I am in my final year of nursing school. I went part-time for three years, held down two jobs while doing it, and hold an 87% average. I've worked really, really hard; and I rewarded myself by taking out a student loan, quitting one job, and concentrating on school this final year.
I am still doing really well. Except for: Pharmacology. Correction: not Pharmacology - the MATH component of the pharm. I attained 85% on the last test in pharm - and 44% on the computerized IV flow rate test
A bit of background - I have always done poorly in Math. In high school, I was in grade 13 (Canada remember ) Biology and getting 80's - at the same time I was repeating Grade 10 math for the THIRD time...and failing! I was told I was lazy, didn't work hard, didn't try enough. When I told the guidance councellor I wanted to be a nurse - he laughed. Then he said I had no hope of ever doing it with my math scores. Thus I spent 15 years working in front of a photocopier for a trucking company.
After I married, I decided to take a few courses. If I do ok, I told myself, I'll try the entrance test. And I did. And I did well; which leads me to now. Most of the dosage calculations up until now I can handle, however, these IV's just throw me - as well as the test itself; which is timed and in a big room with other students from other programs and I just start to hyperventilate and panic and though I can remember the formulas, I made stupid mistakes in my calculations and there it went - 44%.
I've done everything - I have multitudes of dosage calculation books - yes I have Dosage Calculations made Incredibly Easy, for those about to mention it - I have an excellent, patient tutor, a good friend who is a math teacher and comes over every couple of days to help me out. I have made the teacher aware of my little "problem". But even at home, without pressure, on the practice tests I only average about 70 -75%, and I need 80% to pass!!!
It's consuming me - and literally making me ill. It's all I can think about. I do math in my head all day. I fall asleep, waking up in the middle of the night trying to divide the time on the digital alarm clock into gtt's per minute It's out of control!!
I have two more shots at this test, what if I fail them? If they hold me back a semester and I have to retake pharm; I'll have to quit - I'm broke and tired and just can't afford to not finish next semester. And if I fail the math, I am "ineligible to write the final" in pharmacology - even if my average on the regular tests is over 80% - which means I cannot continue on
What should I do? My practical teacher has offered to meet with the program coordinator with me; she knows how upset I am and wants to vouch for my performance at the hospital. Should I take her up on that, or will that be perceived as bringing along "mommy"???
I'm at my wits end - and I feel stupid. After all, how can a person possibly do so well and so many subjects, and just completely tank another? I don't get it. I don't understand why my brain won't cooperate with this. I really don't
