Graduated from a vocational school?

Nursing Students LPN/LVN Students

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Have any of you graduated from a vocational school? What do you think about them?

Our state has just recently added LPN programs through Pionner Pacific, Apollo, and Concorde. I'm wondering how effective these guys are at teaching and getting their students hired?

These school look at work/school history, references and the CPAT score. No pre-reqs required.

We don't have any LPN programs at the Community College level that don't require acceptance into a Nursing Program (You can take the NCLEX-PN after completing year 1). The wait lists are long and very competitve.

I just graduated from my program which was 18 months.It was very rigorous and intense. I went through a community college. I learned alot and my school has a passing rate of 86%

Where in California did you attend? I am on the wait list for Antelope Valley Community College and I was wondering how was your schools program, any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated, thanks

I am going through this identical experience!

Lucky for me I have had good grades from the start of the program but some of my classmates aren't as lucky. It's the third (and last) semester and about half the class is in danger of failing. My school is doing the same exact thing your school did. Marginal students have been allowed to pass the first two semesters with the threat of having to shape up. Now that we are in the last semester and it is obvious that these people are likely to not pass the NCLEX they are all at risk for failing this last semester. I think it is horrendously unfair to string people along allowing them to spend a small fortune when the instructors know that they will not be allowed to sit for their NCLEX.

BEWARE of private vocational schools. I am a successful LVN. I have been to public colleges (I am attending one now for my RN) and went to a private vocational school in the Antelope Valley area in So. Calif. for my LVN. Public colleges have a chain of command and protocols to follow. They are more regulated. If you are having a problem in the class there is always someone to go to. BEWARE of vocational schools who grade on a curve! They fool the student into thinking he/she is passing, then when the last installment of the student loan is paid to the school, they take the money and drop the student, keeping the money and the student is SOL. They do this in an attempt to protect their NCLEX pass rates. They will drop students at the end of the year whom they feel will have no chance of passing the NCLEX! The student never gets a chance after all of that hard work! The student is stuck with a $19,000 student loan and no recourse and no chance to sit for the NCLEX. Another tactic is that the class and clinical instructor will give you your grade for the quarter and you will sign for it, then the CEO (based on vendettas and/or whims) will just drop the student's grade, lower the score. The student has no recourse. The individuals involved refuse to discuss the issues with the students. In a public college, a student can go to the Dean, not so with the private vocational schools. Another game they play is to tell the student to study chapters 1-5 for a test, then test the student on chapters 27-35 (for example). The students again have no recourse and the CEO refuses to correct the wrong. I have seen instructors in private vocational schools give the students answers prior to class tests. The students have yet to pass the NCLEX. In vocational schools politics are paramount. If you can't play politics and are not good at "Kissing up to the right people" as far a staff goes, forget it. You better keep your grades high and your nose clean or you're out. After my experience with Vocational schools and public colleges, I will ALWAYS choose a public college and will NEVER recommend a private vocational school, especially the one I attended. If you are interested in a private vocational school, interview a lot of nurses, not the students the school recommends - they are handpicked and will not give an honest review. Also look up their NCLEX pass rates. Don't believe advertisments. My school was advertising 100% pass rate, but they were kicking students out that they felt had no chance after taking all of their money, the pass rate for this school now is 68%. Find out how they grade. Ask local hospitals about the school. I believed the staff when they said we would do our clinicals locally. After we were committed to the curriculum, we found out we had to drive almost 200 miles round trip because that school was not welcomed in any of the local hospitals. We never inserted an NG tube, most students never even inserted a foley. Most LPN skills were not done during school. We had to do these these skills for the first time in the workplace. I wish I had done more research. At least now I have my license and I am making $25/hr working registry and going to RN school. Nursing is a FABULOUS career. I am not unhappy I made the decision to become a nurse, just in my choice of schools
BEWARE of private vocational schools. I am a successful LVN. I have been to public colleges (I am attending one now for my RN) and went to a private vocational school in the Antelope Valley area in So. Calif. for my LVN. Public colleges have a chain of command and protocols to follow. They are more regulated. If you are having a problem in the class there is always someone to go to. BEWARE of vocational schools who grade on a curve! They fool the student into thinking he/she is passing, then when the last installment of the student loan is paid to the school, they take the money and drop the student, keeping the money and the student is SOL. They do this in an attempt to protect their NCLEX pass rates. They will drop students at the end of the year whom they feel will have no chance of passing the NCLEX! The student never gets a chance after all of that hard work! The student is stuck with a $19,000 student loan and no recourse and no chance to sit for the NCLEX. Another tactic is that the class and clinical instructor will give you your grade for the quarter and you will sign for it, then the CEO (based on vendettas and/or whims) will just drop the student's grade, lower the score. The student has no recourse. The individuals involved refuse to discuss the issues with the students. In a public college, a student can go to the Dean, not so with the private vocational schools. Another game they play is to tell the student to study chapters 1-5 for a test, then test the student on chapters 27-35 (for example). The students again have no recourse and the CEO refuses to correct the wrong. I have seen instructors in private vocational schools give the students answers prior to class tests. The students have yet to pass the NCLEX. In vocational schools politics are paramount. If you can't play politics and are not good at "Kissing up to the right people" as far a staff goes, forget it. You better keep your grades high and your nose clean or you're out. After my experience with Vocational schools and public colleges, I will ALWAYS choose a public college and will NEVER recommend a private vocational school, especially the one I attended. If you are interested in a private vocational school, interview a lot of nurses, not the students the school recommends - they are handpicked and will not give an honest review. Also look up their NCLEX pass rates. Don't believe advertisments. My school was advertising 100% pass rate, but they were kicking students out that they felt had no chance after taking all of their money, the pass rate for this school now is 68%. Find out how they grade. Ask local hospitals about the school. I believed the staff when they said we would do our clinicals locally. After we were committed to the curriculum, we found out we had to drive almost 200 miles round trip because that school was not welcomed in any of the local hospitals. We never inserted an NG tube, most students never even inserted a foley. Most LPN skills were not done during school. We had to do these these skills for the first time in the workplace. I wish I had done more research. At least now I have my license and I am making $25/hr working registry and going to RN school. Nursing is a FABULOUS career. I am not unhappy I made the decision to become a nurse, just in my choice of schools

