Concorde Career Inst.

RedHeadNurse2B · Apr 22, 2006

I just graduated from the VN program this month. I would recommend Concorde if you are looking to get into nursing and start making money very quickly, because it is VERY quick, no prereqs are required. If you have more time to take then I would say go for your RN at a community college or a community college VN program (because it's much less expensive). I still think I received a good education though, just a little too pricey in my opinion. It is approved by the Texas Board of Nurse Examiners, it is not accredited (apparently only a few number of VN schools are actually accredited still). I am scheduled to take my NCLEX in May and I feel pretty confident about passing. Just ask if you have any other questions I can anwser for you. Here's where you can get Texas BNE approved programs and NCLEX pass rates:

ftp://www.bne.state.tx.us/vnschools.pdf

ftp://www.bne.state.tx.us/VN-5YR-05.pdf

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Apr 24, 2006

If you need to finish school quickly, then Concorde would be a viable option for you (as the above poster said). Even though most private LVN programs are not NLN-accredited, they are state-approved and you are still eligible to take an LVN-to-RN bridge program (if you wanted).

If you have 2 years of time on your hands, it might be more advisable to take a community college LVN or RN program because they're less expensive and accredited.

RedHeadNurse2B · Apr 25, 2006

According to the TX BNE only about 3 VN programs in TX are accredited, so some community colleges programs are not accredited either. The main thing is that it is in good standing as an approved program with the BNE so you can sit for boards.

amlaboy · May 2, 2006

A newbie here. I too am considering Concorde for LVN. Can anybody tell me what the tuition is? Any good study guides to study out of before joining in the fall? Do they have an entrance exam? How hard is it? Guess I didn't have to mention I'm a newbie -- hard to miss with all my questions.

Also, does anybody have any information on the WIA program offered thru TWC where they pay the tuition? Do you have to be on unemployment? Great website, btw. Took me all day just to read 36 pages of the TX forum.

Thanks heaps.

shihztulady · May 2, 2006

I have visited and have found out that you do have to take the NET. It's a timed test and that's what makes it harder. The tuition is double that of a college. They do have financial aid though. You cannot possibly work while attending given the fact that you go 8-5 to school. Hope this helps

RedHeadNurse2B · May 2, 2006

Tuiton was $18,400, that includes all your books and scrubs. yes, very steep, more like 4 times as much as a community college. You can get government financial aid though. Fortunately I had a great deal of help from my parents, otherwise I might not have considered it for that much. They do sell study guides for the NET, you just have to ask them. I didn't think it was very difficult, but then again that is subjective. I know there were a few students going through TWC that got their tuiiton paid, but I don't really know any details. Hope I could anwser some questions. Best of luck in your decision.

andeam · Apr 26, 2009

I just wanted to mention that Concorde is accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools, and approved by the TX BON, if it wasn't they would not have a 91% employment rate of their students after graduation.

txgal34 · May 2, 2009

I just graduated from Concorde 2 weeks ago. I went thru the evening program which is 22 months long and was $22,500 ; while expensive, that is everything from tuition, books, uniforms, stethescope/BP cuff kit, etc. That even includes a third party LVN review course that costs $200 and the fee (i think that is $200 or $300) for taking the boards. You pay the big bucks for the convience of short wait and no pre-reqs. I did very well, graduating with a 4.0 and took the boards this past wednesday and found out today (unofficial pearson vue results) that i passed! my computer had shut off at 85, though i had been pretty sure i passed. 3 days after i graduated i also got a job paying $18 an hour, which isn't bad for someone that in not only a new grad, but has no prior medical experience. ultimately you must make your own choice, but my experience was not bad. as for the comment about the NET test, i chose to buy the NET study guide, which was a help. my concern was math, as i did really well in school but had been out of high school for 10 plus years when i was getting ready to take the NET. it has all those coversions with good examples of how to convert frations to decimals, decimals to percents, etc, etc, etc.

txgal34 · May 2, 2009

pass rates can be found on the BNE website under the education tab. it lists all schools separated by RN and LVN programs and shows 5 years (i think that many) history of pass rates.

yuliwannabanurse · May 5, 2009

I just graduated from Concorde 2 weeks ago. I went thru the evening program which is 22 months long and was $22,500 ; while expensive, that is everything from tuition, books, uniforms, stethescope/BP cuff kit, etc. That even includes a third party LVN review course that costs $200 and the fee (i think that is $200 or $300) for taking the boards. You pay the big bucks for the convience of short wait and no pre-reqs. I did very well, graduating with a 4.0 and took the boards this past wednesday and found out today (unofficial pearson vue results) that i passed! my computer had shut off at 85, though i had been pretty sure i passed. 3 days after i graduated i also got a job paying $18 an hour, which isn't bad for someone that in not only a new grad, but has no prior medical experience. ultimately you must make your own choice, but my experience was not bad. as for the comment about the NET test, i chose to buy the NET study guide, which was a help. my concern was math, as i did really well in school but had been out of high school for 10 plus years when i was getting ready to take the NET. it has all those coversions with good examples of how to convert frations to decimals, decimals to percents, etc, etc, etc.

