I'm in !!!!!!!

Despite the whole world going to hell in a hand basket around me with war, weather woes, and political mayhem, I received a call from my school. They offered me a shot at this fall's LPN class!!! So, I went today to fill out my intent form. The Pickle had to go with me as Hunnybunny was on a job. Could have rolled over and died when I was talking to the administrator, a very no-nonsense chick, and my 7 year old is removing the lid to the evaluation bin! She got on to him, and I wanted to die. Of all days, why did it have to be today that he acted like a 7 year old??
Anyway, I am stoked, scared, and very, very tired of studying for finals this week. I wrote a paper on JFK the movie for my humanities class and I have back to back finals on Sunday in anatomy and physiology plus a lab final. Joy, joy......
but still- I'm "walking on sunshine"!

Contained Joy

Well, I thought I would update you all on the school situation. They told us to check our information network at school by April 1st to see if we've been accepted, letter to follow. I did, and I was not considered for the RN program at all but I am an alternate (3) for the LPN program this fall! Personally, I am very excited, but you'd think I'd lost the showcase on The Price is Right the way the info has been assimilated. One person told me to consider other options. And some have been very ... "Aw, that's too bad. But I give you kudos for even trying." Huh? Did I miss something? I'm an alternate, for crying out loud, for a nursing program! I am in my late 40's and being considered to study with others to become a nurse. What more do these people want? No, I'm not a brain, most of the people I know that didn't get in sported a 3.8. I'm nowhere in that vicinity. But, hey, I MIGHT get to be an LPN! That would be so cool! Why is that not good enough for these people?
Done ranting. Thanks for listening.

What did you do in class today, Honey?

Well, I peed in a cup. I had to do urinalysis on my own urine. They make fake blood for blood typing in lab, why can't they make fake pee? I feel like its some invasion of privacy, making me a Guinea pig for our exercises in lab.  Isn't this some HIPAA violation? I was in the control group that didn't have to eat chips and drink water.
As far as being my own guinea pig, I wonder if it's like that in nursing classes, too?

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

 

 So, this is day one of the Waiting Game. Honestly, it reeks. Here's what ended up happening with my "Rolling Admission" :
I did far too much assuming. And I don't have to tell you what assuming does.....
What did I assume? It boils down to a misunderstanding of the word "cumulative". When I attended [insert name of unaccredited christian college here] way back in the beginning of the '80's, I did not apply myself. Oh, I applied my self to my work-study job as a nurse's aide; as a floundering student disc jockey on the college station (was a broadcast major); and applied myself in the dating scene, but I didn't apply myself to studying. I was a 2.0. I almost got a 4 year degree with a 2.0...how sad is that?
Years pass, I go BACK to school in the 90's. This time as a Paralegal Major. My basics transfer, and in my 30's, I find that I CAN do well in school. I received my AAS with a 3.2.
Now, going back to try for my ADN, I've done even better than that, making the Dean's list this past Spring (for the first time in my life!) with a 3.56, and that's in my 40's. However......(you knew that was coming, didn't you?) when figuring my scores for the rolling admission, they figured them ALL. All 192 hours that I've taken in my life.  As I looked at what was my cumulative score, I ASSUMED that since they had all my classes, the score I saw was the score that was going into the selective admission process. How wrong I was! After they averaged EVERY class attempted, I came from a 3.56 to a 2.51. That is bare minimum for the rolling admission. It is all based on the GPAs from 2.5 to 4.0; the NLN minimum score is 70, I made a 75. And the prerequisites of A & P I, the dreaded Algebra, English I and II, Psychology and Developmental Psych, and the nurse's aide requirement. So......I did all that, and even started working on the other requirements for the ADN to knock them out of the way. Now, I don't know if I'm going to be able to get in the RN program.
I decided since I could apply to two selective admission programs, I would go ahead and apply to the LPN program. The LPN program is based on ranking points of grades received from prerequisites.
So, apparently their decision making timeline is the same as the RN program. April 1st, I will find out which, if either, program, will have me. I'll keep you posted.

The Good News/Bad News Scenario

First, the "good news".......my application packet for nursing school admission is complete. Now, the "Bad News".....when looking at my scores/classes that were on my transcript, I assumed they had figured up my Gps from there. They did not. They took every college credit/attempted credit and averaged them together....all 192 credit hours. I went from a 3.56 to 2.51, which killed my "rolling admission" to the RN ADN program. So, I'm allowed to apply to a total of 2 nursing programs and I applied to the LPN program as well.

Anatomy and Physiology II....what was I thinking?

I really, really, really, really.....HATE studying for this class. My first test was a bust, but with the extra credit, I will at least get a C on it. I was so disappointed in myself, but then the teacher said this class had the highest average ever...81%. I somehow felt much better. Anyway, enough grousing. I have a test Sunday. Onward and upward...

