Corpsmen & Medics, Become an RN in 9 Months

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.

I was an army medic rather than an navy corpsman but I challenged the LVN boards in California and passed first time no problem.

For those who are interested in becoming an RN here is the way I became an RN and you former medics and corpsmen can do it too.

Challenge the LVN boards in Ca and after you have your LVN license come here to WIsconsin and enter one of our technical colleges. The Wi Technical college s (16 of them) offer LPN to RN in one year or less. I had zero college credit to my name, just my army training and my LPN lcense and I became an RN with an associates degree in nursing and a licensed RN in only two semesters. I CLEPT lot's of classes (with zero study time) and passed. I had a 16 credit course load for those two semesters and had no trouble.

I started school in Aug 2005 and graduated in May of 2006 with an ADN-RN. I now work in a level I surgical/trauma ICU and make $69K/year. You medics and corpsmen can do it too. If you have any questions feel free to ask or PM me.

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Specializes in Ortho, Med surg and L&D.
I was an army medic rather than an navy corpsman but I challenged the LVN boards in California and passed first time no problem.

For those who are interested in becoming an RN here is the way I became an RN and you former medics and corpsmen can do it too.

Challenge the LVN boards in Ca and after you have your LVN license come here to WIsconsin and enter one of our technical colleges. The Wi Technical college s (16 of them) offer LPN to RN in one year or less. I had zero college credit to my name, just my army training and my LPN lcense and I became an RN with an associates degree in nursing and a licensed RN in only two semesters. I CLEPT lot's of classes (with zero study time) and passed. I had a 16 credit course load for those two semesters and had no trouble.

I started school in Aug 2005 and graduated in May of 2006 with an ADN-RN. I now work in a level I surgical/trauma ICU and make $69K/year. You medics and corpsmen can do it too. If you have any questions feel free to ask or PM me.

Hi,

Let me get this straight, you are advising folks to join the Navy, go through the request and wait to balance being accepted to the corpsman training program, fulfill your service obligation, (three or four years?) and then to move to California, set up residence in order to petition and challange the boards, (what, another year or so) then to move to Wisconsin, set up residence and apply for and go through the hoops to join a junior college/technical college associate's degree granting school, then to clepout of many of their tests and then in 9 more months you can complete the bridge to associate's rn degree?

There are more routes than one towards the RN license and if someone is interested in your route, good for them, however, I wanted to be an RN prior to commissioning in as an officer. Oh, wait, as an associate degree nurse a person wouldn't be able to be in the Military, (unless it was Army Reserves) so, possibly the Military nursing forum isn't the best place to post this.

;)

Gen

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.

Hi,

Let me get this straight, you are advising folks to join the Navy,

*** No you have it very crooked. I am NOT advising people to join the navy or army. My post was intended for those who are current or former corpsmen or medics.

go through the request and wait to balance being accepted to the corpsman training program, fulfill your service obligation, (three or four years?) and then to move to California, set up residence in order to petition and challange the boards,

*** I have never been a Ca resident. It is not a requirement to be a Ca resident to challenge to boards. Currently there are plenty of corpsmen and former corpsmen in Ca who could do this.

(what, another year or so) then to move to Wisconsin, set up residence and apply for and go through the hoops to join a junior college/technical college associate's degree granting school,

*** I happen to be a Wisconsin resident but it is not required and the only benefit of being a resident is tuition is much cheaper. The "hoops" to join are insignificant and consist mainly of acquiring your military transcripts and having them sent to the school. Many of the technical colleges have no waiting list for their LPN to RN bridge programs.

then to clepout of many of their tests and then in 9 more months you can complete the bridge to associate's rn degree?

*** I don't know where you get the "9 more months". I called the technical college on August 14 2005 to inquire about going to nursing school. I started classes on August 26 2005, graduated May 25 2006 and had a month off between semesters. I think most people who have served 4 or more years in the military will be able to CLEP out of many of their classes without study. The technical college also offers a challenge exam for A&P which I took and passed with a 92% based on my training in the army. I didn't study, I took the test half an hour after I was told about it.

There are more routes than one towards the RN license and if someone is interested in your route, good for them, however, I wanted to be an RN prior to commissioning in as an officer.

*** Not really an option for many people. Me for example, most of your current active duty corpsmen and medics for another example.

Oh, wait, as an associate degree nurse a person wouldn't be able to be in the Military,

*** As an officer in the nurse corps you mean. They certainly can and do in other areas. I know one who is a warrant officer pilot for the army. I will graduate from an RN to BSN program in June (paid for by the hospital I work at) and could then be commissioned in any of the four uniformed services nurse corps, which is exactly my plan.

(unless it was Army Reserves)

*** ALso the Air National Guard commissions ADN RNs .

so, possibly the Military nursing forum isn't the best place to post this.

