Porter and Chester

Thornbird · Nov 7, 2008

But what if you spend all that money and can't get a decent job? Hospitals don't pay much more for an LPN than a PCT if you can even get a hospital job and most of the LTC opening these days are per diem or part time. I did flu clinics last week in Bristol and Danbury where I ran into three newly licensed LPN's that can't find jobs.

With the job market the way it is and so many more new LPN's, you may have a hard time finding a job that will allow you to pay off the loans and continue your education. Maybe you should look at EMT programs, they are shorter, cheaper and there are plenty of jobs. You would still get healthcare experience while working toward your nursing degree. Also, there are pre-req's now for PN programs, college english and math, so you have to spend at least a semester doing those.

If you stick to your plan of doing LPN first, keep in mind that graduates of the state schools are eliginle for the community college "RN Bridge" programs and, so far, those from the private schools are not. If you plan to continue, you have to start at the beginning after graduating P&C or Lincoln Tech.

taigee · Nov 7, 2008

I highly doubt you can become an RN in less than 2 years, unless you have a degree already that covers prereqs.to even allow you to be accepted into a college program. I would of loved to be able to do the state program, but getting in is difficult if you need to start as soon as possible. At P&C, you can bridge.As iwillbanurse08 said " it works for some".

iwillbanurse08 · Nov 8, 2008

I highly doubt you can become an RN in less than 2 years, unless you have a degree already that covers prereqs.to even allow you to be accepted into a college program. I would of loved to be able to do the state program, but getting in is difficult if you need to start as soon as possible. At P&C, you can bridge.As iwillbanurse08 said " it works for some".

Taigee, so we can to RN coming from P&C. I wasnt sure if we could or not. I was expecting to have to do the pre-reqs before continuing on to RN. You just made me a happier woman. :bowingpur

Can you give me some more info on it. Thanks

Thornbird · Nov 8, 2008

But, doesn't it scare you to owe spend so much money and maybe not be able to find a job to pay it off? It's a lot of money for a job that has limited opportunities and not the best pay or working conditions. I really can't understand why people would do this.

CT Pixie, BSN, RN · Nov 8, 2008

Taigee, so we can to RN coming from P&C. I wasnt sure if we could or not. I was expecting to have to do the pre-reqs before continuing on to RN. You just made me a happier woman. :bowingpur
Can you give me some more info on it. Thanks

Hate to rain on your parade but you CAN"T do the LPN to RN bridge unless you fulfill the pre-reqs that the program dictates which more often than not includes: English, Bio, A&P I and II, Micro, Chem.

Thornbird, you are mistaken. Private tech school grads can do the bridge program too at all the schools that offer the bridge program. I graduated from Lincoln Tech, and I will be doing the Bridgeport Hospital LPN to RN bridge course through Housatonic Community College where I will get my Associates in Nursing. You might want to take a peek at the schools (Community Colleges) that offer the bridge program. The ONLY requirement is that you have graduated from an accredited school (Lincoln Tech and Porter and Chester ARE accredited), hold your LPN license and fulfill the pre-reqs.

Bridgeport Hospital will allow you to skip all the nursing courses that are done in the first year (level I). Before you can apply, you need to do your pre-reqs, you have to do the Level I non-nursing courses (Psych, child Psych, etc) once that is done you will go directly into year 2 (level II) and proceed with the class.

Thornbird · Nov 8, 2008

That's excellent that they allow you to do the bridge programs now. Another thing you might consider is doing the Excelsior College or Indiana University LPN to RN programs. They both allow you to study and "test out" on classes. Indiana arranges local clinicals and Excelsior doesn't do clinicals. Excelsior has a clinical performance test at the end instead. Both are accepted to take CT RN boards. If you do well in your programs, you should do well on the tests with a little extra studying. The nice thing is that you can still work full-time.

You definitely need to think about it for after graduation. CT is not a good state to be an LPN. The extreme limits on scope of practice makes job opportunities scarcer than other places where LPN's are treated more as real nurses. When they talk about "the nursing shortage" they mean RN's. CT has nurses, they just aren't utilized well, especially the LPN's.

I wish you luck. If you look through meeting minutes on the BON website, you will see that P&C worked very hard to get the approval for the programs while at the same time they are finding some real issues in the state programs. I have no doubt you will get an excellent education there.

iwillbanurse08 · Nov 9, 2008

That's excellent that they allow you to do the bridge programs now. Another thing you might consider is doing the Excelsior College or Indiana University LPN to RN programs. They both allow you to study and "test out" on classes. Indiana arranges local clinicals and Excelsior doesn't do clinicals. Excelsior has a clinical performance test at the end instead. Both are accepted to take CT RN boards. If you do well in your programs, you should do well on the tests with a little extra studying. The nice thing is that you can still work full-time.
You definitely need to think about it for after graduation. CT is not a good state to be an LPN. The extreme limits on scope of practice makes job opportunities scarcer than other places where LPN's are treated more as real nurses. When they talk about "the nursing shortage" they mean RN's. CT has nurses, they just aren't utilized well, especially the LPN's.
I wish you luck. If you look through meeting minutes on the BON website, you will see that P&C worked very hard to get the approval for the programs while at the same time they are finding some real issues in the state programs. I have no doubt you will get an excellent education there.

