Anybody enrolled in Sumner College LPN program June 25th??

patty89 · Jun 9, 2012

Go for it :) you can always bridge over to their new RN program when you are done. I live in Southern Oregon so I am holding up for the RN program. Let me know what you decide. Best of luck to you!

kdodele · Jun 13, 2012

Hi there I have also been stressing over the decision to start the lpn classes at sumner on june 25th. I live in Portland and have been job searching for 6 months no wwith no luck of a full time job with good wages and benefits. So nursing here I come! I am taking the test on Thurs for acceptance and have done the app etc. I can give you my email and we can chat. Thanks Krissy

Glenna, LPN · Jun 14, 2012

My friend is in the program. She started in jan for the LPN program. She really likes it there. A two hour drive sounds pretty hard to do for over a year. My LPN program was in Salem and I live in Portland area, 50 min drive...ugh!!! I was so broke from spending so much money on gas. Then some of the places my clinical's where in parts of Oregon I had never heard of that was way down south. For some of the places I'd be driving for over two hours and had to car pool with some classmates.

Are there no LPN school's closer to where you live? When the season's would change I had a few mini-heart attacks from hydroplaning to watching cars sliding off the freeway in the ice. Think about your safety too. Also, in my LPN program I did have a classmate who lived in grantspass and she would just couch surf from person's house to person's house for a year...away from her husband and two kids. No idea how she was able to do that....with only a couple day visit home here and there.

ChiChiMungo · Jun 24, 2012

Hi there I have also been stressing over the decision to start the lpn classes at sumner on june 25th. I live in Portland and have been job searching for 6 months no wwith no luck of a full time job with good wages and benefits. So nursing here I come! I am taking the test on Thurs for acceptance and have done the app etc. I can give you my email and we can chat. Thanks Krissy

I just saw this and am responding on iPad app so I can't figure out if I'm doing this right lol did you decide? Please email me [email protected]

patty89 · Jul 17, 2012

Hey :) Did you end of starting the program? if so how is everything going? are you liking it there? I spoke with the college president and I am waiting to take the teas in October for the RN program that is set to start in late winter/early spring! :)

LULU7 · Aug 3, 2012

hey Glenna just wondering how does your friend like the program? im debating weather to just start off as lpn at sumner then bridge to RN or if i should wait just for the RN...

Where did you do your studing?

Glenna, LPN · Aug 3, 2012

hey Glenna just wondering how does your friend like the program? im debating weather to just start off as lpn at sumner then bridge to RN or if i should wait just for the RN...
Where did you do your studying?

Hello LULU7,

My friend loved the program. She felt that her education there was very good and she loved her instructors. Unfortunately she has come under some hardships and is taking a leave of absence. Now that question you are asking ready depends on where you are in life. Do you have kids and have life pulling you every which way and you need something where you can put away one year of your life then be able to work? Or are you just ready for life just to start and you want to be working now? I've noticed that it is really hard to get into an RN program in this area, but not impossible. I've heard of people being on waiting lists up to 2 - 3 years and by the time their names where called life happened and they weren't able to attend. If you have the time and energy, I'd try for an RN program.

If you aren't able to get into an RN program in the area and moving out of state isn't an option then doing the LPN program is a good start. Now bridging I'm starting to notice can be stressful trying to decide which way to go. PCC sadly got rid of their bridge program when they went OCNE. Mt. Hood Community College has it like every couple of years, Walla Walla omg they want you to do all this extra chem stuff that makes me want to shoot myself in the head. Haha. Chemeketa Community College also has a bridge program and there are a few in Washington that also have bridge programs. There is also online like ISU and from what I've been gathering on allnurses places around the Portland area (not counting the VA) doesn't seem to like excelsior college, but other places don't care as much outside of this area.

I went to Valley Medical College now called Institue of Technology for my LPN program. I felt that my education there was really well done even though it was all the way in Salem. I passed my NCLEX-PN my first attempt at 86 questions.

LULU7 · Aug 9, 2012

Thanks for that info.. & actually i have two kids I've done dental asst. I actually began the program when i had my first baby boy (I was 20 graduated with honors)

I was looking at the RN at Sumner i'm relaly not willing to do that long waiting list for all the other campus out there.

I have no issue with getting back into school if i do the LPN at sumner its about 13 months or so & if i were to do the RN its 2 yrs. I have the energy & the hubby who helps me get through the career I really love (plus it gives him time to decided what hes gonna study ..lol)

I figuere that in the long run it pays off & I do better working under pressure anyhow (kids, life, school )

I guess i'll look into starting the LPN with sumner & continue on with their RN bridge if it ever even goes through. I dont want to wait on the RN too long and put my study on hold just for that.

Also I do plan to eventually move out of oregon but not for now, so schools else where is not such a big option i have.

I actually have a family member who will be attending Walla Walla. I'll wish her luck :)

Thanks Glenna!

