Challenging the LVN exam as a CNA via Method 3 in California is a total sham/scam. My experience.

[RachelMeadows]

For RN students or dropouts, or those with years of CNA work experience hoping to challenge the NCLEX for LVN via Method 3 in California, I can tell you this pathway to nursing does not exist. The BVNPT (board of vocational nurses) makes it absolutely impossible for one to qualify via Method 3 unless you are a foreign graduate RN of a bsn type program. 

They have wasted $750 of my money on application fees and years of my life acquiring "bedside nursing experience" only to reject my application over tiny technicalities over and over again. They will find every excuse to throw out your work experience forms and they have a long laundry list of 20 skills they say that every single one has to be check marked as "YES" by your RN supervisor. If 19/20 skills are marked YES, one marked NO, your work experience form goes straight into the trash. Doesn't matter if you worked there for several years as a CNA. The crazy part is that no CNA employed healthcare facility offers experience on EVERY skill on their ridiculous checklist. 

They have wacky requirements such as "perform an enema" "diabetic urine testing" "collection of specimens" "sterile aseptic technique" and other skills outside of a CNA scope in California that a facility would never authorize a CNA to do, let alone sign you off for it. These are tasks delegated to the LVN/RN only. If you write in "No, but assisted the RN in performing skill" that isn't good enough for them and your work experience form goes to the trash. They also audit everything and threaten your RN supervisor and go after their license should they check "Yes" on a skill that the facility doesn't practice such as "using dipsticks for urine testing.” With that huge liability, your RN supervisor will try to put as many "NO"s to protect their license. It is impossible for these BVNPT freaks to accept your documents.

They also expect you to obtain 240 hours in a Maternity ward and 240 hours with pediatrics. The crazy thing is none of the maternity wards in LA hire CNAs for the role. They run the show without CNA's. It's just RNs. There is no possible way to obtain this experience as a CNA in So Cal, I have tried. They also want 240 hours of Peds but you can count on one hand how many pediatric acute care centers there are in all of Southern California. If just one item is marked no, they reject all your pediatric hours. I never once had the opportunity to perform an enema on a child because our facility did not allow CNAs to do that among other things on their skills checklist so now they won't take my pediatric hours on top of my med/surg hours.

The bvnpt also refuse to give you any information or answer any questions on anything regarding your previous nursing education unless you pay them $330 to evaluate your transcripts for "possible credit in lieu of CNA work experience.” Then once you've paid them, they tell you that you are missing something, but that you are unable to correct the "deficiency" until you pay them another $330 in 2 years after the now open application expires. Essentially, you are stuck in an endless time loop of reapplying every two years for $330 just for them to find something wrong with your paperwork and to reject your application, again. You cannot submit new paperwork until the current application expires. This method is a nightmare to deal with and I honestly wish it never existed. It has caused me depression that I don't wish on my worst enemy. I do not wish this pain on anyone else and I hope to discourage by warning others not to pursue this method as it is a dream crusher. If you want to be an LVN so badly, I highly recommend going out of state for it because that way you won't have to deal with the JERKS who run the California BVNPT.

They also require more clinical hours than any other state in the US. Many states only require one third 1/3 of the amount of clinical hours as California does for LVN/LPN and are also only 1/3 of the cost. I post this on Allnurses to hopefully warn others not to waste their years and dollars on this failed method 3 CNA to LVN so they don't get their hopes crushed. The only solution for a CNA to become an LVN is to go to school, and ideally outside the state of California outside of the jurisdiction of the BVNPT. They don't want to license here in order to keep wages inflated. I know many people personally who did way better going out of state for nursing and then coming back to practice.