Before I entered this program there was little to no information on this site for the Citrus College (Glendora, CA) LVN program so I will take it upon myself to give as much information as possible now that I'm enrolled. Hopefully someone in my shoes about six months ago will be able to use this thread as a reference.
First off, this program is highly competitive. The first step to get accepted into the LVN program at Citrus College is to take NRS 100, also known as Intro to Health Occupations for one semester. This is a two-part class which runs two days a week (for example, I go on Thursdays and Fridays), and is usually about 3 hours long per class. The first day usually consists of Pharmacology and the second is Anatomy and Physiology (so on Thursday I get lectured on Pharmacology and Friday I get lectured on A&P). You get quizzed twice a week, every week, at the beginning of each class. At the end of the semester you take your finals which you must pass with an 85% or better.
Out of the 250 students that take this class each semester only the top 40 are accepted into the actual LVN program.
For the past couple of years the cut off for the top 40 has been a 95% overall score, meaning you need to maintain an A throughout the entire semester in this particular class to get into the LVN program. If you don't make it in your first try, you get one more try before you are barred from the program. As I said, it's highly competitive. This is an extremely difficult class as well just because of the sheer amount of information you need to retain weekly. Remember, you're not taking one class, but two classes - Pharmacology and A&P. Unfortunately they don't tell you where you stand as the class is going on, only your grade, so that leads to quite a bit of mental torment during this three to four month period.
As it stands, I'm currently enrolled in NRS 100 and have been maintaining a decent grade (92%). We're only in the first couple weeks so lower scores are expected as the students adjust to the class. An 80% is roughly average for this adjustment period.
Unfortunately this is where my knowledge on the program pretty much ends but I will be updating this thread as my journey through this program continues. If anyone wants, feel free to ask any questions and I will do my best to answer your questions and update the first post as much as possible. My goal is to provide information since I couldn't find any information on this particular program and that alone is intimidating.
I'm studying roughly 3 hours a day, sometimes more just to feel "comfortable" with the concepts, hopefully this leads to me getting accepted into the program. Only time will tell. I am confident, however, that even if I don't make it this semester, I will be armed with the knowledge and have an advantage next semester.
