I need nursing career advice.

[nursefromcali]

Hi all nurses members and officers, just want to ask you opinion regarding to my career. Like I really need your advices and guidance.

So here's my story:

Basically I'm from Phils. (got educated with BSN). I moved here in Cali last 2011, and got denied for NCLEX RN last 2012, (same issues like the others). Since most of my relatives is here in Cali, I decided to stay here (passed my NCLEX PN last June 2013) and currently working as Clinical Lead LVN in a out patient department in hospital.

So right now, I'm trying to do LVN-RN bridge (since my denial letter from CA BRN told me that I have to go under RN program if I wish to be a RN here in Cali. Not OB or MS only like the others, my situation is to do a program and it depends to the nursing counselors if they credit my subjects from my BSN in the Phils.) So I went to schools and ask them what to do and what they can offer to me;

School 1 (Community College)

They ask me to send my TOR to be evaluated (in an agency here in CA) and I paid like 300$+ (not sure) because I ask to rush it for 5 days. I want to know early and go back to school right away so that I still have more time to inquire in other school (I'm planning to enroll for school year 2015 LVN-RN bridge prog.) The deadline of application pocket is Feb 2015. Btw after the nursing counselor read my evaluated TOR from the agency. She want me to retake my ANATOMY AND PHYSIO. (since my anatomy and physio. in Phils is only 5 units LEC&LAB) Here they required 8 UNITS! Yes 8 units. And then also my ENGLISH subject. (they ask me to take ENGLISH 101 something like that) even though I have good grades in both subjects. They said after I got this subjects I can submit my application packet for school year 2016!

School 2 (City College)

They ask me to much things, Like the syllabi or syllabus of the subjects that I want to be credited to them plus send my TOR to be evaluated again. (I'm like again?! I don't have money to send my TOR to agency again) Then I feel like the counselor is talking non therapeutic and not encouraging for me. She just talk to me 3 mins or 5 maybe after 40 mins. drive from our house even it's raining today and I used my PTO from work just to go to that appointment for her. FOR THE RECORD, she just rub on my face that my Psychology is only 2.25 units compare to their 3 units required. I'm like okay bye. (Leaving the office upset and counselor don't even smile or look at me when I say bye)

Well. I got discourage in that 2 schools. I feel like they discriminating IEN. Idk but I felt like that. I'm thinking if I just work as LVN and deal with it. Or look for job that pay more like work as DSD or MDS in nursing homes or work double job like work in dialysis or case management. I don't mind to work as LVN but sometimes if you think that you have RN in Phils. sometimes you'll feel coz it's so hard to have it here like here in CA. Right now I'm processing my NCLEX RN in other state. My place is to take it and of course passed it. Once passed it. I'm going back to school here in Cali like maybe do the LVN-RN bridge take my pre reqs so that after graduation I can endorse my license as RN. I have bunch of classmates of mine did that way and I think it's okay.

Can you guys help me what to do? I'm really stress right now. Thank you

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

Moved to the Nurse Registration forum where there are a few threads discussing this

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

I'm not an IEN but 8 credits for A&P lecture and lab is the standard as well as only accepting math & science courses (A&P, micro, chemistry, pathophysiology, biology, statistics, pharmacology, etc) completed in the past 5 years . Requiring official copies of transcripts is typical for any collegiate admissions, not just nursing. Most collegiate courses are 3 credit minimum and if a candidate took a class worth less than 3 credits it's pretty standard to require that the class be repeated for the correct credits if the potential student earned less than 3. This is not discrimination but ensuring uniform admissions standards and that all candidates have the same/equivalent pre-requisite credits.

The LPN/ LVN license only counts so much and often is credited for the first nursing fundamentals course and the student generally still must take med/surg, obstetrics, fundamentals 2, pharmacology, nutrition, psych/mental health, pediatrics, and leadership regardless if a method 3 LVN, IEN LVN, or an LVN graduate of a VN school.

Admissions for LVN/LPN to RN programs are competitive

[dishes, BSN, RN]

Everything the school is asking for, including the syllubus is reasonable. The academic counsellor is using analytical reasoning to assess whether your education meets the school's standards. Your emotional response to the meeting with the academic counsellor suggests you have a tendency to rely on emotion based thinking, if you are going to be successful in North American academics, you will have to learn balance your thinking with analytical based thinking.

[steppybay]

To the OP: I have to agree with the above comments, don't get overly emotional over the counselor's assessment of your educational paperwork, it is what it is.

I'm sure that it's not the first-time that many of the CA school counselor's and evaluators have seen the transcripts, as with over 10,000 PH applicants in CA alone trying to find a LVN-RN program to get enrolled in and with the extreme competition amongst the CA locals, CA residents and out-of-state students, everyone must meet the "minimum" requirements.

This also applies to those coming from other states (who obviously are not IEN's) and do not meet the particular CA school's education requirements and also asked to re-take certain courses because their out of state school curriculum didn't meet the CA standards, it's not a matter of one school in one state is better than another, it's just that out of state's nursing requirements, nothing more, nothing less.

If you go to the CA forum, you'll read of others like your similar situation but graduated from another state only to be told they too are deficient in one or more subjects, you're not alone.

The same exact subjects that the school's have mentioned are also the same exact common ones that many others from PH have been troubled with in meeting the CA school's requirements: Anatomy, English, Physio, Psych, Math, Chem are the usual suspects.

While it's not quite the same subject, you'll read of US students who missed the grade passing level by just ONE point and it meant failing that particular course and having to re-take the class or in some cases, failed the nursing program. It is what it is.

Again, don't read more into this than you need to.

If the CA schools are telling you the same thing, then you know what to expect. It might be possible that one CA school may have a slightly more leeway to your transcripts, just make sure that the school is approved by the CA BRN and that's YOUR responsibility to make sure (use the approved list from the CA BRN website), as there could be schools out there (and they do exist) that don't meet the CA BRN minimum (and most likely not approved by the CA BRN).

Btw, I'm a pinay, also. Good luck!

[nursefromcali]

Thank for your reply guys.. I know I admit it, I got emotional rather than be professional. Well it's just hard sometimes. Well maybe I'll just retake my A&P and English. Since that the only subject they want me to retake. Maybe it's okay again to take that class like a refresher course haha. Idk. Hmm the schools that I went through is accredited by CA BRN so I guess it's worth it to go there specially it's around our area and cheap tuition too :)

Maybe I just going to look for job who pays more so that I can earn money for the school for 2016 if I'm going to retake my class in 2015. I really envy and got jealous for those people only retaking OB or MS or pharma for their concurrency issues. Unlike compare to me, I have to go the whole program

Well it's okay I know God has a plan for me. And I know I can do this. if anyone still have any comments there. you guys are open to drop here and say something :)