OMG!!! Iam so glad that I read your post because I was considering applying to a private school because I could start in Nov. I wanted to get started because my local CC told that I might be able to start in Fall 2008 but if not- for sure in Fall 2009 and after reading your post I am so glad that I did not apply and possible ending up with no chance to take the NCLEX and owing $19,000, the school that I was going to apply o just happen to quote their LVN program at $19,681. I cannot believe that they can get away with this, they are basically commenting fraud and not being punished for it I hope they get caught and have to make it up to all of those they have royal screwed over, can you image having to pay back a $19000 loan it would take me 10 probably 15 years or more just to pay it off, that's just play wrong!!! Sorry about that it just makes me upset that a school that promises you the dream of becoming a Nurse and then jsut taking it away after all that hard work, I would be absolutly crushed if that happened to me. What school are you attending now? My CC told me that after I graudate and pass my boards they will credit me with two semesters of their RN program and that I can then take the third semester and pass my the boards and become an RN and that's what I am going to do. I wish you luck and hope that everything works out ok

I think it depends what state the tech school is located at. I am attending one now in tennessee and if we decide to go on to the R.N. program we can receive up 36 hrs credit off of the R.N. program. That means that if I go in as an L.P.N. I can skip the first yr and continue on from the 2nd after my pre-recs are done. Our tech centers are lined up with community colleges that accept the training from tech schools. Thank goodness for the Board of Regents!

Specializes in LTC, Post OP.

I did a hospital base LPN program, but many of my friends did a vocational program ,they felt they got a good education.

I am in NJ and attended a vocational tech school. The program was excellent and the teachers were amazing! One of them I consider a life long friend. They pushed us hard and demanded everything from us. It was hard, but now that I'm through, I appreciate them so much!

Yay Pat and Sally! ( I can call them by their first names now... I"m not a student anymore):balloons:;)

I have not yet graduated from a vocational school. However, I'm in one. I go to Robert Morgan Educational Center and I'm in the LPN program at the vocational side, while simultaneously in school. I haven't grduated yet, but I'd say by my experience so far is great! I love my teachers and they r hard on me, but that is what gets me through to college! yay Nursing! :nurse::nurse::nurse::wink2:

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