wants2BRN

Awesome!!! I'm Catholic and often viewed praying the Rosary as another form of meditation...which does have many proven benefits! Thanks for sharing, you're an inspiration.

My mother came from "another culture" and I have an uncle from yet "another culture"....and they didn't bathe everyday. As a non-anglo person from a multicultural family I have interpreted your comments as self-rightous. I'm offended by you suggesting that I'm some sort of ignorant, insensitive, racist. I would like an apology.

Well, actually he's a lot stinky. He is a very, very, nice man and smart! He just has major B.O. and he can stink up a whole room. I think it's a cultural thing, he's not originally from the U.S. Has anyone else experienced this? I'm wondering why our instructors haven't addressed this issue because clinicals are around the corner and if I were a patient I would most certainly complain.

Check their website....

Yeah, you're pobably going to need algebra....but the first thing you need to do is go see a counselor at each school you plan on applying to. They will tell you exactly what you need.

One thing my hubby and I have talked about is trading off dinner days. I will try to make dinner two days a week and he'll make dinner two days a week - its the other three remaining days that worry me - take out here we come! Well, maybe we could have left overs or something. Where I live there are a couple of these places where you put together meals ahead of time and freeze them. They have stations w/ all the ingredients chopped up for you...some even offer you wine while you prepare your meals!

I wanted to share something awsome that was in my orientation packet.... Family Contract I _____________________ promise to: Take out the trash, do the dishes, make sure the house is clean, eat fast food when ______________ is working hard at school or studying, be kind, and agree to everything that __________ says for the next two years. Signed:_________________________________________ Date:___________________________________________ Agreement will be destroyed on May 15th of ___________. I love it!

What are the pre-req's for your program? Are there classes you can take that are part of the program and are able to complete prior to being accepted? For example...the pre-req's for my program are Eng Comp I, A&P I & II however, the other classes I could take were Life-Span, Gen Psych, Eng Comp II, Microbiology, an Arts elective, Health Assessment, and Dosage Calculations. I had all of but two of these completed which helped me get accepted and lightened my load each semester. You may be able to keep yourself plenty busy by taking a class or two each semester untill your little one is at least in preschool maybe even Kindergarten. I actually had to retake A&PI because my school changed the time requirements for science courses...they couldn't be older than 5 yrs and I took it 7 yrs ago. Trust me, taking care of a home and family and getting used to using my brain like a student again kept me busy. I understand you wanting to stay home and raise your babies. I'm only comfortable going to nursing school full time now because my daughter will be in preK and I have the help of family and friends.

What makes me wanna toss my cookies? How 'bout this thread...J/K! But seriously, reading this has been good. The more prepared I am, the better. Keep it coming...

Is day care your only childcare option? Many churches in my area have Mother's Day Out programs. My daughter went 3 days a week 9am - 1:30pm. It's such a nurturing, educational enviroment and she loves it! Also, what about Montessori schools?

Thanks for the suggestions y'all! They're all good ones, especially about the dosage calculations. I have orientation on Tuesday so I'll pick up my books if they're available.

I'm bored outta my freakn' mind right now waiting for school to start. Is there something productive I could be doing to prepare for school?

I don't believe that one has to be inheritly competitive in order to find success in a competitive enviroment. I'm not a competitive person, I just knew the facts...If I didn't earn a high GPA then I wouldn't get into nursing school. I never viewed it as "I gotta do better than everyone else" just that these are the current standards therefore I must meet them.

Ew, I just bought my uniform. That have to be the scratchiest, poorly fitting scrubs I've ever had. I had to get the pants altered because either the crotch would be at my knees or if I pulled them up they'd be highwaters.

I hate to tell you to go further in debt but I'd hate to see you have to drop out of school because you didn't have a realistic child care situation worked out. I too was going to have to take out loans for child care but luckily I have awesome neighbors and family that are able to fit my daughter into their schedules.

Thank y'all VERY much for your responses. I'm printing this thread out and stapling it to my head on my first day of clinicals!

I just read a thread from the students board that scared the crap out of me. It seems there is not a love between RN's and SN's. I'm going to start school in the fall so just give it to me straight...how can I not be a pain in your butt and how can I be helpful?

