Completely Unhappy With The School I Chose

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What can I do? I am completely unhappy with the school I am attending for the LPN program. They are very disorganized, unprepared for lectures, don't prepare us well for clinical, change to course outline a week before a test! Expect us to self teach a majority of the material... Is it my school choice or my field choice? I am seriously considering dropping out/transferring. I can't take the lack of effort on the school's part. Any advise? anyone in a similar situation?

Specializes in LTC, Home Health.

A bad and scattered education does not "build character" and it does not make you a "better nurse". You are paying for your education not your instructors. If they are not teaching in a way you feel you can handle try another school before it is too late and they have all you money. Unless you feel you can get used to this way of teaching and then stay and you may be able to handle it. Just remember their are other LPN schools out there.

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I swear we must be in the same school....in NJ...hmm...

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Same here in CO.... common complaint. Hang in there!! :grad:

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Thank you everyone for feeling my pain. BUT I am so disappointed to know that this is the norm. This is not a good thing. I understand we have to be responsible and read before class and study the material over, but we should not have to self teach key important skill and concepts!! And when we have questions or are unclear about something we read, we should have our questions answered by the professionals hired to educate and prepare us for the clinical setting. It just seems so wrong in so many ways.

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Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.
My program is similar. I do think, however, in some twisted way the LPN/LVN programs are MEANT to be so compulsive and subject to change, because that is exactly what it's going to be like when we are nurses. Most of the time things will change from moment to moment, be it the status of your patient or someone calling in sick, so you getting put on the spot to cover 'til someone can replace you.

I think it helps to build character, too, to be able to cope with sudden changes. Like other posters have suggested, just stick it out. Completing the program enables you to sit for your boards, and that's the REAL goal. Read ahead, don't depend on lecture or powerpoint to guide you. LOVE THAT TEXTBOOK!

Our old director always used to make that point when students complained of changes.

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I swear we must be in the same school....in NJ...hmm...

what school?

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Just curious, what school in NJ are you attending?

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Great! I am starting a LPN school in NJ come this September, what school are you attending? This is making me even more nervous then I was before!

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Specializes in Community Health.

Yup, my school sucks.

I'm talking 70+ students crammed into a ridiculously hot, windowless classroom for the entire day, a "lab" that has so few supplies that we have to go in 5 at a time (so we get about 10-15 minutes of actual "lab time" and the rest of the time we are given pointless handouts to complete while the other students go) teachers who are disorganized and give incorrect and/or contradictory information, exam schedules that seem to change every time the wind blows (we found out yesterday that our Fundamentals exam was going to be tommorow instead of next week and that 2 extra chapters were going to be on the midterm!) The building itself is crumbling, rat traps everywhere, no functional cafeteria or even a refridgerator where I can store my bagged lunch, the one anatomy model in the entire school is missing half of its vital organs...I could go on and on, you get the idea though :rolleyes: Yeah, my 30 grand is obviously being put to good use...lol!

I have a theory about LPN schools though...at least private ones. They suck because they have no incentive NOT to suck. At least in my state (CT) the only public LPN program I could find didn't start their next session untill 2010 and the application deadline was in December 08! And the few RN programs out here make you take all of your pre-reqs before you can even be put on a waiting list, and even then they only take the cream of the crop applicants. So I know for me, I chose my school because I would rather hold my nose and deal with the bull for 15 months and graduate, sit for the boards and start working as an actual, honest to God NURSE than jump through all those hoops just to get into a public LPN program or an RN school. I'm planning on bridging to RN pretty soon after I graduate and I'm hoping that I can get into a better program at that point. Obviously it would be nice if they actually applied some of our ridiculously high tuition towards training their teachers, improving the facilities or providing medical supplies that were manufactured before the Carter administration, but since they know there are enough of us out there who are simply desperate to be nurses, they can get away with it. Basically, they are getting a free ride off of our drive and ambition because they know that anyone who is dedicated enough will find a way to make it work regardless of the quality of education they receive. And bear in mind that a lot of these programs still make you pay even if you drop or fail out, so it's no big thing to them if you don't make it.

The funny thing is...what sold me on my school was the fact that they had 100% NCLEX pass rate...what they failed to mention was that 60% of their students either drop or fail out before they can even take them :chuckle

ETA-OMG I sound so cynical...what I meant to get across was-we are all in the same boat. It sucks, it's a learning experience, it's like boot camp...just keep your eye on the prize and do what you need to do to get through it!

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I attend Union County College in NJ and this is the case as well. We are taught directly from the book. No need to write notes just highlight whats in the book. WE had to take a math pretest wich does not count towards your grade. We also have 4 journals which dont count towards your grade but if you dont do them then you fail. All that counts is the 4 exams and final, which we have to teach ourselves the chapters. Also everything is cramed in such as pharmacology along with basic nursing concepts such as safety and nutrition. going to class is a waste of time. but if you dont show up its not good either. Its really nuts!

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Our program is bad as well. Our teacher is teaching an online class for another college simultaneously and as a result, she has pretty much stopped having any kind of prepared lecture at all. We get power points for classes from weeks before, class doesn't start on time (one class she said she'd "be right there" over and over until the class was over...we never actually saw her, but the dept assistant came and gave us our test-yes this was a test day- during our NEXT class that day, pushing that class out of balance as well), doesn't know how to pronounce half the words she teaches, and just over all really sucks as a teacher. She also gave out extra credit to those who were a point from failing but did not offer that to those who were a point from a higher grade, even if it meant that we were losing our 3.0 and hoped to move on to another program afterwards.

I will say though that our program does have a lot of "stuff" and the classroom looks clean and nice and everything is fairly new and functional. We are a public college with extra funding from area hospitals and nursing homes because the need for LPNs here is so great, so funding is definitely something we are not short on. Our program is pretty close to holding the college together atm. We pay for all sorts of things that other students use (an entire computer lab for one)

I think one of the biggest problems with LPN programs atleast, is that nobody is required to have a degree in education to teach, so you end up with teachers who may be great with patients, but just suck at teaching. Its really a shame that it doesn't pay enough to make becoming a Nurse-Educator a worthwhile endeavor. I want to teach, but I can get my MSN in Midwifery and be a teacher and have another avenue as well so why not do that? (thats the route I'm taking). Why would I get my MSN as a Nurse-Educator when all it does is limit me, not give me more options?

Sorry just ranting. I feel your pain. Our program really sucks too. I actually considered leaving at one point, even going so far as to communicate with the next school and send them a copy of my curriculum for approval (to make sure my credits transferred). But i realized that switching schools will just mean starting somewhere new, not necessarily better, buying books over again, reacclimating and being the "new guy" in the class halfway through. I decided to just put my head down and focus on the goal. Its a year, not 4, and I can deal with anything for a year.

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