*** We will have to agree to disagree. As I made clear in the subject line this post is directed at navy corpsmen and army medics, not civilians who want to be military nurses. That's why I put "corpsmen and medics" in the subject line.

The path I took to being an RN worked well for me and allowed me to start making decent money in less than a year. I am willing to bet that many soon to be discharged corpsmen and medics would be interested. I have posted similar messages to several of the veterans discussion boards I frequent. I used to read this site when I was an enlisted medic and I thought some others might too.

I don't appreciate the condescending tone of your message and am baffled by it. It's no skin off your nose if some military medics are looking to make a decent living after they get out of the service as RNs and this is one way they could do that. I was greatfull that I was told about this path, I thought I would pass it on. I am just a staff nurses in an ICU, I have nothing to gain if others do as I have done.

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Specializes in Ortho, Med surg and L&D.
Hi,

... I don't appreciate the condescending tone of your message and am baffled by it. ...

Possibly you are baffled by it because there was no condescending tone in the first place. I'm somewhat surprised that you took it that way, however, it is your perogative to do so.

Cheers,

Gen

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Specializes in Anesthesia.

I have actually encouraged many of the med techs in the AF that I work with to challenge the LVN board. Very few actually take advantage of this opportunity. I hadn't heard of getting your RN/ADN as quick as you did, but it would be worth looking into.

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Specializes in icu/er.
I was an army medic rather than an navy corpsman but I challenged the LVN boards in California and passed first time no problem.

For those who are interested in becoming an RN here is the way I became an RN and you former medics and corpsmen can do it too.

Challenge the LVN boards in Ca and after you have your LVN license come here to WIsconsin and enter one of our technical colleges. The Wi Technical college s (16 of them) offer LPN to RN in one year or less. I had zero college credit to my name, just my army training and my LPN lcense and I became an RN with an associates degree in nursing and a licensed RN in only two semesters. I CLEPT lot's of classes (with zero study time) and passed. I had a 16 credit course load for those two semesters and had no trouble.

I started school in Aug 2005 and graduated in May of 2006 with an ADN-RN. I now work in a level I surgical/trauma ICU and make $69K/year. You medics and corpsmen can do it too. If you have any questions feel free to ask or PM me.

was an old 91b10 was'nt aware of this, it sounds like a great plan. but did'nt you have to take all your lpn prereqs before getting into or completing the rn upgrade?
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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
was an old 91b10 was'nt aware of this, it sounds like a great plan. but did'nt you have to take all your lpn prereqs before getting into or completing the rn upgrade?

*** I was a 91B-30 (SSG) and had my EMT-P. I was lucky that after 4 years of humping with the infantry I was able to spend two years working in an ICU at an army medical center. The nurse corps officers I worked with where very happy to teach me the nursing skills I would need to know to challenge the LVN NCLEX. It was actually one of those NC officers who told me about and encouraged me to do so.

The Wisconsin technical college system has no prereqs, only co-reqs. Their program is actually designed to be done in two years. It is a 1+1 system, meaning that after the first year of classes and clinical s students can sit th LPN NCLEX and after they finish the second year they can sit the RN NCLEX.

If one has never taken any college classes as I had not then they would have to take those classes or CLEP out of them as I did. I took micro with the first semesters (or third semester in the program) classes and English and Developmental psychology with my second(program 4th) semester nursing classes. Here is a link to the required courses at the school I went to.

http://www.swtc.edu/gray_map.aspx?id=105431

Currently there is a one semester waiting list for the regular program and most people take some non-nursing classes while waiting. There is currently no waiting list for the LPN to RN bridge and no waiting list for their part time evening and weekend ADN progam for those who can't afford to stop working to go to nursing school.

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Specializes in icu/er.

interesting....

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sir. i read your post about how you passed the LPN board your first shot. as a medic in the army i am extreamly intersted in finding out how you managed to do this. i am already registered to take the test apon returning from my current deployment. i just would really like to know how you went about making it happen. what did you study? what did you do to prepair for the NCLEX PN?

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When you encourage you airmen to challenge the board is there any suggestions you give them about studying? Do you have a curriculum you would suggest to an army medic trying to take your advice?

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Thank you for the advice. I've given similar advice to people myself. Sometimes it takes someone in the know to inform others about options they might otherwise not become aware of. Your thread is appreciated.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
sir. i read your post about how you passed the LPN board your first shot. as a medic in the army i am extreamly intersted in finding out how you managed to do this. i am already registered to take the test apon returning from my current deployment. i just would really like to know how you went about making it happen. what did you study? what did you do to prepair for the NCLEX PN?

*** Most of what I learned to pass I learned from nurse corps officers in the ICU. I also studied a maternal/child text book I found in the library for that part it the NCLEX and an pharmacology text a nurse loaned me. I also did many practice questions from an NCLEX-PN prep book CD Rom. I was advised that I should do a 100 question a day, I did and it payed off.

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