Concern about cheap LPN school

xy/RN2b 2006 · Nov 20, 2004

you will be always be glad that you chose the RN path...the pay is better and the opportunities available will always be better..

Agree with you 100%

okie2 · Nov 20, 2004

LPN programs around here are 1 year and cost very little. BUT many hospitals don't hire LPNS!!! Jobs are hard to find and usually limited to LTC. The hospitals that actually hire them pay about $10/ hr compared to an RN @ $23/hr. I know it's cheaper and quicker to get the LPN and maybe you could go back later BUT.....weigh your options and long term goals and the job climate of your area.

***Just searched an all our regional hospitals' web sites for LPN jobs and found 3 that use them and only a total of 6 job openings- compared to hundreds of openings for RNs. Pretty rough...

tisha1098 · Nov 21, 2004

That all depends on where you go to school. Most RN school's here are all nursing you must have your pre-req's done before entering and once in the program it's all or nothing, pass or fail

Tisha

GVkk is absolutely right...it does not take any more smart to get through one school as the other and you will be always be glad that you chose the RN path...the pay is better and the opportunities available will always be better....
most lpn schools have a class and you have to take everything that everyone is taking if lyou fall behind you have to wait and take the next class if you can get in...in RN school if you are having some problems with classes you can drop one class and concentrate on the others and pick up what you need later....
the pay and the advancement and the self satisfaction will be better every day of your working life

no er holds · Dec 4, 2004

I graduated from an accredited LVN program that is sponsored by the largest school district in my county. They have 8 sites, 15 students at each location, and you have to test to get in. About 300 students apply at each site every year, only 60 are granted interviews. The lucky 15 that get in have to compete for their spots for the first 8 weeks because 5 alternates are allowed to join the class. If one of the lucky 15 fails one test (passing is 80%) in the first 8 weeks, they are dropped from the program and the alternate with the highest test scores (in class) gets their spot. After the first 8 weeks have passed, you are ranked. If other sites have alternates that have maintained high test grades, the Director of the program makes every effort to place those students at another site. If you are a regular student and alternate from another site has better grades, you are dropped from the program. And it continues like this for the rest of the year. :uhoh21:

This program has a 96% pass rate (and some sites have pass rates of 100% year after year). After completion of the program and passing boards, you are pretty much able to write your own ticket.

I paid $1500.00 for the program. Because it is sponsored by such a large school district, it has to be affordable for everyone. Clinical rotations are done at 10 different hospitals and the classes don't meet each other until Mid Term which is done in one location and then again at Finals and Graduation.

There are programs in my state that cost $18000.00 and up and they cringe when they find out this program is accepting applications.

BTW, one of the sites has such a great reputation they are the only student LVN nurses allowed to do clinical rotations at UCLA and alot of the graduates are hired there.

allmynez · Dec 4, 2004

the price of the program does not matter , employers don't care what school you go to. As long as you pass your boards and get your license a lpn is an lpn. And mostly likely the people teaching the program RN's will work in nearby facilities or will knowothe rhealthcare professionals in the area. I found when I went looking for jobs they knew of my school and hired graduates previously. Or they knew some of the teachers from job fairs and such. Trust as you go through the program you will realizesome people have weakness and strengths. Some good at clinical some with classwork, or neither and once u graduate and get your license you are all considered the same new grads with no exp.

no er holds · Dec 6, 2004

the price of the program does not matter , employers don't care what school you go to. As long as you pass your boards and get your license a lpn is an lpn. And mostly likely the people teaching the program RN's will work in nearby facilities or will knowothe rhealthcare professionals in the area. I found when I went looking for jobs they knew of my school and hired graduates previously. Or they knew some of the teachers from job fairs and such. Trust as you go through the program you will realizesome people have weakness and strengths. Some good at clinical some with classwork, or neither and once u graduate and get your license you are all considered the same new grads with no exp.

I don't necessarily agree with the above since my experience has been that if you went to a school with a dismal pass rate, the facilities will not hire you.

It really depends on where you want to go (hosp vs convalescent) and what type of nursing you want to...study hard and welcome to the club :balloons:

Fiona59 · Dec 6, 2004

The final thing is the national exam. My school was loved and hated. Some hated the disorganization of the programme and some of the instructors, but they loved the PN's that passed the NCLEX. One nurse who remembered me as a student later told me as a co-worker that anyone who could survive our programme and the way it was administered was organized, dedicated and a survivor.

We only had LPN in College in a huge area, so it was bite the bullet and attend full time or go distance. They did prefer the full time students over the distance, I do remember that.

FocusRN · Dec 8, 2004

Well from what I know prestige of the school that you graduated from really doesn't matter when it comes to being an LPN or an RN. And truth be told most hospitals and nursing homes especially are so desperate for LPN's that the school you went to, your gpa, or your score on the NCLEX (as long as you passed) really doesn't matter. All they want to know is that you are licensed, and have had to actions against your license, and of course no record of any violent crime or felony.

Now if you want to go on to become an RN with a bachelor's or a Nurse Practitioner, (like I plan to do) then the school may matter then again maybe not.

But just make sure that you know what you need to know to pass the NCLEX, and make sure you are skilled enough to actually work a floor. Just because tuition is cheap doesn't mean that don't provide a great education. The program that I am most likely going to be in has really cheap tuition, but it is more than yours, maybe $1400 per semester for 3 semesters, but it is one of the best programs down here, and the hospital that it is connected with is our states #1 trauma center. Basically if the president got shot in a city up north of here, they would do everything possible to get him to that hospital before even considering another. So cheap tuition isn't always bad.

tonicareer · Dec 9, 2004

Mind sharing the name, location or website for the school? That is a bargain price.

FocusRN · Dec 9, 2004

Well if the above post is directed to me you can go to the nursing school site here (not much info) http://www.dcc.edu/campus/charity/charity.htm. It is Charity School of Nursing in New Orleans

jude11142 · Dec 20, 2004

Hi Lara,

I went to a vocational school for the LPN program. The total cost was about 1,500.00. My daughter is enrolled at one of the "private" schools in an LPN program and the tuition is an astonishing 17,000.00!!! Do you get a better education because of the cost of a program? I don't think so. As a matter of fact when I graduated and went on job interviews several of the facilities stated that they have always hired nurses who graduated from this particular school and they've never been sorry.

The reason why my daughter is going to another school other than the one I went to is for several reasons:

1. There is no waiting list

2. You don't have to wait to schedule exam

3. You also don't have to wait months until the exams are scheduled and then wait to see if you passed

4. The day that you apply, you take a test(nothing like the exam for vocational program) and find out if you are accepted

5. There are several LPN programs running, so you don't have to wait until next yrs program

6. Private school offers evening classes too.

7. This last reason is more of a personal decision, where I went out of the 5 instructors, 3 were downright verbally abusive, demeaning, unapproachable. I would never recommend somebody to go there, regardless of their reputation. I went there as an adult(41yrs old)and could not believe the way people were treated. If they didn't "like you", you were in for a hell of a time.

Bottom line, it isn't the cost of ones education but how good of an education you get. And that is mostly up to you. It's an intense program but well worth it. Good luck with whichever one you choose.

JUDE

kathc · Dec 26, 2004

In my experience, the only time I have found that the school mattered in employment is if a facility found that new hires from that school did not have a high pass rate for the NCLEX. Unless a graduate nurse is a current CNA, they have a problem with what to do with these people if they don't pass. Not worth the investment in their mind. So I agree with everyone else, check the NCLEX pass rate (my school gave mine to me with my application package).