NCLEX-PN required to complete RN program?

donsterRN, ASN, BSN · Sep 23, 2007

Well, it's not a requirement in NY. In fact, students in RN programs are no longer permitted to do that, although they used to be able to do so if they wanted. Now, NYS says that in order to sit for the PN exam, one has to graduate from a PN program. Getting a certain distance into the RN program no longer qualifies.

caliotter3 · Sep 23, 2007

This does not seem like an appropriate requirement to me. We were required to take diagnostic tests prior to graduation to check our readiness for the NCLEX, however, they were used for advising purposes only. I can see only one nefarious reason: Easier to boot people from the program if they have passed the PN exam. "Don't worry, dearie. You can still get work as an LPN!!!"

Furthermore, this is a direct abuse of the NCLEX PN. Utilizing testing resources for people who never intend to work as PNs once they pass the NCLEX RN. This should be brought to the attention of your state's PN board in a group complaint. Is the school going to refund each student's costs to take the test?

Are they going to reimburse the PN board for the resources that they wasted while having their students take the PN exam under false pretenses? BTW, my school stopped the practice of allowing students to take the NCLEX RN exam prior to graduation. One of the reasons for this change in policy: the use of the NCLEX as a "practice exam" was deemed unacceptable.

APBT mom, LPN, RN · Sep 24, 2007

The Rn schools in my area have the same requirements. If you went to school for your LPN you have to pass the NCLEX-PN and hold your license for six months before you can get accepted to the RN program. There is one school though that has an agreement with the program that I'm in that allows you to go straight in but there's 240 people in my school that know this and there are only 40 seats in the RN program.

MB37 · Sep 24, 2007

I know the NCLEX-RN is really expensive, while the HESI I took last semester was about $30. I would assume the PN is as well...yet another reason they shouldn't require someone who doesn't plan to practice as a PN to take that exam. Plus, you'll have to sit out a semester waiting for your license to test and then your results! If states/schools want to offer it as an option that's one thing, but requiring it seems like a bad requirement.

jjjoy, LPN · Sep 24, 2007

In theory, I don't see a problem with the "career-ladder" approach. In that case it's very clear that PN skills are a subset of RN skills, and those RNs would have a clear idea of what training and testing PNs have had to become qualified instead of not being sure exactly where PN and RN training diverge. Also, it would seem there would be more of a sense of comraderie because ALL nurses would have taken and passed similar hurdles. Imagine how much less antagonism there might be if all RNs had been PNs at some point.

Achoo!, LPN · Sep 24, 2007

Nope. We can sit for boards if we want, but it is not a requirement.

ZooMommyRN, ADN, RN · Sep 25, 2007

Our program purposely keeps our clinical experience low enough that we can't qualify for the NCLEX-PN untill we're past the hardest courses and by then what's one more semester ad a 6week flex?

mcubed45 · Nov 29, 2007

haha they changed the info on their website again. the NCLEX-PN is no longer required to continue the ADN program. i was talkin to one of the instructors today and she said there's a bunch of politics crap goin on. the school got rid of their LPN program so the chancellor's tryna make up for it by forcing the ADN students to get licensed.

in the price breakdown of the ADN program it had listed:

NCLEX-PN exam: $200

LPN license: $140

i don't think the school was offering to pay for any of it. they just wanted to force the students to shell out $340 for a license most don't want or need.

anyways, it was nice to hear from the instructor that she doesn't see it being required anytime soon if they have anything to say about it. :-)