LVN Hospital Jobs

I would definitely shoot for the traditional RN program if I were you. If you can obtain and keep a high GPA, you would not have any problems getting into the program. If your first attempt to get into the program proves unsuccessful, then go for the LVN because, by then, you will already have the required courses to bridge. I don't know about Texas, but here in Georgia, your biologies cannot be more than 5 years old and it looks like you might be at that point now. So that is a year's worth of biology that you have to take (A&P I/II, Micro). I was gonna bridge but I can't even find an open slot in the biologies; so I'm going through Excelsior to complete my degree online. Good luck and welcome to the combat zone!

Ithink i will go the lvn route, but i am concered about job prospects without experience in ft. worth, tx

Well, I welcome you into the nursing field. I've been an LPN for 23 years this year and I work at a hospital. But because they were cancelling me so much, along with RNs, I enrolled in college. Once you obtain your LPN license, you will still be required to complete college level courses. Having a Bachelor's degree, you have that. Here, colleges want a certain amount of credits obtained from THEIR college in order to be awarded a degree from them. I have a college-mate that has 100 credit hours and she is now pursuing nursing but because she transferred the majority of her hours in, she is having to repeat a lot of courses just for the degree from this particular college. In any case, there are options, as you well know, that you have. You will figure out what is best for you. Unfortunately, everybody wants experience but not too many are willing to give you the chance. I was with an agency going into nursing homes and homes when I was approached about whether or not I had hospital experience. I lied and said yes. That was the only way, (way back when) that I could get into the hospital to get the experience. It has made me a better nurse, being in the hospital. But things have changed so much that I would not dare try that today. I was fortunate back then and more than likely, BLESSED!

Do you happen to know where some of these small town facilities are ?? I would have no problem relocating / driving to get the experience. I am an LVN but did do all of my clinicals in a hospital
Thanks ahead of time !

Just get out a map of Texas and start googling on some of the small towns in the area you like. You may be surprised at how many towns with two or three thousand people have a small hospital. You may not get to do a lot of critical care or other specialties but it is a good broad based med-surg experience. Also, you can find quite a few small, acute care specialty hospitals in the major metro areas. I can think of at least three on Harry Hines in Dallas within a couple of blocks of UT Southwest Medical Center. Out in west Texas many small towns have the only medical care available for 50 or 60 miles in any direction. You can find the same situation in New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, etc.
Not all of these places will welcome LVN/LPNs. Not all will be hiring at any given moment. But many people in nursing don't think about these facilities because they don't realize that a city doesn't have to have a million residents in it to have a decent medical facility. As a result, you may be the only applicant for a position instead of being one of a thousand. At any rate, it's one more option that is worth a shot. Good Luck!