There seems to be obstacles everywhere.

[JennMcK]

I live in San Diego and I became a CNA in June of 1999 throught the ROP Program. I passed the state board exam test. I also took the Healthcare Essentials course at the Grossmont Health Occ Center in Santee (although I did not like my teacher). I knew that both programs were prerequisites for the Health Occ's LVN program. However, I was not aware of the TEAS test, nor was I prepared for it. I never knew I had to take a test for admission. I thought I had to just do the prerequisites, and maybe I could get in. How naive I was. Since I am awful at math, I failed that part of the exam very badly, so of course I never got in. I just gave up on Nursing altogether. And my fingerprints for my CNA certification kept being rejected (more than once) by the machine up in Sacramento. Apparently they were smudged. So I was (and I am) back to square one. Now in 2012, it's even harder to get into an LVN program. That's why Kaplan or UEI sound good. I know they're way too much money, but at least you don't have to deal with prerequisites or the TEAS test (unless I'm wrong?). I just don't know where to turn or go. I think I'll just forget about Nursing, although I really want to become one. Any advice? Is there any way to avoid the TEAS? Thank you all.

[NICUmiiki, DNP, NP]

I was at an LPN program for a semester before I transferred to my current college. We had to take college algebra there too.

[JennMcK]

I would probably have to as well. I think it varies from state to state. Where do you live? I live in California.

[NICUmiiki, DNP, NP]

Louisiana. They seem to be more strict than a lot of other states as far LPNs go. The shortest I've seen is 15 months, but most are bordering on 2 years. It was only going to take me an extra year and I'll have my BSN vs. the LPN so I switched.

I'm not trying to get you down. I think you should enroll in basic math classes. That way you'll have more practice under your belt before moving on to the math in nursing.

[x_factor]

I'm in Louisiana, I did a year in LPN school and transferred to do my pre-reqs for my RN. Math was very much a part of LPN school, and is very much a part of my pre-reqs for my RN.

If you plan to be ANY type of nurse, you are going to have math. I suggest remedial classes, tutoring, or some other way to help you improve your math skills. Trying to avoid something because it's difficult is not the way to go. Getting around the math portion of nursing school is all but impossible, and for good reason. 0.02 and 0.2 can mean the difference between life and death when medicating a patient.

[JennMcK]

Yeah I think I'll need to do that (the tutoring), although I have spoken to other nurses and they told me that they were bad at math and still managed to do it. They told me, "You'll learn it as you go along in nursing school." They also told me that the teachers were very helpful as well when they were having issues.

[NICUmiiki, DNP, NP]

I don't have a doubt that you could learn it as you need it, but it'll make school in general harder if you have to take time to study math rather than the nursing content. I still say you should take a class and/or be tutored and don't let anything bring down your chances of success.

[Stephalump]

I'm not a math person at all and my high school transcript can attest to that. When I entered college, my math placement test was scary. I started developmental math classes, worked my way through three of them, then on to college algebra, calculus, and statistics. Do I like it after all of that? No. Would I claim to be good at math? No. But most of math is simply learning how to do things. Once you learn how (and how easily that happens is the part that plays into aptitude), it's like riding a bicycle. You do the same problems the same way, but with different numbers.

I scored a 97% on the math portion of my entrance exam, thanks to the practice I got in my developmental courses. Now in my statistics class I have confidence that, though I may not pick things up as quickly, soon enough it'll be just as second nature as everything else I've learned in the past.

Point being...I recommend taking math classes :)

[JennMcK]

Thank you Stephalump (and everyone else). I think I will do that. :)

[chicsurfs, LPN]

It's taking to much on imo. Do the math classes before you sign up. Just because you barely pass the entrance test would be silly to assume you'll learn as you go. and thats not how it works for those who truely have serious math issues I know because that is what got me into trouble when I took the lpn class. My parents even hired a private tuitor for me. Bottom line math is NURSING and unless you know it prior to going in those risks $$$$ just aren't worth failing. If you can catch on when taking some cheap math classes and get upnto formula's, algebra, measurements things like that..Than go for it imo speaking from experience.