Don't Give up! You are learning a foreign language and just because your classmates are more familiar with it does not make you a dummy. In the back of my A&P book are the suffixes, prefixes, and combining forms of medical terms. After I learned those, things got much easier. What I love about medical words is that you can break them apart and they tell you what and where something is. Everyone is right about getting into a study group. It's a great way to review info. Also, if your tests are designed after the MCAT maybe you can find a MCAT study guide. Don't be afraid to talk to your teacher too. Share with him how your studying and ask how you can improve. Talking to him might make him realize that not everyone in class has so much prior knowledge. Good luck!

First, let me assure you that I encounter NO negative sexual side effects! (My husband will assure as well!) Second, you are under the illusion that there is a cure. Even if you found something natural, you will be taking that for who knows how long anyway. It's not going be easier after you get through your pre-req's. :icon_hug: I understand your feelings but keep in mind all the responsibilities of being a nurse. Your dealing with peoples lives. If you really have this condition you owe it to yourself and to your future patients to get a hold of the situation. ADD has effected more than just my scholastic life. I was reminded of that when I got off my meds to have a baby. I got back on after I was done breastfeeding because I want to be the best parent, wife, friend I can be. I like what someone else said about "harnessing the power". That's what it's about. I hope you don't think I'm being too bossy...I just remember the frustration and it kills me to see someone else suffering. Please do more research. I wish you the best of luck!

I hope you did well on your test! I'm sorry that you're having trouble with lab partners. It's never good when there's too much estrogen in the room. You're not there to make friends...sometimes you gotta be the b$#@ with the bigger bark. It wouldn't hurt to talk to your teacher in private, ya know tell her how much this class means to you blah blah blah. You may even find she's not so bad and gain a little insight on her testing methods. I don't call it brown nosing, I call it building a positive relationship with your instructor. Remember, ain't nobody else gonna be paying your mortgage, your car payment, your student loans. Now that I'm done swinging my chicken head around... I came to really love micro. Yeah, I cried when I got my first unknown wrong but after I learned to have confidence in what I was doing and not absorb the panic in the lab I excelled.

I'm sorry that History is giving you trouble. I'm the queen of flash cards for most things. You could put them in order by year and use colors to signify people or battles etc. I also like to correspond the colors with hilighting info in my book and notes. Using colors really helps me study in all subjects. I've had classmates tease me about my little pencil bag full of glitter pens and hilighters but after they try it they get results. I don't know your situation but personally I don't like online classes because I feel the interaction of a classroom and hearing lecture improves info retention. Although I find it interesting that math online is going well for you. Are you good at math or is it just easy online? Please share !

I was scared to death of statistics but it actually was alot easier than algebra. The nice thing about statistics is that there isn't just one exact answer, there's a range. At my school there are 2 different stats classes, one general math and one for psychology. I found out later that the psych one is supposed to be easier so you may want to check into that.

AAAHHHH! Math is evil! I'm retaking the remedial class before algebra and then college algebra this summer. I got C's and that aint gonna fly down here to get into a nursing program. The math dept. head at my school suggests taking summer or mini-session classes if math is a challenge for you. Sometimes it's easier to just focus on one class not leave many days inbetween to forget what you're doing. Also, I barely got a B in chem because of all the math. Dimensional analysis is a b$#@! Best of luck, may the force be with you!

I live in Houston too. At San Jac last year they only took 4.0's. Alvin has a good program and there is an option to take the ACT to apply. If you do very well on that you have a good chance there. I'm going to be brutally honest and tell you that a poor score in micro and especially nutrition is not acceptable. I'm concerned why you didn't do so well. Could you possibly benefit from a study skills class? Are you able to be apart of a study group? I find that many times others pick up things I missed in lecture and vice-versa. I have friends in various nursing programs and they have all assured me that its alot harder than the pre-req's. You'll need a strong science GPA around this town babe. If your going to take another route, I would consider getting your LVN over CNA. I know San Jac uses a point system,(the more college credits, the more points) and the LVN program will better prepare you to be a RN. I might have to do that and my GPA is not that bad. If you're determined you'll make it! Best of luck! :wink2:

If you really want to be a nurse you'll be one. You're being realistic and that's great. Try to get the best GPA you can be willing to take the "scenic route" to get your BSN. My first choice is a BSN but I'm also applying to ADN and even LVN programs. The latter two will both get me there and anything I learn will only make getting my BSN easier and cheaper. Good Luck!