[pegasus12164]

Hello,
I'm looking for support/advise/chatting for those of you going from LPN/LVN to RN through JR. Colleges, and who have been practicing as a LPN/LVN for more than 5 years.
I have been hitting road block after another. It happens every time I start at a new college. Distance nursing programs are just too expensive for me to finance. Many do not take my already obtained classes. Locally there has been a university that opened an LPN/LVN to BRN program, but again it very pricy. I almost want to start all over.
I have been trying to get into a program for years. Taken what classes they required to find they have added more. Taken those too and found out now I have to take a NET test. I crack under timed pressure tests and need to use a calculator, which are not allowed. I’ve taken the test 4 times in two years. Did not make the required score. Took an at home test of the same material, timed. Passed it. But I can't "pass" the NET. But once I pass the NET, I'm required to take the NCLEX PN.I'm already a practicing LPN since 1989.I don't understand the logic. Both tests have expiration dates. NET is good only for one year, and NCLEX PN is only good for 6 months.
I was required to take the pharmacology again since it had been more than 2 years since the last class was taken. I received an "A" in that class back then. SO now I have to re-take the course again before applying.
I'm afraid once I get here those tests I took will have expired as well as the other course work I did. There is another LPN I work with who has almost the same story.
What the H @#$ am I doing wrong?Suggestions???
Pegasus
(Stressed out LPN)

[EricEnfermero]

I moved your post to the LPN to RN Nursing Student Forum. Good luck!

[txspadequeen921]

Well you are singing my song..been a LVN for 8 years have all my BSN pre-classes done and hit road block after road block. I did not do well on the NET or some of the other entrance testing... Cause it is so irrelevant to nursing..Why am I being tested over plant biology when I'm trying to get into nursing school. So I get passed over and over. My GPA 3.5 strong clinical background and all my classes done...****** me off in the worst way.. I mean like psychosis. I am 24 hours away from my Bachelors in Liberal arts and thats what I'm doing right now. I am taking my FA money (extra) and putting it into Excelsior to complete my RN degree. Or at least that is the plan ..I start in a few weeks. Another thought was to do the accelerated BSN program once I was done with my BS in liberal Arts. I get angry daily cause with all these hospitals needing nurses and such , there should be more opportunities for LVN's ,instead of competing for 10 spots every semester. I hope I can complete the EC thing cause I'm on the edge and my clock is ticking...I'm like a LVN bomb ready to blow...

[BigB]

Originally Posted by txspadequeen921

Well you are singing my song..been a LVN for 8 years have all my BSN pre-classes done and hit road block after road block. I did not do well on the NET or some of the other entrance testing... Cause it is so irrelevant to nursing..Why am I being tested over plant biology when I'm trying to get into nursing school. So I get passed over and over. My GPA 3.5 strong clinical background and all my classes done...****** me off in the worst way.. I mean like psychosis. I am 24 hours away from my Bachelors in Liberal arts and thats what I'm doing right now. I am taking my FA money (extra) and putting it into Excelsior to complete my RN degree. Or at least that is the plan ..I start in a few weeks. Another thought was to do the accelerated BSN program once I was done with my BS in liberal Arts. I get angry daily cause with all these hospitals needing nurses and such , there should be more opportunities for LVN's ,instead of competing for 10 spots every semester. I hope I can complete the EC thing cause I'm on the edge and my clock is ticking...I'm like a LVN bomb ready to blow...

Be thankful EC is still avalible to you. LVN's in CAlifornia had the EC option removed thanks to the RN board.

[txspadequeen921]

Yes I know and it is a sad sad thing. Because of that I wont be able to live in CA. So much for sunny California....

Originally Posted by BigB

Be thankful EC is still avalible to you. LVN's in CAlifornia had the EC option removed thanks to the RN board.