Hi Thornbird,

Whats the address for the BON website cause I would like to read the meeting minutes. Just to be informed.

iwillbanurse08 · Nov 9, 2008

Doing the pre-reqs really is not that bad to me, just as long as I dont have to start from the beginning and go through the whole thing. So its still a relief to me that I will be able to bridge over when I graduate.

Thornbird · Nov 9, 2008

The BON website is: http://www.ct.gov/dph/cwp/view.asp?a=3143&q=388910

You have to read through the old minutes, there's no search function. But, it's interesting to read what the Board discusses. Our Board is not very good about making public its advice on scope of practice, so I sometimes find clarification there.

It's really too bad that it's not easier to bridge. When I went to PN school 25 years ago, they were saying that soon it would be an Associate level degree and it would be easier to move up the caeer ladder. PN school is difficult and challenging, there really should be more credit given.

Good luck to you.

CT Pixie, BSN, RN · Nov 9, 2008

I find the CT BOEN to be VERY vague in their scope of practice. Even reading the minutes and attached correspondences, it still makes me scratch my head and say "hu? so CAN or CAN I NOT do it??"

I attended several CT BOEN monthly meetings and found it quite interesting. In my opinion, they really aren't out to strip a nurse of their licesne at the drop of a hat, they really do give 2nd, 3rd and sometimes 4th chances before finally taking a license. Its refreshing to know that these women on the Board realize that nurses are human and make mistakes too.

Thornbird, just curious, are you an RN that was an LPN or are you an LPN?

I have all intentions of doing the bridge program but with my older daughter starting college in the Fall 2010, I am conisidering holding off a while, I'd rather tie up loans etc for HER education than to further mine at this point. Add in the awful economic mess we are in and its even harder to get money to go to college. She comes first, then I will finish. :)

Thornbird · Nov 9, 2008

I'm still an LPN. Since I have a BS in another field, I am looking to go to the accelerated program at Quinnipiac for my MSN. My son is just starting college this fall, so I got waylaid a bit :) this past year. You're right, have to put the kids first.

I had not worked in CT for over 20 years and then started working in this state again. I have to say I hate it. The Nurse Practice Act for this state is so vague and the BOEN interprets it in an increasingly restrictive way for LPN's. A lot has changed in CT nursing and not for the better IMO.

I had 3 years of college in Human Services when I decided to become a nurse. Since I hadn't taken any hard science courses, I would have really been starting from the beginning. I was applying to community colleges, when I found out that the state was giving the PN program for FREE due to the severe nursing shortage. So, I decided to go that route and work on my RN later. Of course, life happened and it has taken many years to get back to it.

Most of the time I have been an LPN, it wasn't that bad and I didn't make getting back to school a priority. Where I worked most of that time(sub-acute) I was a Unit Manager and a supervisor. I started IV's, did care plans, assessments etc and the only thing I really couldn't have done was be DON. Most importantly, I got paid on the same scale as RN's who had the same job description. I supplemented with agency work which I mostly did in hospitals. I can't believe how bad the job market for LPN's is in CT and how unprofessionally they are treated.

blue2008 · Nov 13, 2008

Bridgeport Hospital will allow you to skip all the nursing courses that are done in the first year (level I). Before you can apply, you need to do your pre-reqs, you have to do the Level I non-nursing courses (Psych, child Psych, etc) once that is done you will go directly into year 2 (level II) and proceed with the class.

This is a great post. I'm a new member and had to make a painful decision between lpn or rn. Then lpn state tech or private. In the end I could not wait for state tech, "found out about them late in the game" so I went for Lincoln because I liked their externship. Yes I read lots of bad reviews from people about Lincoln so i will post that in another thread but want to ask a question on bridgeport.

I get no call backs from them and the CLN has a new person who is still trying to get familiar w/ bridge programs. If you go through bridgeport and housatonic to meet gen eds etc, do you still need to take the ati teas test to see if you are accepted in the nursing program?

As an lpn it was discouraging to learn in other community colleges that you have to take the teas test like a regular student who just took his gen eds (even though you already have an lpn). I agree there should be a test but feel if we are lumped with students who just went to a community college to get prereqs, no experience etc, it sends a statement that we lpns are no better even though we went thru an extensive program not to mention gained experience. So do you know bridgeport, if they require the teas test, ranking, random and then wait list situation?

Also for all those who take the lpn route and decide to pay tons of money, I applaud you (i had to make take this route myself). To me that shows dedication.

I did shadow some upper level RN supervisors who told me that the pay for starting lpns (in LTC) is easy 50k in CT. And from what I know, lpns are needed still. I may not be a senior member like the other poster who says we can't get a job, but from what I am seeing on the field, yes we are needed and wanted. Be it an RN or LPN you are doing a service to human kind, so more power to you what ever path you choose first.