Hey Hey, so you just graduated this past month? first of all CONGRATS TO YOU!... may I ask what type of facility hired you for $18/hr (like you said for a new grad thats VERY good) ... I actually visited Concorde after work today and they are pushing the Medical Assistant program on me... which is irritating I really think they are doing that because their May Medical Assistant program is about to start and they dont have enough people registered... or so I hope thats the reason why, anyways... so It seems like their price goes up EVERY year? I was quoted $25K+ for their evening class that takes almost two years... the lady at registrations kept telling me that the MA is the way to go because as an MA I will get alot more "hands on" patient care activity than the LVN (to me it doesnt make a bit of sense) ... that short assessment or "chadwick" or whatever they call that test they give you they require a 17 score on it.. I scored a 29 so I know they arent trying to push the MA program because they think I am not competent I just think its because they dont have enough people in it and its coming up really soon... Sorry I keep going on and on... I was just wondering if you could really talk to me (one on one if you can) about this program and your experience and what type of facility you got hired at.. I would really like a clinic or hospital setting and they said for this I would have to be an RN :cry:

they made it seem like I would be doing what a CNA does... no IV, no Phlebotomy (like they say their MA does) and they also kept telling me the MA program you are certified in EKG... and so on... gosh, they are trying to convince me to do something I really dont want to do.... please say that the LVN program is the way to go even if its 22 months long....

txgal34 · May 5, 2009

yuliwannabanurse... i think they push the ma school because it brings the school a good chunk of change and they start those classes more often. i chose the evening, though it takes a long time to finish, it was timing for me. the hours on the evening program were better and with nursing being so much info this was a little less stressful. there is a pay difference. i know a few ma's and they make about $5 per hour less than an lvn. if you are going to spend the big bucks to go to school, then i wanted nursing where i am licensed and then you have something to build on. true, people will pipe in with how our classes don't transfer...and they don't but there are bridging programs. there are no bridging programs for ma to lvn (at least none that i know of). as for ma's (and please know that i am not insult anyone who is an ma) half our class were ma's. my job is in an ltc. though i have to say i was a cna about 15 years ago for a year ... i just ended up changing careers for awhile ... and when i started nursing was sure i didn't want to work in an ltc and only wanted to work in a hospital. after clinicals, i completely changed my mind. i loved the ltc and i loved the ltac, but very surprising to me i did not like the hospital. maybe it was the facility, but it just wasn't what i thought it would be. though everything had changed in an ltc from 15 years ago. back then there were no med aides and lvn's basically were med aides. and the skilled pt's were on one wing which was always under the rn. the lvn role has changed drastically. while at the ltc we did catheters, g-tube meds, wound care, insulin...etc. iv's got started, though while we were only level ii students at the time weren't allowed to do an iv as that isn't until level 4. while there are meds occasionaly given iv, i didn't see much of that at the ltc. at the ltac (long-term-acute-care) hospital most nurses are lvn's and they do iv push (except cardiac meds), start iv's a lot because of the enviorment it is. while i am starting at $18 per hour, i have two friends who got jobs at $19 and $20 per hour who also have no prior medical experience. i have another friend who is an ma who got a job at an ltc for $23 per hour. it is not impossible to get a hospital job, but is challenging as most private hospitals hire mostly rn's. i have been told though that if you are determined to work at a hospital as an lvn your best bet with the private is to get a job at one of their sattelite clinics to prove yourself. there were people in our class that work at the private hospitals already that were told they will keep them and they will work as an rn, but are required to sign paperwork stating that in a stated period of time they will return to school to get their rn. lvn's do start iv's, as i said earlier we are taught that before we start level 4 and at my level 4 clinicals i have actually started iv's. it is true you will not be trained on phlebotomy. lvn's do it, but concorde does not teach it therefore you will never do it while you are a student. as for ekg's...they are fairly easy to do and while we are not "certified" on them in the lvn program i have done them at level 3 and 4 clinicals. don't get pushed into doing something you don't want to do! if you want to talk to me privately, just give me an e-mail and i will e-mail you. hope that helps!