[General E. Speaking, RN]

Originally Posted by pegasus12164

Hello,
I'm looking for support/advise/chatting for those of you going from LPN/LVN to RN through JR. Colleges, and who have been practicing as a LPN/LVN for more than 5 years.
I have been hitting road block after another. It happens every time I start at a new college. Distance nursing programs are just too expensive for me to finance. Many do not take my already obtained classes. Locally there has been a university that opened an LPN/LVN to BRN program, but again it very pricy. I almost want to start all over.
I have been trying to get into a program for years. Taken what classes they required to find they have added more. Taken those too and found out now I have to take a NET test. I crack under timed pressure tests and need to use a calculator, which are not allowed. I’ve taken the test 4 times in two years. Did not make the required score. Took an at home test of the same material, timed. Passed it. But I can't "pass" the NET. But once I pass the NET, I'm required to take the NCLEX PN.I'm already a practicing LPN since 1989.I don't understand the logic. Both tests have expiration dates. NET is good only for one year, and NCLEX PN is only good for 6 months.
I was required to take the pharmacology again since it had been more than 2 years since the last class was taken. I received an "A" in that class back then. SO now I have to re-take the course again before applying.
I'm afraid once I get here those tests I took will have expired as well as the other course work I did. There is another LPN I work with who has almost the same story.
What the H @#$ am I doing wrong?Suggestions???
Pegasus
(Stressed out LPN)

They really make it hard for us don't they? My situation is not as bad as yours but I found myself taking classes that I needed for this program but not for that. This one needed the ACT, that on the HESI, etc... Very frustrating. Especially since we are experienced LVNs, there is a shortage of working RNs and you know the colleges keep on making money at our expense. I had to take the ACT with a bunch of high school kids (fun). The Math freaked me out! I barely passed the Math. Luckily, I excelled in English so it pulled my overall grade up. I agree with Queenie. Whose give a #$%^ if i know anything about plant biology?

Seems it is all about timing- take this before this date, this can't be more than X years old, fill out this paper before this deadline. The only problem is they keep changing the rules and adding more classes.

I was accepted into 2 LVN-RN programs (both geographically undesirable) and had my orientation on Friday. It has been a roller coaster ride getting in. I feel your pain.

I wish I had some magic answer. Have you talked with a counselor at the school? Is there some sort of pre-NET course you could take to help improve your score?

[dolldoctor]

I accidentally passed our required exam to get into the lpn/rn program - it was the TEAS test. We are allowed to take the test 3 times - if you don't pass it by then - you can't get into the program. I passed the test on my first try but got a text message from a classmate yesterday that said 7 of the girls in our lpn class that took the TEAS test did not pass it.

I found the test had nothing to do to evaluate nursing skills at all. It was just a general academic assessment test.

Had I not passed, I was going to enroll in Excelsior and take their distance ed courses.

According to the program chair - general education assessment tests are good indicators as to whether or not a candidate will pass the NCLEX. From what I understand, the program chairs want their school NCLEX pass rates to be high, so this is why they use the assessment exams for entrance exams.

[queenjean]

I'd advise you to talk to a counselor at the schools you want to attend.

I had to take some classes that were unnecessary--one university required them, but one didn't--but now as I am looking into my Rn to BSN options I am finding that those "wasted" classes will actually apply then. I also had to retake an A&P class because mine was too old. Though it was frustrating, it WAS a great review, I just had to jump through a hoop.

If there are prerequisites that you have to take before you can get into school, take those first. Maybe the classroom atmosphere will help ease your test anxiety. Take a math class, even a most basic one, to help with your computation skills. If you can't take the math prior to the class, how will youdeal with the math tests IN the program. In both this and my LPN program, we had math tests that we HAD to ace or we were kicked out. Even if you were at the top of the class, you were out the door.

It seems to me you need to get your test anxiety under control if you want to be successful at returning to nursing school. Perhaps a few prerequisite classes would help; maybe a school counselor has some suggestions for test anxiety--heck, at my brother's community college they had a one hour CLASS on how to study for and take tests. Maybe there is something lik that available to you.