How hard is it to get through school to become an RN? I'm fairly smart but stink with math.?

Question

How hard is it to get through school to become an RN? I'm fairly smart but stink with math.?

Answer 1

Depends on how hard you are willing to work for it.  RN's typically take 2-3 mathematics classes, and atleast 5 sciences.  If you are bad at math, you might want to get some tutoring that is usually free and available at all colleges.  Math and science go hand in hand, so it would be a good idea to focus on those areas.

Answer 2

It takes a lot of tenacity which is the bull dogged stick-to -itness to get through a nursing program. It is not so much the smarts but the persistence which is necessary to succeed.  I have been a Registered Nurse for approximately 25 years.

There are many types of programs you can enter, being either 2 year or 4 year. There are not many diploma programs left in the nation, which entailed not only the curriculum, but a clinical based on the job training...while living near the hospital. Diploma programs were typically three year programs.

Math wise, honestly you can learn the pharmacology and calculations necessary to obtain a correct dosage. which is the bulk of what is necessary in the clinical aspect of nursing. I myself have a condition called dyscalclia (which is a lot like dyslexia, but pertains to numbers and not reading)...and I got through it. One can either focus on their disability or their potential ability to succeed in an area that needs improvement, such as what you cite in mathematics. I succeeded (had to have a math mastery...not a high 90 score) as I was fortunate enough to have someone who tutored me through the math and actually deciphered the formulas to where I could understand it and taught me well. (better than any math teacher I ever had in school)..as before having this tutor, this may have well been in the Greek language.

Really all algebra is about is logic when it gets right down to it. But  pharmacological dosages are often calculated in the metric system, which is not that hard when you get the hang of it....and one can do basic multiplication and  division to calculate an IV drip.

Regardless, you can achieve this goal if you really want it. The neat thing about professional nursing is the ability to move about in various fields, until you find your niche, so to speak.

I have worked as a travel nurse for many years and find it to be the most fulfilling and best paying. There is a gross nursing shortage now, which is predicted to become worse in a short period of time and skilled quality nurses are always in demand. It is a profession, that though taxing, has its rewards.

Honestly, there were times that I thought nursing school was going to kill me, but it didn't. I am sure we all have experiences that we feel will lead to our early demise, and come through them, feeling a little more confident and a little stronger when we look back in retrospect.

Pursuit of this goal (nursing school and NCLEX (Board testing) is very challenging and not for everyone, however, if you are a person who thrives on challenge and can exert traits similar to " the little engine that could", you will not only survive the experience, but find it at some point and time very rewarding.

As for academic competition, remember what they call a doctor who graduates LAST in his class.......do you know what that is?

They call him "Doctor. "

It is not about smarts...it is about persistence!