California 30 Unit Option RN - anyone know about this?

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In California, there is now the possibility of challenging the NCLEX-RN if you're an LVN who took Micro, A&P with labs and one year of nursing courses. You do not receive a degree from the school, just the ability to challenge the board. Apparently, it's not widely accepted for reciprocity in other states, but it does allow LVN's to fast track to an RN in a way that seems safe and still protective of patients.

My questions are:

1. Has anyone else heard of this program? My husband, who is a medical student and RT, has been asking tons of people if they know about it, and no one has heard of it!

2. Do you think that having an RN without the ADN would limit job choices? Or do the hospitals mainly care about the RN license?

3. Any other thoughts on this program?

Thanks, everyone.

Alison

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

I guess the ADN vs. BSN debate is not important in Calfironia.

I'll keep my opinion to myself on this one.

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I guess the ADN vs. BSN debate is not important in Calfironia.

I'll keep my opinion to myself on this one.

I wouldn't characterize California in that way. I think they're trying to address the very real nursing shortage. And if it's a toss up between being an LPN and an RN, I'll take the RN, thanks. (Which is not to say that I think LPN's are substandard, but their scope of practice is more narrow and having been a military corpsman, I got spoiled. :) ) My ultimate goal is an MSN, anyway.

When I've looked at the BSN req's vs. ADN, what I mostly saw were liberal arts classes you needed to take. Since I was a psychology major and completed about 4 years of study at Mizzou, I'm not stressing out too much about being an ADN. I'm not looking to start the ADN/BSN argument in this thread, anyway. I'm looking for some information.

My original questions still stand. I would like to hear from people who know something about this option and any experiences they might have had with it.

Thanks.

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Specializes in Critical Care/ICU.

I think it means that you are fast tracked into the ADN program. Not that you can challenge the NCLEX....if we're talking about the same thing.

My daughter has a degreee in psych too. She recently went to an information meeting for an ADN program. The ADN program has a HUGE waiting list. She was told that if she went the LVN route first (requires a&p and micro pre-reqs), which is also offered by this school, then she would be guaranteed admittance into the RN progam immediately upon finishing the LVN portion. She wouldn't have to take the licensing exam for LVN, but she could if she wanted to and possibly work while completing the RN. It would be an additional year of transition classes from LVN to RN. She would come out of school after the two years as a new grad RN and be able to sit for NCLEX.

The same instructors do both programs. The LVN students spend a lot of time with the RN students in clinicals and some classroom work. The school can only take so many of each type of student each quarter. I can't think of any reason that this would be bad.

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Specializes in Behavioral Health.

I went through a LVN-to-RN program in Cali. I personally wouldn't recommend the 30 unit option. You will NOT obtain a degree upon completion and the only place you are allowed to work as a RN is in California. You are still required to take all the nursing classes (30 credits), A&P I & II, and microbiology.

Good luck.

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I agree with USA987, I have done the LVN-RN upgrade to obtain an ADN RN. It was not fun intergrating with the 3rd semester students. You never were really sure how much was expected of you, or what to expect from the others. I have heard of the challenging of the NCLEX if you have taken those required courses mentioned and have been an LVN, but why??? If you going to do all the same work, you might as well get the credit you deserve and take the degree! It does limit you to California, also.

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I think it means that you are fast tracked into the ADN program. Not that you can challenge the NCLEX....if we're talking about the same thing.

Nope, this isn't what it means, though this option is available, too. It's a completely separate program.

Alison

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Nope, this isn't what it means, though this option is available, too. It's a completely separate program.

Alison

Yes, Alison, I have heard of it. However, I only know what you know about it, that you can only be an RN in California. Considering the LVN to RN program is a year program and you can practice anywhere, and the 30 unit program is a year but you can only practice in California...why anyone would do the 30 unit option is beyond me.

If you want to find out what community colleges in california offer, you can go to http://www.cccco.edu and look up the program list, look for "nursing". The programs usually have comments indicating if they are a "30 unit" option.

NurseFirst

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I think it means that you are fast tracked into the ADN program. Not that you can challenge the NCLEX....if we're talking about the same thing.

My daughter has a degreee in psych too. She recently went to an information meeting for an ADN program. The ADN program has a HUGE waiting list. She was told that if she went the LVN route first (requires a&p and micro pre-reqs), which is also offered by this school, then she would be guaranteed admittance into the RN progam immediately upon finishing the LVN portion. She wouldn't have to take the licensing exam for LVN, but she could if she wanted to and possibly work while completing the RN. It would be an additional year of transition classes from LVN to RN. She would come out of school after the two years as a new grad RN and be able to sit for NCLEX.

The same instructors do both programs. The LVN students spend a lot of time with the RN students in clinicals and some classroom work. The school can only take so many of each type of student each quarter. I can't think of any reason that this would be bad.

I have recommended to people trying to get into RN programs that they look into getting into an LVN program and then do a bridge. While LVN programs are impacted, usually a person who is prepared for entry into an RN program will have an advantage via grades and/or courses. Why wait through a year of lotteries when they could be in an LVN program and complete it (well, almost, since the Mission College program is 3 semesters long) in the time it would be to gain admission to the RN program. And getting into bridge programs is a lot less competitive. The only thing I'm uncertain of is whether someone with a vo-tech LVN can get into the bridge program, since I'm assuming they are looking for academic courses to transfer?

Incidentally, a very interesting story. Last summer one school was not offering Microbiology. This put a number of would-be nursing students at a disadvantage. Due to the generosity of the physician-spouse of one of the pre-nursing students, the money was put up to have a summer-school microbiology class (I think it came to something like $13,000). The students who wanted to take it, of course, had to pay the money back (it turned out to be about $500 each) to the physician-spouse; however, they needed a lump payment ahead of time to make things happen. I know of one of the students in that class who is now in the nursing program, who would not be if that class hadn't happened.

It's amazing what can be accomplished when people put their minds to it.

NurseFirst

Nursing Student

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Specializes in LTC, med-surg, critial care.

There is a community college in my area that is offering a 30 unit option and LVN-RN bridge. The 30 unit option won't get you your A.S. degree, you wouldn't be considered a graduate of the college and you could only practice in CA. Thing is the school is now considering dropping the program because the pass rate in horrible. It's just too much information packed in to six months and few people were able to handle it.

I'll stick to the LVN-RN bridge that allows you to get your A.S. or look into the LVN-BSN program (there is one at the university an hour away from me).

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There is a community college in my area that is offering a 30 unit option and LVN-RN bridge. The 30 unit option won't get you your A.S. degree, you wouldn't be considered a graduate of the college and you could only practice in CA. Thing is the school is now considering dropping the program because the pass rate in horrible. It's just too much information packed in to six months and few people were able to handle it.

I'll stick to the LVN-RN bridge that allows you to get your A.S. or look into the LVN-BSN program (there is one at the university an hour away from me).

LVN->BSN sounds ideal--except for that hour commute. Maybe they have it designed with working folks in mind.

NurseFirst

Student Nurse

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The nursing shortage can't be that bad. This sounds as if it's a bureaucratic shortcut. If this type of thing is going on in California, you nurses there are really sitting yourselves up to be "set dressing" like your "Governator" says. And I keep hearing how strong the Ca. Nurses Association is supposed to be. What happened to them?

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