Decided on private LVN school!

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I'm excited and wanted to tell you all: After trying off/on for YEARS to get into nursing school, I've decided to just go to a for-profit private school for their LVN program. No lotteries or wait lists for me -- at 54 yo I've run out of time and patience! I searched for feedback on several for-profit private schools, and have decided upon Curam College of Nursing in Sacramento, CA. I didn't find many posts about the school here on allnurses.com, so I went to the school with my husband; we met the directer/founder who proudly told us about the school. He was very welcoming and accommodating, offering all sorts of info. We toured the school, even met a graduate who stopped by to drop off a 'thank you' card. The emailing back-and-forth with the school was not nearly as informative and reassuring as actually BEING there to meet staff members, read through their materials/policies, and tour the site. (I also had interviews at two other private schools -- neither felt right for me.)

I will post feedback about my experience (both good and bad) after I complete the program in an effort to help others who find themselves in the same boat. I'm excited (and scared -- "Can I really do this?!") but anxious to move forward! :)

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hi moma8gma1 im thinking about attending the lvn program at curam. I was wondering if I could get you opinion on the course and what you used to help pay for the program if you did use and outside source. I now Curam does no have financial aid and I am really struggling finding help to pay for the program.

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I haven't started yet, so really have no helpful opinion on the school/program at this time, other than I had a much better feeling about the school after meeting with the owner/founder/director Dr. Wayne Williams, than I did from the other schools I looked into. As to funding, I plan to borrow from my mom and from my bank (HELOC loan) if necessary. Dr. Williams encouraged me to look into other funding sources locally, but I haven't had time to pursue that. You can ask the school; they have tips on applying for aid from various local programs that have worked for past students. Good luck! The next LVN class starts Oct 10th.

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I found this on-line -- CA has a loan repayment program for health workers. The LVN repayment program seems to pay up to $6000. (I think you commit to working in an under-served area for 24 mos.) OSHPD - Health Professions Education Foundation - Licensed Vocational Nurse Loan Repayment Program. They also offer scholarships to those pursuing vocational nursing: OSHPD - Health Professions Education Foundation - Vocational Nurse Scholarship Program

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I found this on-line -- CA has a loan repayment program for health workers. The LVN repayment program seems to pay up to $6000. (I think you commit to working in an under-served area for 24 mos.) OSHPD - Health Professions Education Foundation - Licensed Vocational Nurse Loan Repayment Program. They also offer scholarships to those pursuing vocational nursing: OSHPD - Health Professions Education Foundation - Vocational Nurse Scholarship Program

Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. I've been having such a hard time looking for funding online. You mentioned you went to other local programs if you don't mind me asking did you visit Charles A Jones? I've been there and know there is federal financial aid offered ( I havent gotten around to going and speaking with their financial aid office myself ...) but I want to collect as much input as I can before making a decision on what school to attend.

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I haven't started yet, so really have no helpful opinion on the school/program at this time, other than I had a much better feeling about the school after meeting with the owner/founder/director Dr. Wayne Williams, than I did from the other schools I looked into. As to funding, I plan to borrow from my mom and from my bank (HELOC loan) if necessary. Dr. Williams encouraged me to look into other funding sources locally, but I haven't had time to pursue that. You can ask the school; they have tips on applying for aid from various local programs that have worked for past students. Good luck! The next LVN class starts Oct 10th.

Thank you so much for your help! I really do appreciate the information.

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Of course they're "welcoming" and "accommodating" and responsive to your interest -- they're salespeople.

Have you talked to area healthcare employers about their opinions and impressions of graduates of the school? Do employers have a good opinion of the school? Are their graduates finding employment? What is their NCLEX pass rate? What is their attrition rate (how many students graduate from the program compared to how many students started)? What accreditations does the school hold? All of that is a lot more important than the owner of the school being friendly.

Best wishes for your journey!

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Hi, Elkpark -- thank you both for your best wishes on my nursing journey (I'll take 'em!) and also for the info about ways to evaluate schools; those are great tips and very useful to those who are continuing their search. However, I finished my search, chose my school, (and paid my deposit,) and started this thread to share info about that particular school. I was excited to have finally made a choice after completing my due diligence, (which took a long time and included many of the tasks you listed -- in fact, ANYONE who is looking at nursing schools should definitely do some or all of those things you mentioned.) Because I found so little information on Curam College of Nursing here on the site, I decided to begin a thread about Curam in the hope that by sharing my experience as a student there, it could be a help to others in their search for the right school. There are plenty of threads on this site about evaluating schools (perhaps your tips should be shared there?) I'm only mentioning this because I would prefer this thread not turn into a "how to" about evaluating nursing schools -- that wasn't my purpose in creating it, but rather to focus on one particular school as I go through their program. (And, yes, in my search I DID encounter "salespeople" trying to sell me on their school -- ugh! That is definitely a discussion for another thread, though, so I won't go into it here.)

Again, thanks for those great tips -- any future nurse who is faced with choosing where to get their training/education should definitely look at ALL of those things you mentioned before picking a school. And, thanks, again for the good wishes -- I sincerely appreciate them (as well as any prayers thrown up for this 54 yo soon-to-be nursing student! Yikes!) :)

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