I took the NLN.....

And lived to tell the tale. It was a 3-hours siege on my nerves. No calculator, can't take your coat off it you get hot, so better take it off before you go in. But, I got through it. 

I knew I would reek in math, and I wasn't disappointed. The verbal part saved me on that, and the science? Well, some of it I hadn't had in A & P yet. So, I guessed. I'm not going to spill my score because so many others were far better than me, but I will say....I got the rolling admission!

It boils down to 1 test

High noon, January 24, 2011, I will be taking the NLN exam in hopes of qualifying for my school's nursing program. In case you haven't heard, I was 5 points short of the rolling admission from my ACT score. It wasn't a bad showing for 30 years, but it wasn't enough. Thankfully, my college will allow you to take the NLN in hopes of a better score, and they will take the better of the two scores. 

I'm more nervous about the math than anything else as it has been my Achilles' heel for most of my life. But I DID get through Algebra, so it shouldn't plague me so.

Anyway, just wanted to update. Will write more after I get my results. Pray for me! I need a great percentile to get accepted this fall.

And so it begins : Anatomy & Physiology II

Another semester with Michael Phelps through Anatomy & Physiology? Well, I wish he were part of the bargain. It might make it a lot more enjoyable. I've checked Blackboard to see if my new teacher has posted a syllabus and what, if any, reading she has assigned. I'll say this: she's thorough. The semester doesn't technically start until Sunday, and she has the entire semester's PowerPoint on the website. Also, all of the lab. I'm one of these people who has to get all my assignments on Outlook so I don't have those nightmares of not being prepared for class. I got a B in A & P I, but I feel I should have/could have gotten an A. This semester will undoubted prepare me for Micro, which I heard can make you lose your religion ...fast. Our first unit: Blood!

Any studying tips for A & P II are appreciated!

Why Two Blogs?

Admit it, people, those of you who know me know I've never been what one could call "conventional". And truthfully, I felt like I was boring my quilting friends with all my talk about how hard a test was, how many cups of coffee it took me to get through a study session, etc. So, like I've done so many times, I've decided to separate different segments of my life. And really, the likelihood of anyone reading this is probably slight, but I needed a place to vent about school and hopefully, nursing school hoops I'll be hoping through.

(This was reposted from my other blog,The Jury is Still Out.
Anatomy and Physiology I pretty much took over my life this past semester. But, I got a B, so I'm guessing it was worth it. My psychology class was pretty straightforward, so I got an A in it. Truthfully, I don't know how these working mothers go back to school anymore. Yes, it's true, I did this back in 1997 as a single-parent of two, but even that's a major blur. I remember being exhausted all the time. These days, it's not necessarily a problem working and going to school as much as it is the whole test anxiety thing. Apparently, I'm not the only one who suffers from this, but nonetheless, I'm fairly adept at beating myself up over it. Case in point: The ACT. In order to get into nursing school, (no matter which one), I knew I would have to retake the ACT. So, I ordered the study guide last January and started to go through it. Even that did not prepare me for the anxiety I felt as I walked in to take the test. I was grateful it was being held at my community college only 4.5 miles away, but it did disturb me that besides the proctor, (who was old as Methuselah....the oldest man recorded in the bible), I was the oldest person in the room. When I took the exam almost 37 years ago, I either didn't remember the long list of rules, or basically, we are in a whole new world. The old guy stood and read this verbatim from the test booklet:
"You will be dismissed and your answer document will not be scored if you are found:
* Filling in or altering ovals on a test or continuing to write the essay after time has been called on that test
* Looking back at a test on which time has already been called
* Looking ahead in the test booklet
* Looking at another examinee's test booklet or answer document
* Giving or receiving assistance
* Using a prohibited calculator
* Using a calculator on any test other than the Mathematics Test (Why would anyone do that?? What in the world could they use it for?)
* Sharing a calculator with another examinee
* Using any device to share or exchange information at any time during the tests or during breaks (all electronic devices, including cell phones, must be turned off from the time you are admitted to test until you are dismissed after testing concludes)(And if you were caught using your phone on the break, you would be dismissed!)
* Attempting to remove test materials, including test questions or answers, from the test room by any means
* Using highlight pens, colored pens or pencils, scratch paper, notes, dictionaries, or other aids
* Not following instructions or abiding by the rules of the test center
* Exhibiting confrontational, threatening, or unruly behavior
* Creating a disturbance or allowing an alarm or phone to sound in the test room"
(Ironically, it was the Proctor whose phone went off during the exam!) 
I forgot to bring a wrist watch, and after that laundry list of do's and don't's , I was terrified even to look at the wall clock! As a result, I kept running out of time. I will be retaking the test as I was 5 points shy of the minimum to get into one nursing school, and only 2 points lacking to get into the other one.