Anybody Else Doing This?

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Aug 17, 2006

Good thinking. If you're needing more hours, why not knock out some of the requirements for down the road? Good luck in school!

Dabuggy · Aug 17, 2006

Hello,

I would take A+P I before, so I could get the terminology down. Plus it teaches about hormones, genes, DNA, etc. Plus, I would not want to wait until summer when the semester is only 8 weeks long to try and understand this material. Take advantage of the 16 week courses. A+P is a very hard class. A+P also tells you what bones and muscles are effected and I would think you would have a very tough time in LVN/LPN school without this. How would you know what to look for in a pt chart without it? You need to know where all your arteries are so you can take pulses.

I guess you should talk with someone from that college and ask them how they did it. If you take your A+P I now and next senester A+P II you have plenty of time to get into a RN program within 5 years. Take the easier classes during the summer.

Also once you start and finish the LVN program you will want a few months off before starting your RN program. My advice is A+P I before class starts.

Good luck

Dabuggy

NRSNFL · Aug 17, 2006

Hi there...I too am going LPN first. The rationale for me however is I need a DEFINITE start date. I need to know when I am starting because my family is relying on me to get this right, done and moving forward without waiting on a fricken acceptance letter. So I'm starting in Jan and I'll be doing the LPN and then i will do the bridge program. I'm excited, at least as an LPN I'll be making MORE per hour so I will actually be able to work LESS hours to do so.

lchRN2006 · Aug 17, 2006

I recently graduated from an ADN program in May and was going to enter into a LPN program if I did not get accepted into the ADN program (waited two full years to get in). I know several people who are doing the same thing you are. There are many advatages, you can work as an LPN during RN training (more money), get your foot in the door at a facility, get grants from your current workplace if you intend to work there after graduation. The LPN transition students in my class came in with a awesome base of knowledge and experience and were more confident in their ability to perform assessments, their knowledge of pharmacology was broader, and they were much more comfortable interacting with patients and families.

You have to work as a LPN for six months before you can enter a transition program in NC. I don't know how the laws or schools work in your state. That would be a disadvantage. Also you run the risk of not continuing on with school. Life happens sometimes and we don't get all the things done that we intend to. I am 26 and just now graduating from college. Better late than never I suppose. In NC LPNs go to school for a full year and a transition program takes a full year. You end up spending an extra 3-4 months in school. That would be the only other disadvantage I could think of.

I do agree with a comment made above. Go ahead and get A&P out of the way now unless you are not intending to go back to school for the next 5 years. You still need that knowledge to be an LPN. Hope this helps.

Good Luck to you!!!!

Ike Arumba · Aug 26, 2006

thanks for all the feedback guys, i really appreciate it. i am basically doing these courses backwards, but i think i will get them done eventually.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Aug 26, 2006

I, personally, would save the science prerequisites for last. After all, many schools will not accept them if they're 5 years old.

I completed LVN school less than one year ago and have registered to take English, Philosophy, Psychology, Growth & Development, and Sociology this fall since these are all either prerequisites or corequisites of most of the local RN programs around here. My advantage is the fact that I'm earning decent money as an LVN while completing classes at my own pace.

Good luck to you! :kiss