Challenging LPN test as a military medic.

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Hey everyone :up:

I am a military medic and one of my instructors from tech school awhile back suggested challenging the LPN test when we get to our home states because our curriculum is very much the same. Do you all, as LPN's, think this is a decent idea? I've been an EMT-B for a long time and its time to move up in the world

I'm a new graduate of the 68WM6 course. I've been a civilian EMT-intermediate for 10 years before going to Ft. Sam Houston for combat medic school. I fast tracked the EMT-B part of it and went directly to TCCC, then went to Eisenhower Army medical center at Ft, Gordon Ga. for my LPN training. My advice is to attend an LPN course because a lot of what is on the NCLEXPN is not applicable to what we do as combat medics, especially the TCCC part of it. Intubation, combi-tubes, needle chest decompression, surgical crichs, IV's, fluids, volume expanders,(hextend), pushing IV drugs, morphine, advanced emergency trauma care, limited primarycare, etc, are not gonna help you pass your LPN boards. You will need more exposure to med-surge, OB, peds, geriatric, pt. prioritizing and nursing process, care plans and general nursing concepts. I got a free ride through school courtesy of uncle sam and feel very prepared for the job. I could not imagine working as a nurse without a formal nursing education. Just my 2 cents.

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Specializes in A little of this & a little of that.

I know of others who have tried this and failed. Not sure what level of medic you were, but there are big differences in medic and nursing. You would especially have a difficult time with the parts of the test dealing with nursing theory, nursing process, nursing care plans and nursing diagnosis. These are not things one really learns anywhere other than nursing school. Also pharmacology would be a problem.

If you pass the Boards, your license could not be transferrred to another state.

You should definitely check into Excelsior College's RN program.

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Specializes in Medsurge, ER, NICU.

Oh, okay... thank you... i did not know that.

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http://www.bvnpt.ca.gov/Licensing/Forms.asp

Scroll down to "method 4"

Depending on your state, you may not be able to work as an LVN/LPN using this method but you can surely use the license to complete an LVN to RN bridge program or an LPN-BSN program. There are plenty of LVN/LPN to RN programs and here are two Lpn to BSN programs that I know of:

http://www1.indstate.edu/nursing/programs/bs/lpn-bs/lpn-bs.htm

http://nursing.ouhsc.edu/Academic_Programs/Undergraduate/Career%20Mobility/lpn_bsn.html

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