Contemplating Nursing School. Thoughts & Suggestions please?

catzy5 · Nov 6, 2006

hi everyone!!!
i am sure you see these threads all the time, but i would hope you could be so kind to offer some advice/suggestions to my dilemma? i know you all went through various routes of education to get where you are. let me give you some background on my situation.
i graduated from high school in 2003. i live in ohio, btw. anyway, i haven't had any medical training nor college. i have worked as a receptionist at an autobody/mechanical garage for 2 years. recently, i started thinking about going back to school. i know this is essential for my future and am prepared to go to school either part or full time. i can work during the day and attend school during the evenings/weekends. i am seriously considering entering the medical field, because i am a very caring person and feel i would enjoy helping others. my grandfather died a few months ago and the hospice nurses made such a difference in his last few days, it was incredible. i think this would be such a rewarding career (not that i am thinking about hospice, but they were nurses).
my area that i need advice is what to do about my education. in my town, there is a nursing program for lpn that lasts two years (part time schooling). this is done in the evenings and then clincals on every other weekend. this would work perfect for me, because i can still keep my job during the day. after two years, i would then become an lpn and find a job for that and if in the future i decide to go on for rn, i can do so. the school is called robert t. white school of practical nursing. website can be found here: http://www.alliancelink.com/users/acc/rtw/
"the robert t. white school of practical nursing is conditionally approved by the ohio board of nursing and the state of ohio department of education. the program is accredited by the north central commission on accreditation and school improvement." -from the website.
does that above make it an alright school? i know they have some "fly by night" schools.. but i would think that the most important thing is whether you pass your lpn or rn exams. does the schooling play such a key factor as in other careers?
also, what do you all suggest i do in terms of lpn first or straight to rn? i had a lady come in here who is studying to be an rn and she was first a stna and went straight back to school skipping the lpn option and went right for her rn. is this recommended?
i am sorry for this long post, i have been thinking about this for weeks and my family/friends tell me to go with my heart. whatever decision i choose they will support me. let me know your thoughts.. thank you so much for reading!!!

hi welcome to the board!

i think going for the lpn is a great stepping stone for you at this point in your life. you are very young and have so much time (saying this because i am so old trying to do all of this and envious of you.... big grin).

from what you tell us no experience in the medical field but working and probably need to work while going to school. might i suggest a couple things.

one see if you can find a cna class this will get your feet wet and really give you a good dose of what its like in nursing, also it will help pay the bills while giving you experience while going to school.

2nd have you looked into community colleges in your area? they are much less expensive then private schools and often provide courses, online, part time and evenings, they are geared toward the working person and many have great nursing programs that you can step up into starting with cna, lpn or right to the rn programs. either way you will probably need atleast a couple pre reqs for lpn and then some sciences math and english for rn programs so you could start off with those.

i wish you all the success look around at a few schools first, but if your ultimate goal is to be an rn i would highly recomend going for a cna its a quick usually one semester course sometimes less and then you can really get a good taste of the area you want to go in.

best wishes.

collegebound · Nov 6, 2006

My personal advice is to go straight for the RN, if that is truly your ultimate goal. Most ADN programs are two years also, so depending on the pre-reqs for your LPN program vs an ADN program it sounds like you would be in school two years anyway. I will be starting my ADN program next semester and have had no prior med. field experience. If you are just totally unsure, ask to shadow a nurse at a hospital and "see" for yourself what you really want to do. This is a big decision so take the time to decide what is right for you.

xt1 · Nov 6, 2006

I vote RN like the above poster said you can get your ADN in 2 years and make more money. Though I've known some people do it I think working while going to school will leave too little time for studying. I say take out some loans and pay em back when you finish. I tried working and going to school but decided to just take out loans in the end. work didn't allow time for study. Plus you most likely wont be able to get all the classes you need in the evening anyway for the RN at least.

Pikaia · Nov 6, 2006

Hi, thanks for your replies!!!

May I ask, what is a CNA? Certified Nurse Assistant? Exactly what is this? Is it the same as a STNA (state tested nurse aid)? We have some programs for those around here, they run about $400 and last a few weeks.

The program I was considering taken runs $9000 for 2 years (part time). This includes all costs, books, classes, uniforms, clincals, vaccines etc. Is this expensive for LPN classes?

