time event and you need to do what it takes to set yourself up for success. I'd wish you good luck, but luck has little, if anything, to do with it. I wish you all the success you've earned by working hard, keeping your head on your shoulders, and your eyes on the prize.

Sweet Relief!

Hey everyone, I thought I hadn't made it into the program but lo and behold I got my acceptance letter last week. I'm ecstatic and a bit overwhelmed. Haven't gotten FAFSA straightened out yet because their site is not compatible with Lion. Come on, that OS has been out since summer! May have to go on campus to do it if they can't update their site. Look forward to meeting you all on Jan. 13 at orientation.

Hey Paco9: I got all A's (in the hard classes) and a C in Dev. Psych (the easiest class) also!!! (from an unfair, incompetent teacher who held us all in contempt and graded randomly, IMO) I'm so worried about that C barring me from getting into Grad school at USF that I'm going to take the Clep test for Dev. Psych. USF has a 90% rejection rate. If that C keeps me out, I'm going to lose my mind. Glad you got into a program in spite of that C. It's been a thorn in my side for a year!

Oh, and I'm glad you mentioned predictive analysis. I am currently taking Statistics and can't believe how much I love it. I'd be thrilled to be able to put it into practice.

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this detailed response. The sticky situation, being in our mid-forties, is the knowledge that dedicating 2 years of education and many more years gaining experience in a singular field is hopefully what one is ready, willing and wanting to do. It's a gamble. But gambling makes life interesting. I, too, see myself back in education later on. I spent almost 10 years teaching in vocational colleges and loved just about every second of it. And as you did, am considering becoming a CNA this summer. As a massage therapist, I always wanted "difficult" clients and challenging cases. I love assisting labor and, on the opposite end of the spectrum, working w/ hospice care, helping patients feel as cared for as possible as they exit our world. I never feel queasy or disgusted by any of it, but find it fascinating, humbling and an honor to participate in. 70K is an awful lot of student loan to take on at age 45. And in truth, it would be a bit more than that including living expenses that I'd have to borrow for to partially cover. I'm lucky my husband has a good job, but I'd still need a bank to help us. Nursing is tough to get into in the Bay area but I really do feel a calling. It's just a matter of how/when. It seems there less options in the impacted situation here in SF than in other parts of the country but relocating is not an option. Again, thank you so much for participating in this discussion.

Yours is precisely the kind of opinion I need! Do you wish you hadn't gone for the CNL program? Did you go into the program after prior experience in nursing? Do you work as a CNL now? I'm gonna go ahead and ply you for details, if you don't mind indulging me!

Thanks for the advice, Song in Heart. (I'm female, btw). One of the main reasons I'm considering USF is that it is a meritocracy, not a lottery. I'm 45, with a near 4.0GPA (sorry, I'm bragging, but hell, I worked for it!) If I were in my 20's I'd consider applying year after year in the lottery systems for an RN here. I know many who are in the loop and I don't care to join them. The other reason is to take advantage of having an undergrad degree , thereby presumably increasing my hire-ability with the advanced (CNL) degree. That being said, I value your advice. I want lots of patient contact and the trials and rewards that entails. When I think of "nursing" that's what my mind sees- directly helping people and getting my (gloved) hands dirty. You are not the first nurse to encourage me to go the ASN route. I will look into it. Thanks again. BTW, my sister is a nurse and she thinks I'm nuts to get into this field so I'm always seeking encouragement. It's disappointing to me that she doesn't think I'm doing the right thing, even though we're 45 and 55. I still seek her approval!

I don't have an answer, sorry, but just dropping in to say I'm in the same boat. I'm applying to the CNL program at USF ($70K!) in October but am trying to make sure I'm weighing all my options carefully before getting this deeply in debt. I've been a massage therapist and massage therapy instructor since '98, specializing in pre/peri natal massage and labor suppport and have also done some work w/ hospices in palliative care, but no experience in the nursing field. I agree with you, you will most likely be working as an RN (in Norther Cal this means med-surg or ER, where the need is greatest) prior to working in the CNL capacity. However, a friend of mine who just graduated is now a case manager at SF General. Case management doesn't sound as interesting to me as patient care, though, so I found the post to be very informative from the woman who was an RN for 21 years who now regrets doing the CNL program. Keep posting any findings. The feedback is really helpful.

I was told by admissions director at USF that all California hospitals will be required to have a CNL in each unit within the next 2 years.

I'm so glad to read these comments because I'm strongly considering going into nursing and I my hands are tattooed. Both hand have similar, large, gorgeous, abstract minimalist flower designs, very bold and strong shaped. A bit hard to describe. They are the opposite of "trashy" and I get many compliments on them from people of all walks of life. HOWEVER, I am nervous about investing tens of thousands and over 2 years for a graduate degree in a field that could be closed to me because of un-hide-able tattoos. I live in SF, so I reckon if I choose nursing, I need to stay here where people are more open minded about personal expression.