A'S or LPN certificate?

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hi,

i'm going to school for nursing program this fall semester. i want to be an RN first. what i was wondering is, if i go to the community college for the nursing program, will i have to get an assoiate degree with a certificate to be a nurse or just the certificate is okay?

and also, my mother tongue is not english. will the nursing program really hard for me?

thank you.

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Specializes in LTC.

No one will be able to tell if the program will be hard for you or not. This is one of the drawbacks of only knowing each other through the words we type upon the screen.

We have no way of knowing how good your comprehension skills are when using the English language, nor do we know what "type" of student you are. Therefore, we really have no basis to which we could make this judgment for you. We can, however, offer advice, as we see it.

That said, you mentioned that English is not your mother tongue. The RN program is tough enough for first-timers for whom English IS their mother tongue.

Perhaps the best route for you would be to take the step-method; a bit at a time. I would go with the LPN/LVN first, see how you do there.

If you can pass through LVN school without running into any major problems (and pass the NCLEX-PN!), then I would follow with the LVN to RN step up program, then a BSN.

It will take longer, for sure, but it will also give you a chance to hone your comprehension skills and learn critical thinking skills in English without you being thrown into the deep end without a life jacket.

Good luck to you.

Michael :D

hi,

i'm going to school for nursing program this fall semester. i want to be an RN first. what i was wondering is, if i go to the community college for the nursing program, will i have to get an assoiate degree with a certificate to be a nurse or just the certificate is okay?

and also, my mother tongue is not english. will the nursing program really hard for me?

thank you.

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Specializes in Cardio.
No one will be able to tell if the program will be hard for you or not. This is one of the drawbacks of only knowing each other through the words we type upon the screen.

We have no way of knowing how good your comprehension skills are when using the English language, nor do we know what "type" of student you are. Therefore, we really have no basis to which we could make this judgment for you. We can, however, offer advice, as we see it.

That said, you mentioned that English is not your mother tongue. The RN program is tough enough for first-timers for whom English IS their mother tongue.

Perhaps the best route for you would be to take the step-method; a bit at a time. I would go with the LPN/LVN first, see how you do there.

If you can pass through LVN school without running into any major problems (and pass the NCLEX-PN!), then I would follow with the LVN to RN step up program, then a BSN.

It will take longer, for sure, but it will also give you a chance to hone your comprehension skills and learn critical thinking skills in English without you being thrown into the deep end without a life jacket.

Good luck to you.

Michael :D

well done..:yeah:

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You know having English as a second language don't matter, I have a friend who is from Africa who went to East Carolina University she just graduated this May with her BSN and she took her board exam and passed. As of today SHE IS A NURSE, you can do it.

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Specializes in LTC.

CM,

While I agree in principle with your statement, I believe your friend to be one of a small minority who are able to do this. My experience is that students with ESL are behind the eight ball before the race even begins.

We had two wonderful ladies in my LVN class, one a vibrant African with a booming laugh, and another a tiny, shy woman from the Philippines, who, though they worked very hard (the African lady was brought to tears on several occasions) were not able to make the cut.

And this was in an LVN program, which I am sure you can agree, pales in contrast to an ADN/BSN program.

My wish is that huiminx should succeed in her (his?) journey into the nursing profession. For many, starting out slowly allows them time, without the intense pressure placed upon RN students, to master many of the qualities needed to succeed in the more grueling programs (comprehension, critical thinking, nursing math, etc.)

Yes, many ESL students have succeeded in this harsh environment in the past, however, many more have not.

Regards,

Michael

You know having English as a second language don't matter, I have a friend who is from Africa who went to East Carolina University she just graduated this May with her BSN and she took her board exam and passed. As of today SHE IS A NURSE, you can do it.
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hi,

i'm going to school for nursing program this fall semester. i want to be an RN first. what i was wondering is, if i go to the community college for the nursing program, will i have to get an assoiate degree with a certificate to be a nurse or just the certificate is okay?

and also, my mother tongue is not english. will the nursing program really hard for me?

thank you.

I know defenetly you will, how old are you? If we can learn English, we can learn anything, is any americal learn forein language and speek fluently? Just prepare your self, if you have time untill you start school in January 2009, buy books as Medical terminology" first will help you a lot, start study Pharmacology, just start upfront that you have more time in College to understand medical language, do you think american was born with medical terminilogy, i don't think so, watch discoveryhealth and see how many famous doctors there with ESL language. And don't be an hurry, take it easy with step don't jump to BSN, step buy step lpn.....DSn and go, Good luck,

I will go too in Fall 2009 for LPN and i am 46, my English second language and I already got Assosiate Degree in Computer Sience.Computer terminology hard was too for me 10 years ago, good luck, take care, chin- up you'll get it. thanks for reading:jester::yeah:

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Hi,

You have to know yourself to know whether you comprehend English. Are you in the health care field already? If you are that will help you out a great deal. If your not try going to the book store and reading through some of the nursing books. You may not know exactly what they are explaining, but if you get the basis of what they are talking about that will give you an idea. Also if your wondering about the language thing got to the nursing school and see if the have some sort of reading and comprhension test you can either take or look at.

Just keep your head up and remember that whatever path you take needs determination to success if you want it bad enough you will get it.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
And this was in an LVN program, which I am sure you can agree, pales in contrast to an ADN/BSN program.

Well I would totally disagree but you knew you would get that from at least one reader in the LPN section, right? :wink2:

I did both the LPN and ADN and did not feel there was much difference in the difficulty of material. In fact since I was used to the grind of nursing school my 2 semesters with the RN students were actually easier.

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Specializes in LTC.

Thanks for the input, Jules. And yes, I did. :D

Having never been through an ADN program, I simply lumped it together with a BSN degree (which I shouldn't have.)

That said, we are speaking of someone for who ESL. This could cause a great deal of problems in the areas of comprehension and critical thinking. With this handicap in mind, it simply makes more sense to start out with smaller bites (LVN->RN->BSN) than to jump directly into a BSN program.

My :twocents:.

Regards,

Michael

Well I would totally disagree but you knew you would get that from at least one reader in the LPN section, right? :wink2:

I did both the LPN and ADN and did not feel there was much difference in the difficulty of material. In fact since I was used to the grind of nursing school my 2 semesters with the RN students were actually easier.

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I agree with uniteck1963, you should learn how to crawl befor you walk...take you time go through lpn and then R.N and so on....dont rush it.

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Most community colleges that have nursing programs, both LPN and RN, will require minimum program completion for the LPN program and complete two year degree completion for the RN program. If one goes for the LPN program, they can complete the certificate program or go on to get a complete degree. If they go for the RN program, it is a complete degree, no certificate available. In your case, I would highly recommend that you enter an LPN program first, while you work on your English and study skills. You will gain the background and experience in school to help you succeed in the RN program. Otherwise, you may find yourself drowning primarily because your English is not up to par. Good luck to you.

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