what to expect when entering first year LPN?

[futurenursekl]

Hi guys I am a Canadian student (toronto ontario to be more specific) and I was wondering what to expect in LPN for first year or semester . what should my expectations be once going into school and how should I approach certain "stressors" and react to them accurately. I also graduated from pre-health science so I believe I have some sort of foundation but I still would like to know how to approach this new field

[ChristinaJones]

Congratulations on starting school. LPN was stressful, I won't lie. I just tried to look forward to graduation and what was to come. As far as studying, I tried to just take one thing at a time. If I tried to tackle too much at one time, I'd find myself feeling very stressed and overwhelmed. It's also important to remember that you are all in the same boat. You're all learning together and the instructors are there to help you and not flunk you. Don't be afraid to ask for help. My best advice is remember to breathe and tackle one thing at a time. Good luck!

[futurenursekl]

Congratulations on starting school. LPN was stressful I won't lie. I just tried to look forward to graduation and what was to come. As far as studying, I tried to just take one thing at a time. If I tried to tackle too much at one time, I'd find myself feeling very stressed and overwhelmed. It's also important to remember that you are all in the same boat. You're all learning together and the instructors are there to help you and not flunk you. Don't be afraid to ask for help. My best advice is remember to breathe and tackle one thing at a time. Good luck![/quote']

Thank you so much and for sure I'll take your advice for sure this fall

[studentkt88]

I just finished a 3 Semester based LPN program and am now moving on to the ADN program at my school. The first semester of LPN for me was two 3hr lectures a week, with a 3hr lab 4 days a week. Lab included being instructed on skills-trach care, inserting nasogastric tubes for feeding/stomach pumping, enemas,(assisting pts with toileting needs, turns, ROM), catheter insertion, changing normal fluids for an IV and more...it seemed like it all flew by in the first semester everything was jammed packed. After the first 7 weeks we started clinical at a local hospital and then the year was over in the blink of an eye!!.....IT was a great experience but stressful too....My advice is form a study group early!! As well as celebrate your successes and learn from your failures...you may be really great at Medical-Surgical Nursing and bad a Labor and Delivery......AND DON'T ever wait until a final nursing exam to worry about your grade. You never want to fail out of a program it isn't like failing a general education class! Congratulations and Good Luck!!

[Mewsin]

I'm a Canadian spn, we finished our first semester, second semester starts in September. Our classes had a lot of reading in them, a lot of labs. I think one of the toughest classes we have is called Health and Healing. It is about health care in Canada, a lot of theorists, a lot of paradigms. I'd say do your reading but make sure you understand the information because the questions aren't always right or wrong but more like which answer is more right. We had papers to write and a lot of exams. Our first semester clinicals were at a local ltc facility where we did personal care.

Our second semester is supposed to be much more difficult. The first semester was TOUGH so I'm not looking forward to more difficult.

I work with some lpns who graduated in Toronto.