ChiChiMungo · Jul 4, 2013

So this is wayyyy past due but I did end up starting the program and did finish the first half of the program. Unfortunately it was too hard for me to be so far from hubby since he had gotten back from a year long deployment and then had to live so far. I had gotten an apt in Portland and it was taking a toll on our finances, more than I felt comfortable with. We also got orders to PCS to AK and it was just too much. It was such a hard decision to leave. I would have loved to finish the lpn portion. I still have friends who are finishing up their preceptorship. Ill give you a couple of bits of info.

A. If you have taken any traditional science pre req course, this entire program is EASY!!! I think the only thing you could fail is lab, which some did. If you have patient care under your belt you will do better on the lab then others since you know how it works going through a CNA program and how to do skills to the states liking. As long as you grasp the essential parts of skills you will do fine.

B. honestly, some of these courses are definitely not up to standard of a regional accredited school (which they obviously are not) So you are paying a lot to get in sooner and take an easier than traditional route. In a way, I loved it, since they gave you the basic foundation of things you will actually use. When taking a traditional course you have to understand it on a much deeper system and will probably never use it in the nursing field. On another note, I sometimes felt like it was a joke and was hard to take this program serious. The worst grade I got was a B in medical terminology which would have been an easy A had I studied, but since nothing transfers didn't put much effort in.

C. Since its still so new, they will continue changing things as people complain about some classes. Such as the new cohorts having 2 pharmacology instead of 1. We had one, it was super easy and someone complained about it. She was ****** said it was too easy yet she got a B on the final. Someone who found it to be sooo easy should have received an A lol. Either way, as much as I found it easy, I like that the biggest part we learned is how to research and find our way around the Drug books, which is exactly what you will be doing as an LPN. But go in openly knowing that one week could change from the next. Be flexible!

D. This course is set up to pass, not fail, although there are some teachers that if they don't like you, have been accused of failing students. This is not a very "professional" school. Unfortunately teachers WILL choose favorites, which is a bit ridiculous. If you don't pass the ATI testing, they will not move you forward and allow you to sit for NCLEX-PN and its not because they are worried about you being an uneducated nurse, but it will bring their %down on the board of nursing, and they could lose accreditation through Oregon BON. In this regard, I'm still weary. However if I don't get into a nursing program by the time we leave AK, I will be going back to finish. I know a couple of people who have failed all the tests or just passed with a D, yet they have "passed" the term. Lol It's just the way they have it set up with grading. Only 1 teacher is actually "qualified" to teach in this program. There were 3, but the 2 others quit (both leaving unhappy) lol We all loved one of them who quit due to issues with the school, the other I personally liked, but no one else did as she was a tougher grader. I felt she was preparing us more but...well that's that...BTW the lady in charge of the program, not using any names is, lets say.....less than genuine and should not be in charge. If you have ever dealt with speaking to someone and they put on a fake smile, while they pretty much say No, I'm not willing to help you but have a nice day; Just the best explanation I can give.

E. Take caution when entering the RN program. Remember they ARE NOT accredited. Since its a brand new program they are on probation for the first 2 years and if they fail, your degree is NO GOOD! This is why I would not do the RN program with them until they have had a couple of cohorts go through and pass. Another reason, is remember this school is EXTREMELY UNORGANIZED. Or at least the nursing program is. Also I hear everyone saying they are waiting until the RN program opens, remember you have to go through the LPN portion first.

F. Be flexible!!! You will have your schedule given to you at the start of each term, but I GUARANTEE things will change and more often than it should.

G. You will not be given grades until you have started the next term. Sounds ridiculous, I KNOW!! So basically if you fail, you won't know until you have started the next term and have to pay for the next term. After I left, my old class didn't get their grades until like 2 months after they started the next term, can you believe that crap?! Well that's pretty much how it works here lol at the end of each term, you do the first week of the next term and then you get your week off. I believe they do this for two reasons: 1. So that regardless, they can charge you for the next lol 2. So you have homework on your break lol

H. As much as myself amongst my friends still there "like" the program we couldn't help but laugh at a lot of things we seen, like I said, some things are just a joke lol

Take this info for what it's worth when making your decision. In my eyes, this is my rationale:

Paying ALOT of money for an easy program who will pretty much accept anyone and pretty much anyone can pass but you have to deal with it not transferring if you don't finish and have to put up with a lot of unorganization amongst the other crap I wrote. On a good note, if you can take responsibility to educate yourself "more" than they prepare you for, you will do well. I thought when I saw their pass rate, I couldn't question it. You WILL feel different when you enter and see how it all works.

ChiChiMungo · Jul 4, 2013

Glenna, does your friends name start with an M? ;-)

samcw · Oct 15, 2014

I have several friends that attended Sumner and they all are working and loved it. Once of them is applying for their RN program now.