In response to xt1's post, I can't stop working.. I have to support myself, this includes my apt, car, etc.. Wish I could though!!!

arciedee · Nov 6, 2006

Yes, CNA is Certified Nursing Assistant and is probably the same as the STNA in your state (different states call them different things... in my state they're Licensed Nursing Assistants). If you are unsure that nursing is what you want to do an STNA course may be a good way to get some exposure to the field and help you decide whether that is what you want to do.

The LPN program you are looking at does not sound too expensive for a private school and it sounds as though it would work well with your current schedule. One other thing you may want to look into is whether Ohio allows RN students to take the LPN boards after completing a certain number of nursing courses. My state allows this and I've heard of many ADN students who start working as LPNs in the summer between the two years. This may be an option for you if you decide to go directly for the LPN if they allow it in your state.

Good luck to you!

Pikaia · Nov 7, 2006

Hi again all. I am complying a list of questions to ask this Robert T. White school of nursing. One is: I noticed that this school was "conditionally accredited". What does this mean? Under only certain conditions the school is accredited? How is this possible?

Another questions I am going to ask is: If I do this program and decide down the road that I want to continue my education for RN, is this possible? Does the "conditionally accredited" mean that I might not be able to do that?

Also, how many of this year's graduates past the LPN exam? (The school has only been open for 2 years, this is it's third year)

What do you think of these questions?

arciedee · Nov 7, 2006

In light of the fact that the school has only been open two years, I think that would explain why they are only conditionally accredited. As far as I know, most accrediting bodies require that a class or two get all the way through the program and sit for the licensing exam before granting full accreditation. So asking them how their current grads have done is probably a very good question.

Pikaia · Nov 7, 2006

Ok, I sent them an email with my questions just now. I won't be able to stop in there, since I work during the hours they are open.:uhoh21: So, hopefully I will get a response soon... and I will post it for you guys..

Pikaia · Nov 7, 2006

I received a response!!!

Here it is:

the website had not been updated we have our full accreditation from

the Ohio

Board of Nursing we received that in Sept of 2006 - we had a meeting in

Columbus

to accept the formal letter, they did not even have any requests for

changes so that is

good - I called the Director and she will have that updated on the web.

Most LPN credits will transfer to RN schools talk with the Director of

Nursing,

(Name and phone) for specifics but all schools generally try

and make

it easy to go from LPN to RN

We have had 23 out of the 36 take the LPN exam and all 23 have passed

so that

is very exciting the remaining students have not tested due to money

matters,

personal issues, but we hope they will be testing soon so right now all

that have

taken the test have passed and are now official LPN's

We are testing 13 tomorrow night we will have 2 more tests before the

Jan 17

start date - Nov 28 and December 9 so we still have room in this class.

I hope this information is helpful if you need an application packet

please let me

know and I will be happy to mail you one - good luck in which ever

path you choose.

WDWpixieRN, RN · Nov 8, 2006

A very important consideration is whether the classes you take through this institution will be transferable to a university should you choose to go further in your education, say for an MSN. Many time the classes/credits from a vocational-type school are not transferable, meaning you would need to take a great deal of these classes over in a community college or university setting. No sense spending time and money redoing this education unless you know you will never plan to go beyond your LVN.

I would talk to a local university or community college or two to see what they say about the transferability of these courses. While their answers may not be reflect every institutions' response, it will give you some idea of what you may run across in the future.

I also would not depend on the Robert T. White folks to give you the definitive answer; many times these folks are trying to "sell" their services and will say anything to get your money. I'm not saying that's what they would do, I'm just suggesting you check with a source (university/comm college) that would be ultimately making that decision about acceptance!

Best wishes!

Freedom42 · Nov 8, 2006

Good advice re: transfer of credits and MSN. I'd suggest aiming for the highest entry point that you can. I realize there's a lot of debate here about the value of an ADN versus a BSN, but consider this: If for any reason you ever decide to change careers -- and a lot of us do after 40 -- you'll have a baccalaureate degree under your belt, and that gives you a lot more options. You'll also have a stepping stone to graduate school in any field. It's so much easier to go forward than backward.

I know for young people on their own that the cost of an education can seem overwhelming, especially when you consider four years. But if you can find a great public school program, it is more feasible, and later in life you'll realize that you got a huge return on your investment.